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LEDs + Lighting

Seeing the Lights

A Frankfurt show reveals illumination trends.

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Again, organizers scheduled the International Sign Assn.’s (ISA) Sign Expo, which was held in Orlando, FL, and Frankfurt, Germany’s "light + building" show on conflicting dates. I had a difficult time deciding which to attend. Because I hadn’t encountered revelations at ISA’s show the last few years, I went to Frankfurt to see what the lighting industry offers signmakers.

Background

The show took place April 19-22 on Frankfurt’s fairgrounds. According to its organizers, light + building has developed into the world’s largest tradeshow for every aspect of lighting and building automation. This year, roughly 2,000 exhibitors from nearly 50 countries shared approximately 1.2 million sq. ft. across 19 exhibit halls. Every corner of the world, with the exception of central Africa, was well represented.

Even with the "scala mobile" — a moving walkway that connected some exhibit halls — this show was tough on the feet. To facilitate walking the show, each hall was divided into a geographic segment or specific aspect of the industry.

For example, in Hall 6.3, Asian light traders were assembled in rows of booths not unlike New York City’s Chinatown on Canal St. They offered similar inexpensive lamps, equipment and entertainment electronics. The downside was that most exhibitors’ minimum order was a 16-ft. container, payable in cash in advance. I don’t think these products would be very enticing to signmakers.

LEDs abound

For the sign business, the most relevant exhibits, in Halls 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2, showcased technical lamps and related gear. The primary focus, LEDs, mimicked sign-industry and lighting tradeshows in recent years. However, I suspect numerous companies were desperately offering an LED-lit product to score a small market share, not offering anything truly new. For example, a single epoxy case may now contain 25 LEDs — rather than five, which would have been the case in recent years — that comprise an 18W electrical input useable as a spotlight.

Toyoda Gosei Co. (Nakashima, Japan) offered white LEDs with different color temperatures. However, I believe the white-LED color rendering I witnessed at the show was still inadequate to be competitive.

Multiple companies offered color-changing LEDs, most notably Color Kinetics (Boston). Manufacturers offered LEDs for various applications that were typically associated with other lightsources. Degrees of success varied. For instance, Kers, a Germany company, hawked neon-style clocks illuminated by LEDs. It’s a nice idea, but the light looks cold.

I asked several attendees and exhibitors if they believed LEDs would take over the illumination market. From what I gathered, some think LEDs will gain a niche market for specialized applications. This result would resemble the fate of fiberoptics, which were greatly hyped in the late ’90s, but now play only a marginal role in the sign-illumination market. Many were skeptical that LEDs would replace fluorescent lamps or neon tubing.

Other lightsources

Only one booth, belonging to Essen, Germany-based Mutzhas, displayed neon. Its booth featured a wall whose illumination changed colors, as well as an overhead crackle-tube display that attracted some attention. Most who touched the arcs were surprised it was colored glass rather than plastic. Two booths — those of Hansen/Klinger Neon (Berlin) and Berger/Majert (Kamp-Lintfort) — offered illuminated-sign systems and components, but neither displayed neon or cold-cathode tubing.

Several lighting suppliers touted compact fluorescents available in numerous sizes and shapes. Litetronics (Alsip, IL) displayed a tiny, 3mm, clear, neon spiral wound up inside a transparent bulb, though they wouldn’t allow me to take photos.

However, most companies offered multiple-unit systems within single sockets or ultra-high-output (HO) tubes. I noted several studio floodlights equipped with compact, very bright HO fluorescents. Some Asian companies offered replacement kits designed to retrofit T8 lamps with T5 tubing accompanied by an energy-saving electronic power supply. What they didn’t advertise was that the system considerably reduced luminous flux.

Curiosities

In Hall 3.0, I found an answered prayer for anyone who’s ever set up, operated and torn down a tradeshow exhibit: an inflatable booth that sets up in 10 minutes. The user lays out the structure on the floor, switches on the blower and waits. It’s surprisingly rigid, considering it comprises nothing but silk balloon fabric and air; its internal structure provides a quite stable format. Nonetheless, it’s probably not the best solution for hanging heavy displays; plus, using nails isn’t recommended.

I also observed a unit that retrofitted fluorescent lamps using tubular incandescents in clear, glass tubes with T8 connectors. These were designed for applications for which fluorescent light is determined to be "too cold." The fact that warm whites and even incandescent colors are now available in fluorescent lamps may have missed some corners of our world, including the German Thuringian forest.

Finding a perfect name for a new product isn’t always easy — remember F.A.R.T., the neon-transformer manufacturer? The OVA Co. (Bologna, Italy), which specializes in emergency power-generating equipment and lighting, offered its new, non-interrupting power supply. Its booth presenters were some of the most beautiful, well-dressed women I’ve ever seen. However, their presence may have created some incorrect associations, and the product’s name, "Mastersin," won’t necessarily boost sales. Oops.

Looking back on the world’s largest lighting event, I determined that, after five days, the most enjoyable illumination I saw was the spring evening sun reflected on Frankfurt’s skyline, and I relaxed after a really busy show that didn’t offer anything revolutionary.

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