Assembly at the Speed of LED
Thermally optimize your application with efficient peel and place, MC PCB-mounted LED packages
Design News Staff -- Design News, October 1, 2009
In April 2009, BlueSpan announced the development and implementation of the first solid-state street lighting in Portugal using Luxeon Rebel LEDs. Bergquist Thermal Clad® circuit boards with pre-applied Bond-Ply 450 PA are used throughout the construction to ensure color consistency, maximum LED life cycles and optimal thermal management. Better thermal management allows more forward current to be applied to the LED for greater illumination and a reduction in the number of LEDs required for the desired light output. Maintaining a cooler assembly at an equivalent power equates to more light per die.
In initial designs, High-Pressure Sodium Lamps were considered for the new street lighting solution to replace existing Mercury Vapor Lamps. The new BlueSpan LED streetlights are approximately 60 percent more efficient than other options. The decision to move forward with LED lighting will not only reduce energy consumption, but also allow the city to begin the process of removing solutions utilizing mercury. With a revolutionary new optical solution ensuring color uniformity, glare reduction, correlated color temperatures tuned to the environment and a seven-year warranty, the new streetlight is being considered for broader implementation throughout the country.
The use of pre-applied Bond-Ply 450 PA to Thermal Clad boards within BlueSpan's street lighting application accelerated assembly and reduced labor costs with efficient peel and place technology. Better LED thermal management, attributable to Bond-Ply 450 PA and Thermal Clad, allows for increased light output and a greater life expectancy.
Bond-Ply 450 PA can withstand the high temperatures associated with solder reflow, which previously prevented the application of adhesives prior to board population. The material features an easy release backside liner and a strong thermally conductive adhesive. The pre-application of Bond-Ply 450 PA to Thermal Clad allows for simplified peel and place application during LED assembly, while maintaining adhesion and release characteristics for secure positioning within the lighting application.
Bond-Ply 450 PA achieves superior adhesion performance and surface "wet-out." The material is designed to maintain high bond strength to a variety of "low-energy" surfaces, including aluminum heat sinks and many plastics, with long-term exposure to high heat and humidity. The pre-application of Bond-Ply 450 PA to a Thermal Clad substrate allows it to be punched to the exact dimensions of the board, eliminating the need for future labor-intensive hand placement. Typical applications for Bond-Ply 450 PA include Bergquist-manufactured LED T-Clad circuit boards, motor control boards, LED boards and rails.
Thermal Clad offerings include scored array circuits, scored cingulated circuits and punched cingulated parts. Thermal Clad LED standard stars and squares are also available with Bond-Ply 450 PA.
Bergquist Thermal Clad with pre-applied Bond-Ply 450 PA is simple to peel and place. Specifically configured for Power LED applications, it optimizes thermal performance and speeds assembly for applications like this Luxeon LED streetlight by BlueSpan.
