Soraa Inc of Fremont, CA, USA, which develops solid-state lighting technology built on 'GaN on GaN' (gallium nitride on gallium nitride) substrates, has unveiled the SNAP System — claimed to be the first magnetic-attach LED lamp and accessory system for lighting. Coupling its recently announced high-output PREMIUM 2 or VIVID 2 LED MR16 10° lamp with a prismatic lens and an?array of magnetic filter and lens attachments, the system allows users to customize the light directly on lamps, rather than on fixtures, opening up a new lighting design possibilities. "The self-centering magnetic lamp and accessory interconnect system gives users everything they need in one product, to easily and affordably light virtually any space," says CEO Eric Kim.
Accessories are an important tool in lighting designers' palettes as they allow designers to configure and fine-tune lighting scenes with dedicated light distributions and colors, says Soraa. They also give designers the flexibility to optimize a design on site, with any lamp beam spread. But using these accessories is a tedious and costly process that involves heavy glass or metal accessories that can withstand the heat from halogen lamps, requiring expensive fixtures built for such purpose, adds the firm.
Soraa says that, due to its bright, single LED light source (made possible by its GaN-on-GaN LED technology) and prismatic optic, the LED MR16 10° lamp can accept a magnet in the center of the lens without any major effect on light output. This, in turn, enables a simple attachment mechanism that can accept all kinds of accessories. Also, the relatively low operating temperature of the lamp allows the use of new accessory materials, such as advanced polymer films. Examples of typical accessories include: beam spreads such as 25°, 36° and 60°; hex-louvers and snoots to reduce glare; grates to create linear light patterns; and filters for color temperature shifting and color tint effects. Soraa will also deliver a series of what it claims are previously unattainable beam distributions such as flat tops with even illumination for specialty markets.
"Soraa has developed a platform that provides on-the-fly flexibility," comments Dave McCarroll, partner at Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting. "By adding a simple accessory, you can now adjust beam spreads, color temperature, and CCT [correlated color temperature]," he adds. "The ability to retrofit into the millions of existing fixtures with a tight 10° lamp in a variety of color temperatures and beam distributions is just what the lighting marketplace needs," notes Paul Gregory, founder & president of Focus Lighting.
The SNAP System demonstrates simplicity, smaller and lighter material footprint, and unlimited possibilities for future expansion into many types of lamp/fixture solutions, concludes Soraa.
Soraa is demonstrating its new products in booth 4047 at the LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 2013 show in Philadelphia, PA (23-25 April).
