Industrial Lighting
Good lighting...better work!
Practical experience shows that good lighting in factories and workshops is an extremely effective way of increasing Productivity and Quality. Good lighting increases worker comfort and safety, reduces the level of error, and stimulates personnel to improved performance. In short, good lighting can make an indirect but important contribution to the competitive position of the company.
General lighting
The first essential for an industry is good general lighting, which is important for creating a pleasant working environment with conditions of visibility and comfort. Uniform general lighting is a highly cost-effective measure that makes the entire floor area available as working space. Next to good general lighting, additional lighting will be necessary for more demanding situations and tasks. But the supplementary lighting needed to obtain optimum results in terms of visual qualities and productivity can only be gained if uniform general lighting creates a good base.
Lamp Choice
As far as the general lighting is concerned, the basic choice is between Tubular fluorescent, Induction and High-Intensity Discharge lamps. Here, the mounting height available for the lighting installation is the determining factor.
Low and medium bays: height from 2 to 7m
For general lighting, the tubular fluorescent lamp is the preferred choice. Fluorescent lamps colour 830 (warm white), 840 (neutral white) or 850 (cool white) combine a pleasant ambience with natural colour rendering, high efficacy and a long life.
High bays: height from 7 to 12m
Fluorescent lamps in colours 830, 840 and 850 and/or supplemented by Highbay wide beam luminaires are suggested. The fluorescents are often used in line-lighting systems which comes equipped with a full range of reflectors and attachments.
Tall bays: height above 12m
Here, fluorescent lamps are often outclassed by High Intensity Discharge lamps fitted in high-bay luminaires or floodlights.
General lighting requirements
Lighting level and uniformity
Good lighting is adequate light at the right place. It is the object detail, and contrast in colour and or surface texture that define the lighting level needed at the horizontal, vertical or inclined task areas. Coarse work, large details and clear contrasts require less light than visually more demanding fine work with minute details and poor contrasts.
Control of glare
The aim is to direct the light towards the working area without causing troublesome direct or reflected glare. Many recessed and surface mounted luminaires and light-line systems therefore offer the possibility to use reflectors and louvers or low-brightness mirror reflectors. Continuous or intermittent lines of light should in any case be arranged in parallel with the preferred viewing direction or in parallel with the main window wall.
Modeling
Modeling is the ability of light to reveal form and texture by means of differences in light and shadow. People and objects should be lighted in a natural, attractive way. An arrangement of high-intensity discharge lamps produces a multiplicity of strong shadows, while fluorescent lamps in a white environment flatten the modeling effect.
Colour temperature and rendering
Workers perform better when they feel safe and well. What is required is a combination of the right lamp and reflector, bringing the light of a pleasant colour with good colour rendering to where it is needed. Good and efficient light sources are colours 830, 840, 850 and 860.
