Monocrystal, a global leader in synthetic sapphire growing and processing, today announced its plans to significantly increase its polishing capacity by the end of 2016.

Foreverlamp™, an innovator in retrofit lamp design, will introduce the industry’s first 1000W plug-n-play replacement lamp for Metal Halide lamps during LIGHTFAIR® International.  The powerful LED lamp delivers up to 45,000 lumens at 400 watts providing the most powerful replacement lamp lumen package available in the industry today. The new 1000W lamp will save 600 watts per socket over MH providing an eco-friendly alternative to MH with the simple screw in replacement of a light bulb. 

The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office Emerging Technologies (ET) program is announcing the availability of up to $3 million in funding to develop energy efficient replacement lamps in general illumination applications. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 set a 45 lumen per watt minimum efficacy backstop requirement effective beginning January 1, 2020. ET's Lighting Alternatives Maximizing Performance and Suitability (LAMPS) program seeks to create suitable high-efficacy lighting options for incandescent lamps where none exist today.

Fierce competition caused major shifts in the global LED package revenue ranking for 2015, according to LEDinside, a division of TrendForce. Nichia remained the leader, followed closely by OSRAM Opto and Lumileds. Samsung LED and other South Korean manufacturers suffered revenue declines due to the price war and the contraction of LED backlight market. By undercutting each other, most manufacturers ended up with lower revenues last year. Some companies’ revenues also decreased when measured in U.S. dollars due to the dollar’s appreciation.

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS, a leading player in the global LED and optoelectronics industry, announces five new UV LEDs at LIGHTFAIR International 2016, showcased at booth #1851.

Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Energy Policy Modernization Act by a vote of 85-12. This vote comes four months after a December 3, 2015, vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on its comprehensive energy legislation, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act.

On April 18, 2016, United States District Court for the Northern District of California entered judgment in accordance with the jury’s verdict in Enplas Display Device Corporation v. Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (N.D. Cal., Case No. 3:13-cv-05038-NC) that EDD’s sale of light diffusion lenses #9854D, #9854E and #9879 in Japan and Taiwan induced unnamed parties to infringe claims 1, 6, 33, 34 and 35 of United States Patent No. 6,473,554 (USP ‘554) and its sale of those lenses and lenses #4922 and #9853A in Japan and Taiwan induced unnamed parties to infringe claim 20 of United States Patent No. 6,007,209 (USP ‘209) (under 35 U.S.C. § 271(b)). 

Lighting leader OSRAM SYLVANIA is announcing an exclusive partnership in North America with Senmatic A/S in Denmark to bring total greenhouse system solutions to the horticulture market that enhance operational performance and offer optimal lighting. OSRAM SYLVANIA will work directly with Senmatic A/S in the design, development and distribution of high-quality horticulture LED fixtures sold under the OSRAM brand.

Hubbell Control Solutions announces the appointment of three new US Regional Sales Managers. Greg Ortt takes over the Southeast states, while Joe Osterwyk handles the North Central states and Mark Westgate takes the Western states. Hubbell Control Solutions leverages a history of innovation to create future-proof lighting controls.

A team of researchers from across the country, led by Alexander Spott, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, have built the first quantum cascade laser on silicon. The advance may have applications that span from chemical bond spectroscopy and gas sensing, to astronomy and free-space communications.

Siegwerk, one of the leading providers of printing inks for packaging applications, labels, and catalogs, is now the first company in the market to offer LED UV printing inks for food and pharmaceutical packaging. By launching the SICURA Nutriflex LEDTec ink series, Siegwerk is specifically expanding its low migration UV printing ink portfolio. Expectations of UV printing inks are very high, particularly in the food and pharmaceutical packaging segment – users want the highest level of product safety at minimal migration risk coupled with optimal efficiency and short production time.

OSRAM Lighting Solutions proudly introduces LIGHTIFY Pro to China market. With LIGHTIFY Pro, installers and building managers can install a wireless lighting solutions with little effort for their customers, in offices, medical practices, law firms, agencies, restaurants and shops. No data wiring or wall openings are required.

Soraa, the world leader in GaN on GaN™ LED technology,  announced the expansion of its product portfolio with two new exquisitely designed, minimalist ambient LED luminaire series—the Gable and Barrel—perfect for office, healthcare and retail applications. By coupling the company’s award winning optical design expertise with its Violet-Emission 3-Phosphor (VP₃) LED technology, Soraa has redefined human centric lighting with its two new specification grade fixtures families that have outstanding lens uniformity, color rendering (CRI > 90) capabilities and DLC compliant efficacies.

Cree reinvents the LED light experience with the introduction of TrueWhitePlus™ Technology, a spectral control breakthrough that delivers better light experiences. Using innovative Cree® LED technology that optimizes the spectral content of the light to deliver lighting experiences people prefer, Cree TrueWhitePlus Technology makes objects, spaces and any environment more appealing, ultimately providing light quality and performance not available elsewhere.

High above the rooftops of Frankfurt shines the bold and purist architecture of the office and conference floor of DVB Bank, awash with high-quality details from a holistic design dominated by glass and a careful blend of white and grey tones. Entrusted with the demanding task of restoring the 40th floor of City-Haus, Frankfurt architects Theiss have created an environment for meetings and conferences that sets a new benchmark for modern working applications. The unusual axis dimensions and reduced installation depth placed special requirements on various features of the project, including a pioneering customised lighting solution that has now been integrated into the standard MIREL evolution product family.

