As LED lighting technologies continue to advance, the demand for efficient thermal solutions has increased drastically. In addition, high power LEDs have triggered manufacturers to redesign heat sinks to make them more compact and have better heat dissipation. To better understand the development trends of thermal solutions, LEDinside interviewed Koen Vangorp, General Manager of Taiwan-based MechaTronix, at the 2017 Taiwan International Lighting Show (TILS). 

Koen Vangorp, General Manager, MechaTronix. (LEDinside)

MechaTronix is a specialist in R&D of LED thermal modules, especially heat sinks and heat pipes for cooling LED spotlights, shop lighting and track lights. Vangorp said the company expanded relatively fast into providing cooling solutions for LED shop lighting about a decade ago as LEDs were widely adopted. 

In 2016, MechaTronix acquired Taiwan’s Cooling House, a technology leader in advanced two-phase cooling, to leverage on its expertise in thermal energy and mechanical engineering. This partnership allows MechaTronix to develop thermal solutions for high power LED lighting fixtures such as high-mast, landscape, high bay, street lighting and the sought-after horticulture lighting.

(LEDinside)

When asked about the advantages of MechaTronix’s products, Vangorp said their LED coolers are specifically designed to be modular plug and play components, just like a Lego kit. This means they can match all types of LED engines and secondary optics. As a member of Zhaga, the company also aims at producing heat sinks that are compatible with all lighting components and drivers.

In addition, MechaTronix has formed eco partnerships with leading LED manufacturers like Osram, Philips Lighting, Cree, Citizen and Lumileds, enabling the company to provide high quality products and enjoy competitive advantages in the global market. MechaTronix currently exports 99% of its products, with the U.S. being its largest market, followed by Europe. Moreover, leveraging the advantages of high power Chip-on-board (COB) LEDs, MechaTronix horticulture LED coolers use COB LEDs from Lumileds and Citizen. 

MechaTronix exhibited its horticulture LED cooler CoolFin at TILS 2017. The model is a 600 watt cooler based on advanced heat pipe that has 270-degree tilt range, allowing users to adjust beam angles according to various needs. The company said it can replace the existing 1000 watt HID model used in the field. In addition, the thermal solution has 4 Lumileds’ COB LEDs in it. COB LEDs ensure homogeneous light distribution that optimizes the growth of plants, Vangorp explained. 

MechaTronix exhibited its horticulture LED cooler CoolFin at TILS 2017. (LEDinside)

Also on display was the CoolBlock HC-01 3x11 that will be officially launched in May. The cooler uses 3x11 Adura SinkPAD LED PCB with red, far red, blue and white high-power LEDs mounted on. The solution allows growers to control the wavelengths of the light emitted to match the needs of different plant species. MetraTronix partnered with Osram LED Light for You network, LEDil and CEZOS to develop this comprehensive solution, Vangorp said.

The CoolBlock HC-01 3x11 was shown to the public for the first time at TILS 2017. (LEDinside)

. The cooler uses 3x11 Adura SinkPAD LED PCB with red, far red, blue and white high-power LEDs mounted on. (LEDinside)

The future of LED growth lights is very bright, Vangorp emphasized, and related applications are already quite prevalent in European countries like the Netherlands. LEDinside forecasts that the scale of global LED horticultural lighting market will increase rapidly to around US$1.42 billion by 2020. 

“Changes in global climate encourages agricultural and livestock businesses to adopt technological innovations,” said Joanne Wu, Research Manager of LEDinside. “Hence, LED horticultural lighting has a booming future due to the rising demand generated by advances in the cultivation of high-quality agricultural produce, livestock farming and fresh food storage. In the U.S., LED horticultural lighting particularly benefits from the expanding legal trades of medicinal and recreational marijuana in some states.”

Horticulture farming is a power-consuming practice where the energy savings brought about by LED lights make it faster for growers to see an ROI. As LED manufactures worldwide are quickly getting into this market, Vangorp said Taiwanese companies are a bit lagging behind. So far, not many products have been launched. This growing market presents great business opportunities that Taiwanese manufacturers should grasp, he concluded.