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Selecting the perfect light fixtures for your home can sometimes seem like a daunting task. 

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After years of manufacturing experience, we’re excited to share our discoveries with you. Our guide simplifies the process of choosing exceptional lighting options, from reputable driver brands to durable metal types.

Key Takeaways

• LED drivers are important for light fixtures because they help the lights work better and last longer. Look for brands like Mean Well, Philips, and Tridonic for quality.
• Choosing a fixture with the right LEDs, such as those from San’an, Epistar, Cree, or Lumileds, makes a big difference in how bright and long-lasting your lights will be.
• Different metals used in light fixtures affect their cost and durability. Brass is more expensive but lasts longer without rusting, while steel provides a modern look at a mid-range price.
• The type of finish on a light fixture can protect it against rust and wear. Techniques like anodizing add durability to materials such as aluminum.
• Safety certifications and warranties are important when choosing light fixtures. Brands that pass tests from organizations like CSA or UL Solutions assure high standards of safety.

Driver Brands and Quality

What LED drivers are and why they’re crucial for light fixture performance

LED drivers are like the heart of LED light fixtures, giving them the power they need to shine bright. These special devices change incoming electricity so it works just right for LED lights.

Whether a fixture needs a steady flow of current or a set level of voltage, LED drivers make sure LEDs have what they need to perform well.

Without reliable LED drivers, your chandeliers and luxury lighting won’t work as expected.

Choosing quality LED drivers is key for getting lighting that lasts longer and works better. We always look for the best in the business, ensuring our lights not only work but last in excess of 7 years.

Challenges in assessing the quality of custom LED drivers

Finding the best quality in custom LED power units is tricky. Many factors play their parts, such as how well these devices handle electrical currents and their design for LED circuits.

We must pay close attention to these aspects to ensure our lighting fixtures shine bright and last long. High-quality LEDs take forever to fail completely, so choosing the right drivers is key as it will usually fail first.

Many brands claim their LED control gear is top-notch, but without testing them under real conditions, it’s hard to tell. Look for signs of good performance like consistent brightness and efficient energy use.

Usually really cheap drivers will save money on insulation and feel lightweight and hollow compared to their higher quality counterparts. These will typically be found on discount sites such as Ebay or Aliexpress. Cheap power supplies will also be missing the UL recognized mark seen below. 

Overview of reputable driver brands and indicators of good quality

We all want our lights to work well and last long. To do that, we need the best parts inside them. Here’s a list of top driver makers and what makes them shine.

1. Look for names like Mean Well, Philips, and Tridonic. They’re well-known in the lighting world for a reason.
2. Good drivers manage electricity flow to keep lights bright without using too much power.
3. They also protect lights from sudden power spikes that can cause damage.
4. High – grade materials mean these drivers can handle hot and cold weather without breaking down.
5. These brands offer great warranties that promise their drivers will last a long time.
6. You can find options with safety badges from groups like Underwriters Laboratories (UL). This means they’ve passed the toughest of testing requirements.
7. Their products make sure your lights won’t quit after just a few rainstorms or on really hot days.

LED Chip Quality

Introduction to the key LED brands and their quality standards

Choosing the right LED brand for your lighting needs makes a big difference. We’re here to help you understand why top brands like Cree, and Lumiled are the go-to choices for quality light fixtures.

• San’an Optoelectronics is a Chinese brand known for cheap LED chips. They’re the typical LED’s you’ll find in cheap fixtures. I would personally avoid these, and our company avoids these too.
• Epistar specializes in creating LED chips that are not only powerful but also reliable. They offer a great mix of value and performance, making them a smart choice for both homes and businesses.
• Cree, with over thirty years of experience, is a pioneer in LED innovation. Their LEDs are backed by top-notch design and support, setting high standards globally for quality and durability.
• Lumileds operates worldwide, bringing advanced lighting solutions to more than 30 countries. With a team of over members, they’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what LEDs can do. These LED’s are often found in high bay lighting and other commercial applications. 

Each brand brings something unique to the table:

• San’an’s chips are generally cheap and low performance Chinese chips.
• Epistar finds the perfect balance between cost and quality.
• Cree, Bridgelux and Nichia ensures their LEDs are among the best.
• Lumileds focuses on innovation to lead the market forward.

Although it is hard to verify what brand LED is used in the fixture (unless you have a microscope and lots of free time), a lot of times manufacturers will tell you the brand they’re using if you ask. 

Impact of electrical stress such as over-volting and under-voltage on LEDs

Electrical stress, like over-volting and under-voltage, can harm LEDs in ways we’ve seen firsthand. Over-volting pushes too much power into an LED. This extra power makes the light work harder than it should, which can lead to overheating and a shorter life.

We’ve observed how quickly brightness can drop and color quality can change when an LED is over-volted.

