At the American Lighting Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Nashville, LED chip, lamp and lighting fixture maker Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA received the 2014 Lighting for Tomorrow Award for Solid State Lighting design in the directional lighting category with the Mini CXA HD Punch, a concept design achieves 100-watt PAR38 performance in the size of an MR11 lamp.
Cree designed the Mini CXA HD Punch to demonstrate innovations using its XLamp CXA 1310 high-density LED array, emitting a smooth beam with what is claimed to be exceptional color rendering. Currently in review for ENERGY STAR qualification, the Mini CXA HD Punch concept design delivers a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 3000K with a 40-degree beam angle and is designed to support a wide range of decorative colors. Cree claims that its high-density (HD) LEDs deliver the industry’s highest optical control factor (OCF), redefining the performance, cost and size of LED lighting and enabling new lighting solutions that were not previously possible.
"With unmatched lumen density and small light-emitting surface (LES), Cree high-density LEDs made it possible to deliver the performance of a 100-watt PAR38 in a 75% smaller form factor, something that has never been done before,” claims David Cox, Cree director of alliance development.
The 2014 Lighting for Tomorrow judging panel consisted of eight judges drawn from various areas of the residential lighting community and a diverse cross-section of experts in lighting technology, lighting sales, standards and safety, energy efficiency, lighting design and communications. Submissions were evaluated considering the following criteria: color appearance, color rendering, illuminance, application efficiency, value and aesthetics. The Mini CXA HD was described by judges as an innovative design that provides quality performance and beam smoothness for its size, setting it apart from its competition and pushing the boundaries of the category.
Sponsored by the American Lighting Association, the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CCE) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the Lighting for Tomorrow Awards honored a broad range of residential LED products such as fixtures, retrofit kits and replacement lamps, focusing on high-demand LED product categories, such as high-lumen replacement A-lamps, replacement A-lamps under $10, and fixtures under $50.
