Ultra Durable Grilamid® LED Transport Lighting
20 February 2009
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Hella uses Swiss technology to lead the next generation of ultra durable LED Transport Lighting. Grilamid® is a high-performance polyamide developed and manufactured in Switzerland, and is a revolutionary new transparent plastic with exceptional properties. Grilamid® long-term resistance to UV degradation matches our impact enhanced Acrylic used in most Hella LED lamps. Grilamid® is characterised by very high impact and fatigue strength with resistance to chemicals and stress cracking. |
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Hella-New Zealand has benchmarked Grilamid® as the ideal lens material for lighting applications exposed to stone impact and very rough environments. Grilamid® is not a commodity material and was developed for demanding applications such as medical apparatus, sight glasses and high value shatterproof sunglasses. The application of Grilamid® for optical lenses on ultra durable transport lighting LED lamps is unique in the world. For many years Hella-New Zealand has concentrated on the development, manufacture and export of ultra durable LED Lamps. |
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Locally manufactured lamps using this Swiss Made material, places these products again well ahead of the competition. Hella-New Zealand has benchmarked Grilamid® as the ideal lens material for lighting applications exposed to stone impact and very rough environments. Grilamid® is not a commodity material and was developed for demanding applications such as medical apparatus, sight glasses and high value shatterproof sunglasses. The application of Grilamid® for optical lenses on ultra durable transport lighting LED lamps is unique in the world. The exceptional properties of Grilamid® are exactly what is required in heavy duty commercial transport lighting applications, offering excellent transparency (similar to glass), high strength and impact resistance against stone damage, UV and chemical resistance.
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 Stress cracked PC |
“The material’s excellent properties are reflected in the price of Grilamid®, however, the extra material expense is worth the amazing benefits it can provide the transport industry” says Clark Berridge, Product Manager for Hella-New Zealand. Craig Beavis, Marketing Manager for Hella-New Zealand, adds ”We have manufactured LED lamps for over 15 years, and with this new high-tech superior lens material, used to manufacture particularly forward facing lamps, these will be virtually indestructible. We will gradually commence utilising Grilamid® in transport and marine lamps that we have identified to be exposed to particularly rough conditions. We will continue to listen to our customers, and their requests will determine the products that we will offer with this high tech option. |
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 Grilamid® subjected to the same conditions |
Often used Polycarbonate (PC) has a lower chemical resistance born out by the many warranty exclusions we see, specifying a large number of chemicals that must not be used or come in contact with PC including in one listing, ‘liquid detergents’. Some of the exciting new products being designed by Hella utilising Grilamid®, are two Front Position lamps and one Rear Position lamp.
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Whilst they may look similar to the current marker lamps, the new design now only requires one technology improved higher brightness LED instead of the two LEDs used to date. The reduction to one LED offsets the much higher material price of Grilamid®.As front facing LED lamps are naturally more exposed to impact damage by stones, using Grilamid® lenses is the perfect choice for these applications.
Craig Beavis predicts “The use of Grilamid® for front facing lamps will quickly become the preferred choice of discerning owners and operators, whether it be in forestry, roadworks, commercial transport, mining, emergency services, off-road and marine applications”.
Hella products offered with this high tech material carry the suffix - GMD behind the part number.