LED Lighting in the Industrial Workplace
LEDs have come a long way since their creation over 50 years ago. From simple rudimentary chips that produced very low levels of red light, to the 100+ lumen per watt advanced semi-conductors now being produced, LEDs have shown a remarkable development and advancement trend. The first LEDs saw use as displays and indicators in early computers, calculators, wrist watches and similar devices which did not require anything more than low level red light output. LED development advanced rather quickly, and by the 1980’s improvements in design and materials soon began resulting in illumination grade LEDs that were capable of replacing incandescent bulbs in devices such as flashlights and portable lamps. By 2000 LEDs were appearing which could rival normal incandescent light bulbs for total output, and developers began designing light fixtures capable of taking advantage of this capability. Now in 2012, LEDs have overtaken the incandescent light bulb in every measure of performance from lumen per watt output to over all light quality, and as a result are now expected to completely replace the incandescent bulb as well as other lighting technologies as the dominant electrical light source in the coming decade.
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