Concept Development

 

Following on from initial benchmark testing of your luminaire, or upon receipt of comprehensive performance specifications, our design team can begin the process of examining routes to achieving a fit-for-purpose LED PCB solution suitable for your end application.

 

This process involves steps including:

 

LED Device Selection

 

Our engineering and sales team have extensive experience in the selection of LED components, examining a wide range of characteristics to ensure the selection of the best LED device to suit the end application whilst taking into account the unique nature of your specific product.

 

Some examples of the criteria we use as part of our evaluation include:

 

Alongside these quantitative measures of the LEDs performance, we also remain conscious of any cost considerations that may impact upon the commercial viability of the product.

 

Forge Europa always select the best LED device for the application. As a designated Cree Solutions Provider we specialise in the use of the Cree XLamp™ range of lighting-class LED components.

 

 

The foundation of any LED lighting product is the printed circuit board (PCB). This material provides the electrical and thermal connections that allow the LED to function effectively. Typically there are two PCB material options when using lighting-class LED components, FR4 or IMS.

 

FR4 materials, often with through-hole plated thermal vias, offer a cost effective substrate that can cater for a wide range of applications generally in the lower power area.

 

Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS) is a far more high performance material, offering excellent heat dispersal characteristics by allowing rapid conduction of heat through the PCB to the underlying heat-sinking and eventually the surrounding environment. Opting for IMS PCB technology allows for the development of high power designs that can deliver outstanding performance and long life.

 

Optics and Thermal Management

 

The design and manufacture of LED based lighting products extends well beyond the mounting of LEDs onto circuit boards. A well designed product must take into consideration optical and thermal factors that can impact upon the efficiency and practicality of the finished luminaire.

 

Optical design often starts with a target lux level at a prescribed distance in combination to a desired beam pattern. This can be determined empirically as part of the benchmarking of a product or can be defined as part of the design brief. Our design team will then begin looking at how best to achieve these characteristics using an extensive portfolio of lenses, reflectors and diffuser materials.

 

Thermal design encompasses elements ranging from the LED component through to the actual environment in which the luminaire is intended to be operated. The ‘on-board’ elements are taken care of as part of the PCB and LED device selection, however it is often necessary for our engineers to advise on wider aspects of the

luminaires’ design, up to and including the physical construction of the product.

 

As part of many designs we will create a thermal gasket to suit the layout your PCB. Typically this thermal gasket is manufactured from graphite paper and is sandwiched between the PCB and underlying gear tray or external housing to maximise contact between the circuit board and the secondary heat sinking of the product.

 

LED Drivers and Control

 

The adoption of LED technology often requires the consideration of different power supply approaches than you may be used to.

 

Forge Europa has an extensive range of power factor corrected LED drivers and we can base a custom PCB design around the parameters of these units, alternatively, if you have a specific driver already specified we can take into consideration the performance characteristics of that product into any design we undertake.