Labsphere News - a Halma PR news blog

Ensure measurement quality and reduce downtime with on-site integrating sphere coating
North Sutton, New Hampshire (November 21, 2008) – Labsphere, a world leader in light testing and measurement and optical coatings, now offers on-site service for recoating of integrating spheres.  The company’s Spectraflect® and Duraflect® highly diffuse reflectance materials can be applied at customer facilities for routine integrating sphere maintenance. 

In production environments, the dust in the air can settle into integrating spheres used for light testing and measurement, resulting in a lack of spatial uniformity that leads to measurement errors.  Labsphere recommends annual recoating of spheres operating in warehouses to maintain measurement consistency.  Sending away large area spheres (some as large as 76 inches in diameter) can be a packing and shipping hassle that creates increased production downtime. 

With its new service Labsphere recoats customer spheres on-site, vastly reducing production downtime.  Labsphere’s coating representatives are able to apply the company’s proven, proprietary Spectraflect and Duraflect coatings to spheres in the field with the same care and attention given to those coated at Labsphere’s facility. 

Labsphere is currently offering a 20 percent price reduction for on-site recoating services booked before December 31, 2008.  For more information and to schedule an on-site recoating appointment, phone +1 (603) 927-4266, or send an e-mail to labsphere@labsphere.com.

Customers to benefit from HalfMoon light test systems for Solid State Lighting and Display testing
North Sutton, New Hampshire (October 27, 2008) Labsphere, Inc and Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd. have partnered to develop the next generation of total spectral light measurement systems, based on Otsuka’s patented HalfMoon hemispherical design.  By incorporating traditional diffuse reflectance technology with specular imaging technology, the new systems provide a far more efficient and practical means for testing forward emitting light engines.

For 30 years Labsphere has been a knowledge leader in light metrology, with a portfolio of unique, reliable solutions designed to test or integrate with a wide variety of photonics products. Otsuka provides the gold standard in measurement equipment to R&D and production organizations in the display industry.  The company uses its expertise in optical metrology technologies to assist manufacturers in maintaining the highest quality and performance of displays and constituent materials. Combining time-tested experience in reflectance technology, Labsphere and Otsuka will introduce a series of high quality spectral flux test systems that are both user-friendly and meet the ever-changing needs of the light test industry.

“Otsuka Electronics, an expert in spectroscopy measurement in east Asia, the center of the world’s display industry, developed this innovative new technology to bring performance evaluation to the light source/lighting industry,” said Takashi Maruyama, President of Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd. “This is an opportunity for Labsphere to answer the demand from its worldwide customer base for this specific solution and take advantage of Otsuka’s strong distribution network in east Asia.”

Labsphere President Kevin Chittim commented, ”Until now, the integrating sphere was the simplest and fastest method for testing the total light and color of omni-directional light sources.  Over the years we have continued to stay at the forefront of innovation in the diffuse reflectance technologies, light test and sensor calibration industries.  Aligning with Otsuka brings us the latest imaging technology and expertise to continue meeting changing industry demands.“

Otsuka will be responsible for sales of all Labsphere products in Korea and sales of the HalfMoon product family in east Asia.  Labsphere will distribute HalfMoon products throughout the rest of the world.
 
About Labsphere
Established in 1979, Labsphere is an internationally recognized photonics industry leader with a network of worldwide dealers specializing in light measurement, sensor calibration, spectroscopy accessories, and materials and coatings.  Labsphere’s culture is based on delivering innovative, high-quality standard, custom and OEM solutions of a diverse array of test and measurements applications to governments, scientific institutes and industry.  A member of the global Halma group, Labsphere has its U.S. offices in North Sutton, New Hampshire.  For information on the company’s full range of products, go to www.Labsphere.com or call 603-927-4266. 

About Otsuka Electronics
Established in 1970, Otsuka Electronics is a manufacturer of industrial and scientific measurement, analytical and medical equipment with optical technology as its base.  It has a broad customer base of electronics and its material supply makers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China with products for the recently expanding FPD industry.  As a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, it supplies clinical diagnosis equipment.  Otsuka Electronics has its headquarters in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan with subsidiary companies in Korea, Taiwan and China.  For information about the company and its full range of products, go to www.photal.co.jp/global, or call 81-72-855-8550.

Easy purchase of light testing and optical coatings products for North American customers
North Sutton, New Hampshire (October 13, 2008) – Labsphere, a world leader in light testing and measurement and optical coatings, has opened a new online shop accessible through www.labsphere.com.  Developed for the convenience of North American customers and prospective customers, the shop features a broad inventory of Labsphere’s stock systems, modular components, targets and standards.

