A crucial aspect of choosing your LED products supplier is seeing if they have a well-equipped lab. The ones with more advanced in-house labs will have a better R&D and Quality Control capability, since they can check up components and products during all steps of its production.
What tests and equipment should your supplier provide to ensure better control of lighting quality? What aspects should be tested to check your product’s quality before import?
Here’s a look at several essential tests V-Trust team does to inspect lighting at the factory.
1. Lumens test
Lumen test is the measure to indicate the brightness of your lighting product. Usually to test your lights’ lumens, it is needed to run the product for at least 15 minutes before testing, to achieve the more correct results. The results follow the rule - the higher the lumens are, the brighter the lighting product is.
Equipment required: Integrating Sphere
2. Lumens efficiency test
Lumens efficiency test helps to understand the ability of a light source to emit visible light using a given amount of power. It shows the amount of lumens generated per 1 watt of power consumed. Usually, the higher the lumens efficiency it is, the better the product can convert energy to electromagnetic radiation, and the better the emitted radiation is detected by the human eye.
Equipment required: Integrating Sphere
3. Running test
The running test would help you to better know the life of your LED products. You can keep the product running for a day or two, 1000 hours, or even 3 months to simulate the usage of the product. Usually this test is combined with the functionality testing using extreme temperature, for ex. in heated or freezing environments (from -55 C˚ up to 165 C˚).
Equipment required: Light up station, Ambient / Elevated Temperature Life Testing Machine,
4. Beam angle test
The beam angle of your LED products lets you know how much area it will illuminate at a given distance (beam spot size). While tested at different angles, the larger the beam angle of a light source, the less is the central light intensity, and the bigger the beam spot size.
Equipment required: Goniophotometer, Integrating Sphere
5. Color rendering index
Product’s Color rendering is measured on the color rendering index (CRI) scale, which runs from 0 to 100 percent and indicates the accuracy of a light when compared to a reference light source. A reference light source, such as incandescent or daylight, is used as a benchmark for the accuracy and suitability of the light. The closer the CRI is to 100 percent, the more accurate the light source will render a color’s true appearance.
Equipment required: Integrating Sphere
6. Color temperature check
The color description of a LED light bulb most commonly derives from its color temperature. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). The lower the color temperature (3000K), the more of a yellowish color the light bulb is going to be, and the higher the color temperature is, the more whitish/bluish the color would be.
Equipment required: Integrating Sphere
7. Hi-Pot test
Hi-Pot test is a product safety measurement, which is applied to all electrical products. It is important since this test checks whether the insulation of the product is sufficient, can withstand the high voltage, and protect users from electric shocks.
Equipment required: Hi-pot tester (Dielectric withstand tester)
8. Input Power
Input power testing measures the power that the lighting would consume within 1 hour.
Equipment required: Power meter
9. Spark check
Spark check is mandatory for all electrical products. Check for sparks when turning the product on and off, run the product, check the spring operation or any other operations of the product.
Equipment required: Light up station
10. Function
Light up the whole of your product’s sample size and check the functionality of it – switchers, sensors, etc. functions shall function well.
Equipment required: Light up station
11. Water proof test
To make sure that your LED products are able to weather all kinds of, well, weather - you can test them at the environment simulator – proof that the product can withstand the water, dust, salt water, etc. The passed products shall not malfunction and should continue functioning normally.
Equipment required: Water proof tester / IP tester / Salt water tester
12. Earth Continuity check
Earth Continuity test is also a safety testing done for all electrical products. It checks resistance between the ground wire and the metal body of the product, and is designed to reduce the chance of an electric shock.
Equipment required: Earth continuity tester
All in all, there are 12 important tests that your LED’s should be checked with during sample confirmation and before shipment. You can include it in the product checklist while working side-by-side with your lighting suppliers.
If you need help with Quality checks, V-Trust, with 230+ full-time inspectors in Asia and full accreditation, is always glad to help you with Inspections, Audits and Testing of lighting products.
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