On the flip side, under-voltage means not enough power gets to the LED. While this doesn’t cause immediate damage like over-volting does, it also leads to problems. The light might flicker or not reach its full brightness potential.

Making the right choice in LEDs can avoid electrical stress and ensure their long-lasting performance.

Metal Types and their Effects on Durability and Pricing

Comparison of different metals used in fixtures

Choosing the right metal for your light fixtures is key to getting both the look and longevity you want. We know there’s a lot to consider, from style to cost. That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide to help you compare various types of metals. Each has its own benefits and price points.

Stainless steels also have various properties depending on their types, for example 310 stainless steel is more corrosion resistant that regular 304 stainless steel. While 316 stainless steel is some of the most resistant and designed for marine environments. If you live oceanside, I recommend using higher grade materials so your fixtures don’t start to rust so quickly.

Remember, brass or bronze is top-notch for outdoor lighting. Though it might pinch your wallet at first, its durability means fewer replacements down the line. On the other hand, steel offers a sleek, modern vibe at a friendlier price, ideal for indoor settings. Iron, with its sturdy feel and traditional look, could be your go-to for a rustic charm. Just keep in mind, it needs a bit of care to prevent rust.

Overview of non-metal materials (Acrylic, Stone, Glass)

Acrylic

We’ve seen acrylic in many light fixtures because it’s tough and lasts long. But cheap acrylic can turn yellow if it gets too much sunlight or over time, similar to an old computer case yellowing after a few years. By using higher quality acrylic, you can ensure this doesn’t happen. You’ll mostly find this issue with cheap quality lighting.

Stone – Faux vs Natural

For stone, we have two types: faux and natural. Faux stone costs less and is easier to set up than real stone. Even though it’s not as strong as natural stone, its looks can fool anyone from a distance.

On the flip side, real stone might be pricier and heavier but has benefits like keeping buildings cooler by reflecting sunlight away. A quick way to check if the stone is natural is by placing your palm on it to see if it feels warm to the touch in a room temperature setting. If it’s warm, it’s most likely faux material. 

Glass & Crystal

Glass comes in many varieties and the price is largely driven by the added process to achieve the appearance. Here is a basic reference for some of the more common types of glass used in fixtures:

For crystal, there is three main quality types with different price points. K9 is the most common crystal you will see, and it’s technically not a crystal at all. The low price and great appearance has made it an extremely popular choice among manufacturers. I personally wouldn’t shy away from K9 crystal as it has high refractivity and can be just as polished as the real deal. Generally only a lighting expert would be able to tell the difference up-close.

Light Fixture Finish Quality

Types of coatings and their protective benefits

Choosing the right finish for your light fixtures can make a big difference. Coatings like epoxies, polyurethanes, and zinc-rich primers protect lights from rust and wear. For instance, we’ve seen how bronze outdoor lighting forms its own shield against corrosion by developing a unique greenish layer over time.

This isn’t just about looks; it’s about long-lasting protection.

We use these techniques on many of our products because they effectively guard against damage from weather and frequent handling.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Metal processing methods like anodization, brushing, and polishing

Anodizing, brushing, and polishing are key steps in creating high-quality light fixtures. These methods make metals like aluminum strong and shiny. Anodizing uses electricity to coat the metal with a tough layer that resists rust.

It makes sure your lighting parts last longer and look better. We use this for many aluminum pieces in our lights.

Brushing gives metal a smooth, matte finish by getting rid of any marks or rough spots. Polishing then makes the surface shine brightly, catching your eye from across the room. Both steps ensure our lights not only work great but also add beauty to any space they light up.

Discussion on the importance of material thickness and its impact on durability

Choosing the right thickness for materials in light fixtures is key to their strength and lasting power. Thicker metals resist wear and damage much better, making them great choices for outdoor lights exposed to harsh weather.

Safety Certifications & Types Of Warranties

We always make sure our light bulbs and fixtures pass tough tests to get safety certifications. These stickers, like ETL or UL, mean our lights meet high standards. We also work with UL Solutions to check our lamps and signs are safe.

This gives you peace of mind knowing your lights are top-notch.

Plus, products should come with solid guarantees that cover you if something goes wrong. Look for warranties that cover corrosion and the failure of components.

Frequently Asked Questions

Creating the Ideal Factory Lighting Layout

When outfitting your warehouse with factory lighting, the setting plays a big role in determining the type and number of lights you will want to use. With the many options available on the market, it can be overwhelming to decide which factory lights will best suit your space and needs. Not every choice will be ideal for your particular setting. With options for LED factory lighting and more, the correct lights will improve visibility in the workspace, help prevent employee injury and showcase how safe, clean and professional your factory is. Here are some things you will want to consider as you create an industrial lighting design for your space.

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Industrial Lighting Standards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees and regulates workplace safety standards, which includes establishing minimum industrial lighting standards for manufacturing settings and more. When deciding on factory lighting for your warehouse or workspace, the first step is to know your requirements.