Accessible from Labsphere’s home page, the new online store provides a quick way to find integrating spheres, light measurement systems, Spectralon standards and targets, software and modular components.  Customers familiar with Labsphere’s products can quickly navigate to and add products to their cart while new users can navigate further to detailed photos, descriptions and technical specs.

The secure site was designed for maximum customer convenience.  A one page checkout procedure includes the option of creating a login for return purchasing ease.  Registered customers may access their order history for even faster re-ordering.  Payments are processed securely through PayPal services with Labsphere confirming orders within 24 hours.

CSLMS integrating sphere spectrometers, accessories and software get their first showing

North Sutton, New Hampshire (August 21, 2008) – New flux measurement solutions will be the highlight of Labsphere’s booth at LEDs 2008 and LED Measurement and Standards 2008, being held between September 29 and October 3, 2008 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, San Diego, CA. 

Visitors to Labsphere’s exhibit at booth 66 will be able to see for the first time the capabilities of the new CSLMS 4011 40” integrating sphere spectrometer. Designed specifically for high quality total spectral flux and color characterization of solid state light sources, it is an example of Labsphere’s large area, high end solutions. For those just getting started, Labsphere’s smaller CSLMS LED 1060 10” system and assorted optical heads and accessories will also be demonstrated.

Also being debuted will be the Labsphere’s new powerful, easy to use MtrX-SPEC software, the most intuitive platform for calibrating and analyzing spectral radiometric, photometric and colorimetric properties of light sources ranging from simple lamps and LEDs to solid state lighting assembles and traditional indoor and outdoor lighting systems. The company will also be introducing its brand new 2008/2009 Product Guide, containing a complete overview of Labsphere’s integrating sphere systems and components, reflectance standards and targets, and coating services.

Show attendees will also have the exclusive chance to see an exciting new technology for forward spectral flux and color measurements utilizing a revolutionary new device.
Finally, for those interested in learning more about flux measurement equipment and methodologies, Greg McKee, Labsphere’s Director of Marketing and New Product Development, will present a paper titled, “To Sphere, or to Half Sphere, What is the Answer?” at the Testing Equipment Session of the LED Measurement and Standards 2008 Conference on Friday, October 3, 2008 at 8:45 AM.

UV-2000S measures UV transmittance of sun protection productsNorth Sutton, New Hampshire (July 15, 2008) – A new UV transmittance analyzer will be the highlight of Labsphere’s first exhibit at the Health and Beauty Exposition, September 9-11, 2008 at the Jacob Javits Center (New York, N.Y.). Visitors to Labsphere’s exhibit at booth 1151 will be able to see first-hand the capabilities of the company’s new UV-2000S, a benchtop R&D system designed to rapidly measure the spectral transmittance of sunscreen products, especially those with high protection factors SPF 50 and above.

For research and development of sunscreens and cosmetics formulated with sunscreen, the increased dynamic range and functionality of the UV-2000S meets new standards for in-vitro sun care product analysis put forth by COLIPA and Boots Star. The rugged bench top instrument quickly measures the diffuse transmittance of a product sample over the 250 nm – 450 nm ultraviolet wavelength range. A new dual beam spectrometer with xenon flash lamp accommodates accurate measurement of highly scattering samples. The sample positioning stage allows for multiple readings at different points on the slide for a more accurate reading.

The application software automatically converts measurement data to provide the Sun Protective Factor (SPF), UVA to UVB ratio, critical wavelength, Boot Star Rating, and UVA-PF (COLIPA Method). The platform allows users to view, archive, retrieve and export data for measurements on both bare substrates and product substrates. The software is structured to support evolving regional methods for analyzing product UVA Protection Factor (e.g., revised Boot Star, PA+ Method, UVAI/UV Ratio, etc.), meeting foreseeable changes and challenges in the dynamic sun protection industry.

For more information on Labsphere products and services, visit booth 1151 at the Health and Beauty Exposition, visit www.labsphere.com, or phone +1 (603) 927-4266.

Weitzman to grow global business for light metrology leader
North Sutton, New Hampshire (June 18, 2008) –Peter Weitzman, Ph.D. has been appointed Vice President Sales and Marketing of Labsphere.

Having worked at Labsphere previously as a software engineer, Weitzman brings a unique background in the company’s products and markets to his new role, along with global sales and marketing skills developed in subsequent positions.  As Vice President Sales and Marketing, he will be responsible for managing sales, marketing, application engineering, customer service and product management for the company’s line of light testing and measurement, and optical coating solutions. 

