A guide to colour LEDs

Colour LEDs provide unparalleled design flexibility, allowing architects and engineers to create unique and visually stunning lighting designs. From accent to general lighting, colour LED technology and custom colour-mixing optics are revolutionising LED solutions like never before. If you think you don't have a need for colour, think again.

Unlock a spectrum of possibilities.

Colour LED technology is revolutionising various industries, including horticulture, agriculture, healthcare, entertainment, and poultry farming.

Healthcare utilises high-intensity blue and red LED lights (400-500 nm and 600-700 nm) in phototherapy lamps for skin treatment and sleep disorder therapy.

Agriculture and poultry farming apply blue and red LED lights (450-460 nm and 630-660 nm) to control photoperiod and improve plant and poultry growth.

Horticulture benefits from blue, red, and far-red LED lights (400-500 nm, 600-700 nm, and 700-800 nm) to enhance plant growth and increase yields.

Access to our global LED portfolio, including Lumileds, a leading producer of colour LEDs, combined with our custom LED design and manufacturing capabilities, can meet all your needs.

RGB LEDs

RGB LED technology is a key element of designing with colour. Consisting of three separate LED chips, RGB LEDs emit light in the red, green, and blue spectrum which can be combined to produce a wide range of colours. The brightness of each RGB LED chip can be controlled independently, allowing precise control over the colour and intensity of the light produced. This control can be achieved through the use of pulse width modulation (PWM) or digital-to-analogue converters (DACs).

To achieve accurate and consistent colour representation, RGBW LEDs include a white LED chip. Lighting applications such as architectural, industrial, stage, outdoor, and even automotive benefit from RGBW LEDs' increased brightness and enhanced energy efficiency.

For industrial/workplace applications, improved colour rendering offers the following benefits:

1. To maintain product quality, accurate colour representation is essential in industrial lighting applications. Poor colour rendering can result in the incorrect interpretation of colours, leading to incorrect product quality assessments and potentially costly mistakes.
2. Increasing productivity through improved colour rendering is also possible in industrial lighting applications. Colour representation can increase efficiency by enabling workers to identify products quickly and accurately, reducing error risk and improving productivity.
3. Employee Comfort: In industrial lighting applications, improved colour rendering can also improve employee comfort. As well as causing eye strain and discomfort, poor colour rendering is also known to cause reduced productivity and absenteeism at work.

Mix it up

For even more design flexibility, colour LED solutions can be combined with colour-mixing optics to produce a wide range of colours. Using diffraction gratings, mirrors, and lenses, these optics blend different LED chips and produce specific colour temperatures and hues.

LED lighting systems, whether RGBW or standard colour, require control to adjust the colour and intensity. This can be accomplished using LED drivers or controllers, smartphone apps, remote controls, or voice assistants. Depending on the application, these systems can be controlled using DMX, DALI, or 0-10V protocols. We can integrate Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and DALI control interfaces based on your requirements.

The advancement of colour LED technology continues to provide a versatile option for lighting design and innovation. With cutting-edge solutions, leading companies like Lumileds are driving the industry forward. The future of custom LED lighting solutions is bright.

We have the capability, expertise, and global LED portfolio to help you develop the ideal custom LED solution for your needs. Talk to us about your requirements today, and you will walk away with your ideal custom LED solution.