OSHA Minimum Industrial Lighting Standards

OSHA defers to the lighting recommendations of the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) for all settings except construction and shipyards. For those environments, OSHA provides the following minimum lighting standards:

• 30 foot-candles: Offices, first-aid stations and infirmaries
• 10 foot-candles: General shops and construction plants
• 5 foot-candles: General construction areas, warehouses, walkways, corridors, exits and other indoor spaces
• 5 foot-candles: Underground work areas, including shafts and tunnels (unless drilling, mucking or scaling is being performed, which require 10 foot-candles)
• 3 foot-candles: Waste areas, loading platforms, active storage areas, field maintenance areas, refueling areas, concrete placement and excavation sites

ANSI/IES Lighting Recommendations

The ANSI/IES standard provides general guidelines measured in lux based on the type of work being performed in a particular workstation. These lighting recommendations include:

• 100-200 lux: Spaces not typically used for visual tasks, such as lobbies
• 200-500 lux: Spaces used for large-scale visual tasks or those needing high contrast
• 500-1,000 lux: Spaces used for small-scale visual tasks or those needing medium contrast
• 1,000-2,000 lux: Spaces used for very small-scale visual tasks or those needing low contrast

The American National Standard Institute also recommends no more than 500 lux for environments primarily used for computer tasks.

While the quantity of factory lights is obviously important, the ANSI/IES also offers guidelines for the quality of light, specifically as it relates to the flicker and glare produced by the lighting source. Because poor light quality can contribute to eye strain, headaches, fatigue and general eye discomfort, efforts should be taken to minimize flicker and glare. These include regularly replacing bulbs and ballasts, upgrading to non-flickering light sources (such as LED factory lighting) and properly positioning light fixtures relative to workspaces.

Ceiling Height

When deciding on your factory lighting, one of the biggest determining factors for what type and how many factory light fixtures you will need is your facility’s ceiling height. Most factories have higher ceilings than other locations. When measuring ceiling height, be sure to measure the distance from the ceiling to the floor as well as the ceiling to the work plane. In order to anticipate the lumen expectancy of the building, you will need these measurements ready to go.

Ceiling Height & Fixture Selection

A general rule is that you need one foot-candle per square foot of space, but this depends on other factors as well, such as the amount of accent and natural lighting the area will also receive. To achieve the recommended lumens per square foot, your lighting layout will need to feature the right type of factory light fixtures with ideal spacing between them.

Because the floor and workspace are further away from the light source, taller ceilings require more lumens to light the space adequately. This means installing more powerful fixtures and adjusting how far apart they are to achieve ideal lighting. Factory lights come in many different shapes and sizes, but they can generally be classified into the following categories:

• UFO High Bay Lights
• Linear High Bay Lights
• Vapor Tight High Bay Lights
• Low Bay Lights

High bay lights are designed for use on ceilings ranging from 20-45 feet, which are most often seen in industrial and commercial spaces. Low bay lights are intended for use on ceilings 20 feet and lower, as often seen in retail stores and public buildings.

Selecting the Right Factory Light Fixtures

Selecting the right fixtures is one of the most important aspects of any industrial lighting design. Each style is designed to provide the ideal illumination for a particular space. Understanding the purpose for each will help you select a fixture that is best suited for your factory.

UFO High Bay Lights

UFO high bay lights are round, pendant fixtures that are designed to be used on ceilings between 20-45 feet tall. They are so named because of their saucer-like appearance. With only one contact point with the ceiling, UFO high bays are among the easiest factory lights to install. They offer a fairly large beam angle, allowing illumination that is widespread and powerful. They are commonly used in open areas, like factories, warehouses, grocery and wholesale stores, and even aircraft hangars.

Linear High Bay Lights

Linear high bay lights are long, rectangular lights offered in varying lengths and widths to suit your specific needs. Depending on your space, you can mount these factory lights to the ceiling or hang them using cables or chains. They are commonly seen in grocery and wholesale stores, warehouses, factories and other wide-open spaces. A favorite choice in settings with a lot of aisles or shelves because they offer a light beam that will run along the length of the shelf.

Vapor Tight High Bay Lights

As one of the most durable options on the market, vapor tight high bay lights are designed to withstand harsh conditions while still providing excellent illumination. They are sealed to protect their internal components from moisture, dust and other corrosive elements. They are often used in outdoor environments and those subjected to high levels of moisture and other contaminants, like car washes, parking garages, cold storage facilities, industrial kitchens and bakeries, food processing plants and barns. They are commonly available in 2-, 4-, and 8-foot lengths and variable widths offered with increasing levels of protection against dust and water.

