Technology

Uni-Form^® Pulse Start Lamp Technology

Uni-Form^® pulse start lamps provide superior performance compared to old design metal halide, specifically higher efficacy, better color uniformity, faster warm-up and restrike, and longer life. How is this superiority achieved? The answer is found in the combined benefits of Venture's^® revolutionary formed body arc tube and improved ballast design.

There are two common ways of fabricating a fused silica arc tube: pinched body and formed body processing. The pinched body arc tube is made by pinching the end of a cylindrical tube of fused silica at very high temperatures. In Venture's^® formed body process, a smaller diameter cylindrical tube of fused silica is heated to very high temperatures. A mold closes around the cylinder, and high pressure gas is injected into the tube to force the fused silica into the shape of the mold. The mold guarantees accurate replication of the arc tube shape every time.

This unique quartz sculpting process shapes the arc tube chamber to follow the actual curve of the arc stream, making possible an optimum temperature profile. This uniform temperature profile provides even heating of the metal halides in the chamber, allowing these materials to reach a higher average temperature. Higher temperatures mean more light generated by the arc tube. Increased gas pressure inside the arc tube suppresses tungsten evaporation from the electrodes which in turn dramatically improves lumen maintenance.

A secondary pinching operation in the sculpting process seals the electrode assemblies into a very narrow diameter tube extending from each end of the formed body arc chamber. The narrow pinch seal areas add to the higher efficacy of these lamps by reducing convective cooling of the arc tube ends. Better retained heat contributes to more efficient heating of the metal halide additives within the arc stream, resulting in more light. With this more exact quartz molding process, the oval shape is highly reproducible so that the metal halide additives heat in the same manner in each lamp. This achieves improved color uniformity when compared to standard pinched body arc tube technology. Venture's^® formed body arc tube technology and sculpting process ensure that Uni-Form^® pulse start lamps provide performance that redefines metal halide standards.

Uni-Form^® Pulse Start Controls Technology

Venture^® Lighting now provides a full line of quartz restrike controls designed to provide light after a power interruption. Venture^® produces two types of controls - electromechanical and, the newest addition to our line, the hybrid electronic ALC control.

Such controls are commonly used to make light instantly available after a power interruption by switching the voltage to a quartz or incandescent lamp installed in the fixture. In a typical industrail application, one restrike control fixture might be installed for every 10 regular fixtures.

Venture's^® new hybrid electronic ALC controls is a step ahead of existing restrike control technology. The ALC control from Venture^® eliminates the triac in the circuit of standard electronic relays. Triac devices are limited with regard to the temperature in which they can operate and tend to fail with both metal halide and quartz halogen lamps on. This failure mode could put a significant thermal stress on the lighting fixture. By eliminating the triac, Venture's^® ALC provides significant performance improvements.

The table above shows the maximum ambient temperature limits for a triac device as compared to the ALC. In addition to the increased tolerance for higher ambient temperatures, the ALC device will not fail in a state where both lamps are on.