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    Bridgelux introduces five-year warranty on LED arrays and modules

    Oct. 13, 2010
    A five-year warranty on LED arrays and modules will help Bridgelux’s lighting customers bring their LED luminaires and lamps to market.

    Bridgelux, Inc., an LED chip and array manufacturer based in Livermore, California, has introduced a five-year warranty on all of the company's integrated LED arrays, as well as the Helieon LED module that was co-developed by Bridgelux and Molex.

    Although some luminaire makers such as Zumtobel now offer a five-year warranty on LED-based luminaires, Bridgelux is thought to be the first manufacturer to offer this warranty at the LED component level.

    The move has been driven by the need for OEMs and luminaire manufacturers to offer longer warranties for their LED-based solid-state lighting products, in order to meet the demands of programs such as Energy Star and to provide assurances to the marketplace about the viability of SSL.

    OEMs typically need to offer a minimum of three years’ warranty, and often five years. In the case of outdoor lighting, this can be extended to 7-10 years.

    Jason Posselt, VP of marketing for Bridgelux, said "The lighting market is demanding 3- to 5-year warranties on solid-state lighting products. The 5-year warranty protection on light sources provided by Bridgelux will make it easier for our customers – i.e. lamp and luminaire manufacturers – to meet market requirements for their products. Further, it also allows our partners to minimize the cost and time they spend on warranty-related issues while improving their ability to win new business opportunities."

    The warranty will cover manufacturing defects and will ensure that the product performs as advertised; for example, Bridgelux’s products have an L70 lifetime (70% lumen maintenance) of 50,000 hours, provided that the specified parameters such as in-situ temperature are not exceeded.

    Posselt explains that the warranty provide customers with the assurance that the LED product will work, so they can move ahead quickly with new lamp or luminaire designs. The warranty acts as a backup if things go wrong with the LED component, and helps to mitigate the business risk for the end customer as it brings its products to market. It also helps with cost-of-ownership issues, says Posselt, since the warranty means any defective parts can be replaced without cost.

    "To innovate and expand our business we must use the latest LED lighting technology," said Chuck Campagna, CEO of Amerlux, a lighting manufacturer. "With LED technology evolving at a pace faster than typical lighting design cycles, we are faced with a challenge to ensure that we bring high-quality products to market while still using leading-edge technology. The 5-year warranty provided by Bridgelux allows us to confidently deliver one of the industry's most advanced solid-state lighting solutions at a pace that addresses both Amerlux business requirements and lighting industry demands."