Choosing the Right Factory Light Bulb

There are three main options used in industrial applications, including metal halide (MH), fluorescent, and LED factory lighting. Each offers benefits and drawbacks that you will want to carefully consider as you decide which option best suits your factory lighting needs.

Metal Halide Bulbs

Metal halides are a solid, reliable choice for factories. These lights do not require warm-up time, making them a more desirable option over those that do. They offer a high-quality light rendering and are the only option to come close to the lumen output of more modern LED factory lighting. Unfortunately, metal halides are not dimmable, which eliminates them as an option for people who want to be able to have variable light settings in their factories. They also contain mercury, making them less environmentally friendly and more difficult to dispose of than other lighting options.

Fluorescent Bulbs

Fluorescent bulbs continue to be a staple in factory settings. They offer decent performance for a lower upfront price and are especially useful for aisles since they are available in tubes. However, they do not offer the same energy-saving efficiency or lumen output of metal halide or LED factory lighting. While their initial price point is very appealing, fluorescent bulbs and ballasts (and the energy used to operate them) will actually cost more over the life of the fixture than other factory lights.

LEDs

LEDs are easily taking over much of the territory of metal halide and fluorescent bulbs. They offer the same reliability and capabilities, but with better energy efficiency, no mercury and fewer maintenance needs. LED factory lighting is also dimmable and operates at a lower temperature than metal halide. The only drawback to LEDs is their higher initial cost when compared to other lighting options. However, their longer lifespan and lower operating costs make LED factory lighting extremely energy efficient, which makes their lifetime cost much lower than the others.

Designing Your Factory Lighting Layout

The ultimate goal of a factory lighting layout is to generate the recommended lumens per square foot, given the size of your space and how you will be using it. Once you know how many lux or light-candles your factory will need, you can narrow your choices down to those most appropriate for your space.

Your ideal lighting solution will factor in your ceiling height, the anticipated natural and accent light levels, and how you will be using the space to give you a sense of the lumen output your factory lights will need to produce. As the height of the ceiling increases, so too increases the necessary brightness (lumen output) of the light fixtures and the space between them.

Ceiling Height Ideal Lumen Output High Bay Spacing 20-30 feet 22,000-35,000 lumens 15-25 feet 31-40 feet 35,000-47,000 lumens 19-29 feet 40+ feet 47,000+ lumens 30-40 feet

You will also want to consider the ideal color rendering index (CRI) and correlated color temperatures (CCT) for your space. The higher a factory light’s CRI, the truer colors will look. If faithful color rendering is an important factor, you will want to consider fixtures and bulbs that promise a higher CRI. Similarly, you will want to consider how warm or cool you want your light to be. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin on a scale of 1,000-10,000, with lower numbers creating “warmer” temperatures and higher numbers generating “cooler” lighting temperatures.

Automated Lighting Control Systems

The best lighting design and layout includes a smart LED lighting control system. Lighting controls give users the ability to manually or automatically turn lights ON and OFF or be adjusted using a dimmer. Lighting sensors provide a level of automation to activate when activity is detected in a certain area. After no activity or motion is detected in the area, the light control system automatically adjusts to a reduced light level.

Lighting controls are available in the form of dimmers, timers, and motion, occupancy, and photosensors. The functionality of light sensor control systems brings maximum energy efficiency to your warehouse or factory.

Benefits of Smart LED Lighting & Light Sensing Controllability

1. Conserves energy
2. Low maintenance LED lighting
3. Multiple application uses

What a light sensor control system does

1. Programmable sensors to stay on or off depending on room occupancy
2. Creates custom lighting solutions on walls or in ceilings
3. Smart automation accessible from your smartphone

Types of LED Lighting Controls and Sensors

The advancements in sensor technologies, and implementing renewable energy plans, has increased the demand for light sensors. LED light bulbs provide the best controllability of lighting products that conserve energy. HID light bulbs can take several minutes to produce light. Many energy companies are offering rebates simply for upgrading to LED lights and installing LED lighting controls. Sensors and lighting controls have many options, including:

• Passive Infrared Ceiling Sensors
• Ultrasonic Ceiling Sensor
• High Bay Sensors
• Motion Sensors
• Occupancy Sensors
• Photo and Daylight Harvesting Sensors
• Wall Control Sensors
• Wall Switch Sensors

There are no disadvantages when it comes to installing smart LED lighting controls in your factory or warehouse. The increase in control, automation, and multiple application uses with energy efficient LED lights makes it the best choice.

Shop Warehouse Lighting for the Best Selection of Factory Lights

Warehouse Lighting carries only the best factory light fixtures manufactured by the most trusted brands in the industry. We know that warehouse lighting requires a different approach, and we specialize in providing you with the customized lighting you need. With LED factory lighting and more, we will work with you to design a solution specifically tailored to your needs. Our goal is to get you the industrial lighting design you want at the affordability you need.

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Industrial Lighting Design: Related Articles

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