Unless production volumes are very high, the cost of developing a custom lightbar is prohibitive for most applications. Instead, designers often use several standard square or rectangular units in combination. However, this approach gives rise to high materials and assembly costs, and the finished product has unsightly dark lines where the arrays join.
Using the same approach as it adopts in its ProfiLED Backlight range of LCD backlights, which employ LED edge-lighting and an acrylic lightguide to achieve uniform, consistent illumination, OMC can now offer alternatives to lightbars in a vast range of colours. Devices can vary from 2mm to 7mm in height and can be produced in a huge range of bespoke shapes and sizes with little or no set-up cost and very low MOQs.
Applications include front-panel displays, back-illuminated stencils and logos, illuminated badges, indicators and signage.
Comments OMC's commercial director, William Heath, "This product range was originally developed for a specific project. Previously the customer was spending a lot of money on standard square units, and the end result was slow to assemble and suffered in appearance. Using our new custom ProfiLED Lightbars, the customer is now saving about 70% on cost and achieves a far superior quality of illumination."
(Jim Evans)
