Unilux will introduce a range of pulsed LED inspection lights at Labelexpo Europe 2009. Unilux will unveil LED versions of its most widely used stroboscopic inspection lights for label printers in Stand 5D95.

Unilux pulsed LED inspection lights will include the LED 1XF, equivalent in illumination to the Cricket; the LED 1XS, equivalent to the Scout; LED 5X2, 46 centimeters (18 inches) long and similar to the LOL-20 with the capability to expand to 3 meters; LED 1X3, similar to the Tracker, and the Pocket Pixel. Unilux also will display its proven LOL-5, LOL-20, LOL-40, Guardian, Cricket, Tracker and Miti-Lite.

‘LEDs are a fascinating new technology,’ said Michael P. Simonis, president, Unilux, ‘but they are not for every printing or labeling application. Their softer light makes them best suited for inspecting labels and packaging with highly reflective coatings, foils or metalized substrates or on high-speed lines. Pulsed LED lights can replace strobe lights with Xenon lamps, where inspectors sometimes need to dial down the intensity or use frosted glass to avoid harsh reflections. When combining the light with our unique reflector designs, Unilux can provide even illumination across the entire surface.’

The Unilux LED family of inspection lights carries a higher initial cost than the strobe lights with Xenon lamps, but the LED lamps do not have the same replacement costs.

‘The selection of pulsed LED or stroboscopic inspection lighting really comes down to the application,’ Simonis said. ‘The pulsed LED is better for high-speed, highly reflective printing, and the strobe for most other printing applications. LEDs can have a better light output than Xenon lamps when you have a flash rate greater than 15,000 flashes per second. The costs are about the same over a 3-5 year operating period, with the cost savings on the LED units being better after that. The real importance is that we can actually offer our customers the best lighting solution to meet their exact needs. It is not about developing an LED light or a Xenon lamp; it’s about being able to guide the customer to which light is best for them and to help produce the best final product. Only Unilux can do both.’

Unilux products are built around stroboscopic surface inspection lighting that enables operators to spot defects at full production speeds, which can exceed 750 meters per minute (2,200 feet per minute). Operators can use their knowledge of products and production systems to determine the severity of the defect and take steps to find and eliminate its cause. The company has combined its high-speed inspection lighting with high-speed video and photography systems to provide engineering departments with visual data to develop long-term solutions to repetitive production problems.