IXYS Integrated Circuits Division (ICD), a wholly owned subsidiary of IXYS Corporation, announced the immediate availability of the IX9907N High Voltage Dimmable LED Driver IC. Combining a 650V, 2 Ohm power MOSFET with a quasi-resonant controller, the IX9907N is optimized for off-line dimmable LED applications requiring a high power factor correction.

With the development of global LED lighting industry, nowadays, the LED industry in all regions has formed new pattern. The market is no longer occupied by Europe and the United States and other developed countries, many new blue ocean markets are emerging.

As the blue ocean for the development of LED lighting industry, the Southeast Asian market is attracting more and more foreign manufacturers to enter eagerly. And accurate and appropriate product strategy is an indispensable tool for successfully seizing market share in Southeast Asia. Making corresponding product specifications and prices depending on varied products and countries plays a driving role in promoting manufacturers’ own brands or seeking OEM opportunities.

Micro LEDs are gaining traction in the LED industry since it is a technology that industry experts view as capable of breaking LCDs low light efficiency, and achieve “real LED display” technology. Current LCD designs are very inefficient in light output, with only an estimated 10% light emission. Light emitted from the LED backlight module has to travel through polarization filters, TFT, liquid crystals, and color filters, about 90% of light is trapped in these layered structures.

Several notable trends LEDinside observed at Taiwan International Lighting Show (TILS) 2016, which took place at Nangang Exhibition Hall from April 12-16, 2016 in Taipei, was more manufacturers showcasing filament LED bulbs, smart lighting products, and an emphasis on reducing glare in luminaire designs.

GSR Capital announced the formation of a US$ 1 billion cornerstone fund, "GSR Go Global Fund", with Limited Partners from Chinese leading high-tech companies, Taiwan industrial group, and world renowned entrepreneurs. The aim is to invest and build a world-class lighting industry through global acquisitions of leading LED lighting assets. The fund has already been oversubscribed and agreements have been signed by anchor Limited Partners. Industry experts Frank Fan and Jianghua Su will join the core general partner team.

At its meeting today, the supervisory board of OSRAM Licht AG decided key changes in the composition of the managing board. In line with the company’s stronger technology focus, the supervisory board appointed Stefan Kampmann, 52, as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) with effect from July 1, 2016. “We are happy to gain an experienced top manager and technology expert for Osram’s managing board,” said Peter Bauer, chairman of the supervisory board of OSRAM Licht AG. “His experience will give additional momentum to our innovation and growth initiative.” The supervisory board has also decided, for reasons of differing views regarding the strategic direction of the company and in best mutual agreement with Klaus Patzak, to launch a structured process to find a successor for the position of Chief Financial Officer.

Scientists from MIPT’s Laboratory of the Biophysics of Excitable Systems have discovered how to control the behavior of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) using laser radiation; this study will help scientists to better understand the mechanisms of the heart and could ultimately provide a method of treating arrhythmia. The paper has been  published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Opposition party Projet Montréal in Canada is asking the city to halt its CA$ 110 million project to replace 110,000 streetlights with LEDs lights over health risk and light pollution concerns, reported Montreal Gazette.

It’s a cruel daily cycle. We get drowsy when it’s time for that big meeting, but are suddenly wide awake when it’s time to hit the hay. But did you ever think that swapping your light bulbs might be the solution? The researchers at Lighting Science Group have been studying the effects of different kinds of light on our sleep and awake cycles since they developed light therapy products for NASA astronauts, and have extended their findings to create a line of LED bulbs engineered to restore our natural circadian rhythms. Inhabitat recently checked out LSG’s HealthE biological light line, which includes an Awake and Alert bulb that promotes energy and cognitive abilities, a Good Night bulb that supports the body’s natural creation of melatonin for corrected sleep patterns, and the Sleepy Baby bulb that creates the perception of darkness to help babies fall asleep. Read on to see what we learned.

Hubbell Control Solutions is excited to announce the new NX Fixture Controller. Designed for stand-alone or networked lighting control, the fixture-based module maximizes savings by deploying only the features needed. Hubbell Control Solutions leverages a history of innovation to create future-proof lighting controls.

Fulham Co., Inc., a leading supplier of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, today introduced a new line of WorkHorse LED Outdoor drivers that are fully programmable, and offer a variety of controls interfaces, including integrated wireless. The new WorkHorse LED drivers are the first integrated drivers for integrated remote management and are designed to work with the Tvilight CityManager web-based Smart City management platform. Fulham will be demonstrating the WorkHorse LED Outdoor drivers next week in booth 3817 at LightFair in San Diego.

Sensity Systems Inc., provider of a leading Internet of Things (IoT) platform for Smart Cities, and Genetec Inc. “Genetec”, a leading manufacturer of open-platform, unified IP security solutions, today announced that the two companies will offer an advanced IoT public safety and security solution. Sensity and Genetec will demonstrate their solution in Booth #537 at the San Diego Convention Center at LIGHTFAIR International (LFI), being held from April 26 to 28. The companies also announced that Kansas City, Missouri is deploying the solution to monitor its new streetcar line.

In the Internet of Things (IoT), it’s all about the data. Connected devices are connected expressly for the purpose of gathering and sharing information about themselves, about the environment in which they’re used, and about the people who use them.  In a connected lighting system, luminaires and other lighting system devices merge with IT networks  to allow for the collection, distribution, and storage of large amounts of data.

Lumileds, the global leader in light engine technology, has won the LEDs Magazine Sapphire Award in the Packaged LEDs and OLED Panels category for the LUXEON C Color Line. The award was presented at a special event associated with the Strategies in Light and The LED Show conferences in Santa Clara, California. The Sapphire Awards are designed to recognize LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) innovations that are driving technology forward and revolutionizing the lighting market.