Innovation Thrives in the LED Lighting Market

Energy efficiency and creative design drive success of LED lamp makers

As a new-generation illumination source, the LED provides not only an energy-efficient alternative to traditional lighting but also an emerging niche where innovation booms in both functionality and aesthetics. For lighting designers, compact IC-controlled LED bulbs offer immense scope for the imagination.

Wish Lamp
The Wish Lamp launched by the Cocokasa Lighting Corp., for example, is an induction lamp with the advantages of IC control. Made of flame-proof latex fabric, like that used in inflatable balloons, the Wish Lamp was originally designed as a decoration for festive occasions such as birthdays and weddings. Celebrants can face it, make a wish, and then tap it lightly to turn it on. This is supposed to be an auspicious action meaning that the wish will come true.

The lamp has no switches. It is turned on and off, and its color changed (up to 50 color choices are available), by the human touch. With white light it can be used as a desk lamp; for special lighting ambience, other colors can be chosen.

Like a balloon, the Wish Lamp can be inflated manually with the mouth or a source of compressed gas, and the elasticity of the latex fabric makes its size adjustable. For both decorative and practical purposes, the Wish Lamp will hold its size and shape much longer than balloons normally will, usually for several weeks. According to the company, an increasing number of buyers are placing orders for Wish Lamps to use as corporate promotional gifts.

The all-angle LED Desk Lamp from CocoKasa features a patented design that allows users to adjust it to any angle, making it especially user-friendly. Each lamp is made with a 3-section arm (each having 2 angles) which lets users adjust it to an appropriate height; when not in use, it can be folded to save space.

The foldable arm design also makes for convenient carrying. The aluminum alloy base is fixed with anti-slip pad to secure the firm positioning of the lamp.

Another significant feature of the lamp is an anti-glare 3-layer optical lens designed to enhance the lamp's eye protection function and create a more comfortable lighting environment. The first layer, made of optical fiber, collects all the light emitted from the bulb and spreads it over a certain area of illumination. The second layer is an optical film that diffuses colors and enhances brightness. The third layer is a structure that reflects the flashing light to reduce lighting pollution.

Equipped with an OSRAM or Cree LED bulb to assure quality and energy savings, the 4.3-watt lamp is equivalent to a 23-watt compact fluorescent lamp in terms of light produced.

Flat Lighting
The Xcellent Lighting Corp., originally set up in 2001 as an electronics and optical device producer, has diversified in recent years into the lighting and furniture fields in order to make better use of the talents of its designer team. The team uses “Marketable Design Methodology” and the “Digital Design Model” to generate digital aesthetics for modern life.

With key members of its design team coming from America's Palo Alto Design Group, Xcellent presented a western style of simplicity in the LED lighting series it displayed at the 2012 Taiwan International Culture and Creative Industry Expo (TICCIE), held at the Taipei World Trade Center's Nankang Exhibition Hall on Oct. 18-21.

The LED lighting series on show featured flat LED “bulbs” which, unlike traditional globe-shaped bulbs, provide opportunities for creative designs that go beyond traditional frames. Each of the items in the series is made of pieces of flat LED “bulb” that the company calls a “Leaf Light” because of its leaf-shaped cover. The “Leaf Light” can be used as a table lamp or a wall lamp. When pieces of the “Leaf Light” are assembled into one item, they can become a pendant lamp in any one of a variety of shapes depending on the combination used.

The simple-looking “Leaf Light” can also be assembled into other lighting products such as table lamps and wall lamps which, if made with more than one “Leaf Light” piece, can also be realized in a variety of shapes. Additional prices of the “Leaf Light” not only offer greater scope for shape design, but also enhance brightness. A special optical structure helps the “Leaf Light” reduce glare and weakens strong illumination that is not friendly to the human eye.

Through cooperation projects with foreign partners, Xcellent is active at international exhibition venues. It has also built up a partnership with Aurora Furniture and markets its products through Aurora's sales network in China.

PP lamp Cover
Ho Hsing Electric Co., a specialized manufacturer of metal parts for traditional bulbs and florescent lamps that was established over 30 years ago, has begun diversifying its product line to take advantage of the emerging LED lighting market. The company works with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to enhance the energy-saving functions of light sources, and with the industrial design departments of several universities to develop creative lighting products.

This year the company launched a PP floral lamp shade that it co-developed with the industrial design department of the Oriental Institute of Technology (its actual designer was Assistant Prof. Kao Chi-hui). The lamp shade can be changed to present different styles, and can be washed so that users avoid the trouble of cleaning lighting fixture or bulbs.

The shade can be used individually as the “cloth” for a desk lamp, wall lamp, or other small lamp; several pieces can also be assembled into larger lamp covers, such as globe-shaped covers for pendent lamps.

“The new idea of ‘letting lamps wear clothes' will be gradually accepted by consumers,” predicted Allen Feng, manager of the company's Planning & Development Department. With their long durability, Feng is optimistic about the market prospects of LED lamps. “An LED bulb is claimed to have a life cycle of tens of thousands hours,” he said, “so people may need ‘clothes' to give their old lamps a new look.” He feels that lamp shades offer a good waste-reduction solution for those who like to change the style of their lighting from time to time.

Feng considers the lamp shade especially good as a lighting decoration for parties, celebrations, and other festive activities.

The lamp shade is made of highly ductile PP material which is resistant to temperatures up to 150 degrees Celsius, and can be conditioned to even greater heat. “PP is an ideal material for lamp shades because it's light-weight, transparent, and can be made to resist temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius,” commented Feng. Ho Hsing accepts custom orders for lamp shades based on customer-designated colors and designs.