The 18th Annual Lightfair International (LFI) — the world's largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference — was held at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center May 6 to 10. The trade show featured more than 480 manufacturers, showcasing products for approximately 21,700 attendees — the biggest show in LFI's history.
A feature component of the event is the LFI Innovation Awards (formerly known as the New Product Showcase), an annual awards presentation celebrating the industry's newest product introductions and emerging technologies. The 139 products submitted for the 2007 program were judged by an independent panel of industry experts with decades of expertise.
LFI Innovation Awards “Best of Category” honors were bestowed on 14 different products, with four of these category winners singled out for special awards, including the Technical Excellence Award, the Design Excellence Award, and the Most Innovative Product of the Year Award — the event's highest honor. The following pages offer a glimpse of this year's winners and what makes them so unique.
The ARC Keeper Arctic 175 HID backup ballast catches and maintains the arc of one 100W to 175W metal-halide pulse-start lamp for up to 2 min., preventing lamp arc extinction during power voltage disruptions. Designed for cold environments, the backup ballast operates at ambient temperatures ranging from -40°C to +55°C. In addition, it is suitable for indoor and damp locations.
Bodine
(Also winner of the Industrial, Vandal, Exit, and Emergency Lighting category)
ALTO II T8 lamps feature a 50% reduction of mercury levels compared to previous versions. Requiring only 1.7 mg of mercury, the company says the lamps offer 40,000 rated average life at 12 hours per start on instant-start ballasts. In addition, they are available in four color temperatures in either 32W or 25W.
Philips Lighting
(Also winner of the Conventional Lamp category)
Luxeon Rebel power LEDs are engineered for operation between 350mA and 1,000mA. For applications requiring high efficacy, the company says its cool-white LED can exceed 70 lumens per watt at 350mA. Measuring 3 mm × 4.5 mm with a footprint area 75% smaller than other surface-mount power LEDs, they enable reduced color mixing and diffusion depths so that luminaire designs can be as much as 50% slimmer than with conventional power LEDs.
Philips Lumileds
(Also winner of the Specialty Lamp category)
The ORUS Roadway luminaire is an extreme-weather low-mounting-height roadway light that incorporates a compact low-wattage metal-halide lamp in a Flatbeam bidirectional asymmetric optic optimized for 24-ft to 45-ft spacing. Constructed of die-cast aluminum with impact-resistant polycarbonate lens, the product is tested to IP66.
North Star Lighting
(Also winner of the Roadway, Sports, Floodlights, Outdoor Architectural, and Site Lighting category)
This adjustable downlight features a round, recessed, adjustable trim with a round, regressed, black, knife-edged aperture. According to the company, its die cast interior eliminates aperture flash and glare. In addition, the product's die cast gear drive has a two-axis self-locking adjustment of fixture rotation and tilt to 45° when using it with up to a ⅝-in. ceiling or 30° with a 1-in. ceiling. The trim is available for use with low-voltage halogen, 20W MR-16 HID, or 39W MR-16 HID-style lamps. An optional ceiling-mounted appliqué is available for zero sight-line applications.
Lucifer Lighting
Tangent is a 120V, 20A track that, in its smallest form, measures ¾-in. tall by ⅜-in. wide. The unit features two interlocking extrusions — one aluminum and one clear polycarbonate — that houses the bus bars in a side-by-side design, allowing the track to be mounted ¼-in. off the surface while making it pliable for bending. In addition, it is available in three track styles: surface-mounted for the smallest profile, and suspended in a solid I-Beam or a perforated truss.
Lightolier
The Lightplane 11 Series of fixtures consists of two parallel aluminum channels approximately 11 in. across. In addition, the linear suspension system features a double-gimbal ring, adjustable downlights for multiple sources (including ceramic metal halide and optional fluorescent indirect uplighting). Other features include a modular or hardwire configuration, glare cap, custom lengths, mitered corners, and an Ultimatte aluminum finish.
Architectural Lighting Works
The Avanti 9100 Series of miniature flush-mounted trimless step/accent lights features an energy-efficient T-2 fluorescent or LED light source combined with a variety of decorative lenses. Suitable for wall- or floor-mount applications, the units feature a diffuser attachment, a 120V instant-on electronic HPF ballast, and an adjustable L bracket that allows for ⅜-in. to 1-in. variable recessed depth alignment.
Dreamscape Lighting
The 4426 is a 60W LED swimming pool and fountain fixture that uses an RGB LED array to create DMX-controlled dynamic color. According to the company, sensory thermal management yields a lamp life of up to 50,000 hours with 4-channel color control at 44 frames per second.
Hydrel/Acuity Brands Lighting
The eW Flex SLX is a strand of 50 white LED nodes available in 2,700K or 4,200K color temperatures. The flexible form factor allows points of white light to be installed on a variety of surfaces. Indoor/outdoor rated, standard node spacing is 4 in. or 12 in. Custom on-spacing is available up to 12 in.
Color Kinetics
The ROAM asset management system remotely monitors and controls outdoor luminaires to identify outages. It pairs intelligent photo controls with wireless communication to establish connectivity between lighting systems and operators. Measuring 3⅛ in. × 3¼ in., the system operates from 100VAC to 265VAC at 60 Hz.
Holophane/Acuity Brands Lighting
“Luminaire Classification System for Outdoor Luminaires” (TM-15-07) is a technical memorandum that defines a classification system for outdoor luminaires. The memorandum provides information to lighting professionals regarding the lumen distribution in zones of specific interest. The lumens in the zones defined by this system are intended to be one of the metrics used to evaluate luminaire optical distribution and the potential for light pollution and obtrusive light, but not the only metric that should be evaluated.
IESNA
The PSI MicroLinear diffusing sheet features micro-prisms to reduce high-angle brightness and lamp obscuration. With 90% transmission, this clear acrylic diffusing sheet is available in .03-in., .08-in., and 0.118-in. thicknesses. It can be used in two layers in transverse directions to provide a crosshatch optic pattern. Custom sizes are available.
Spectrus
Quicktronic Powersense T5 dimming ballasts operate linear fluorescent T5 lamps over a 100% to 1% dimming range. The ballasts are compatible with low-voltage controls (0VDC to 10VDC), power-line dimmers, any line voltage from 120V to 277V, and Octron lamps from 17W to 32W. Depending on the specific application, the company says energy savings of up to 60% can be realized.
Osram Sylvania