Packaging firm Litecool has opened a clean room facility in the UK, for conducting research on LED packaging technologies, resulting in in-house transition of conception into pre-production.
The new unit, armed with the equipment for mounting bare LEDs into packages, chip-on-boards (COBs) and arrays, will build a prototype and assess LED packaging technologies.
The laboratory is expected to help the company device its own LED packages and lighting arrays by completing the R&D cycle.
Litecool CEO James Reeves said: "There aren't many packaging R&D facilities in the UK so we decided to open our own. It will significantly reduce the lead time for us to get concepts to market. Prototypes can now be made in a matter of days not weeks.
"We have a number of exciting concepts to put through the labs so expect to see some great things come out soon."
The new facility will undertake research programs for LED packaging Lumen Block, dielectric and die attach materials.
The Lumen Block facilitates assembly of LED arrays with no circuit board. The LED package is put directly on the heat sink for thermal performance and economical use.
The new laboratory, which houses wire and die bonding machines, along with encapsulation and curing capabilities, will also expedite Litecool's marketing initiatives for its services, the company said.
Besides, the company has put in place a thermal testing unit and set up a thermally controlled integrating sphere to offer optical testing.
Litecool chief packaging engineer Elwyn Wakefield said: "I haven't seen investment in such a facility in the UK for decades. It is great to be part of it and to help push through some exciting new packaging technologies."