Weitzman rejoins Labsphere from UK-based software engineering company, DEM Solutions.  As Vice President, Americas for DEM, he successfully established and led the company’s US subsidiary.  Prior to that, Weitzman was Director of Software Sales and Marketing at Concept NREC, growing sales for the software and engineering services provider.

“With a strong background in photonics, and in Labsphere’s products, my goal is to grow Labsphere’s business by continuing to develop our applications engineering in alignment with customer needs,” said Weitzman.

Prior to completing a doctoral degree in non-linear optics at Dartmouth College, Weitzman studied electrical engineering, earning a Master of Science degree from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Science degree from Tufts University.  He has published numerous papers in the fields of Optics, Computer Modeling and Engineering Software. 

North Sutton, New Hampshire (April 4, 2008)— Labsphere, Inc (www.labsphere.com) a world leader in light metrology, spectroscopy and reflective materials, has announced the appointment of BFi OPTiLAS Srl as their Dealer Representative for Italy. This office is directed by Dr. Ing. Daniele Zanato.

BFi OPTiLAS is a pan-European technical distributor of specialist products and services, including design-engineering support, to the electronics and Photonics markets. BFi OPTiLAS focuses on niche technology products such as magnetic, lasers, sensors, connectors, electro-optics, imaging, fiber optics, RF & microwave and other specialty components, systems, assemblies and metals. Over 300 sales engineers and other staff are employed at 12 offices throughout Europe.  The Italian office can be found on the internet at www.bfioptilas.it, or contacted by phone at +39-02-53583220.

Workstation for life testing of LED products in R&D and Quality Assurance to be installed in China
North Sutton, New Hampshire (March 19, 2008) –  A custom accelerated Life Test Station from Labsphere, a world leader in light metrology products, has once again been chosen by a major North American manufacturer of LED solid state lighting products to help assure reliability and quality.  After operating three Labsphere systems for the past five years in its LED product R&D and Quality Assurance departments, the company has purchased a fourth system for its China manufacturing facility.

Reliability, efficiency, and high performance were top criteria in the LED company’s selection of testing equipment.  Labsphere’s turnkey system design, coupled with the ability to trace radiometric, photometric and color measurement results calibration to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), were an ideal fit for the company’s stringent LED product accelerated life testing needs.

The integrated system from Labsphere is contained in an ergonomically designed workstation that is able to perform a variety of optical and electrical test measurements on an array of up to 20 discrete LEDs, in under 60 seconds.  During a single measurement sequence, the Life Test Station simultaneously produces optical measurements of total spectral radiance and luminous flux, peak and dominant wavelength, full width/half max, CIE purity and CIE chromaticity, as well as forward current, leakage current and reverse voltage electrical measurements.  Bar-coded carrier and burn-in boards facilitate tracking of LED performance over numerous cycles between the burn-in rack and the Life Test Station.

Accelerated Life Test Stations enable companies to quickly and accurately test new products, increasing the reliability and energy performance of solid state lighting.  Base systems can be customized to suit individual performance parameters.

Labsphere’s engineering staff is available to collaborate with customers to develop accelerated Life Test Stations to suit application needs.  To speak to an applications engineer, send an e-mail to labsphere@labsphere.com, or phone +1 (603) 927-4266.

North Sutton, New Hampshire (February 29, 2008) – Labsphere will be showing its complete light metrology and reflective materials and coatings product lines at the SPIE Defense and Security exhibition March 18-20 at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center (Orlando, Fla.).  Of particular interest to defense and aerospace engineers will be the company’s new solutions for calibrating and testing imaging and non-imaging systems.

On display at the show will be the company’s USS-2000 20-inch Uniform Source System.  Coated with Labsphere’s proprietary highly reflective diffuse coating, Spectraflect®, the system facilitates accurate testing and calibration of electronic imaging cameras, planar arrays, photometers and spectroradiometers.  Additional Uniform Source Systems are available in a range of sizes, with various light sources, for several levels of radiance performance to suit application needs.  System calibrations are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

To illustrate the systems’ capabilities, Labsphere’s Applications Engineering Manager, Vikrant Mahajan, will be presenting a paper entitled “Design and Characterization of uniform spectral radiance source for test and calibration of radiometers used for KOMPSAT-3.”  This look at the Korean Aerospace Research Institute’s use of Labsphere equipment for its multipurpose satellite will be presented as Paper 6958-26 of Conference 6958 on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, at 3:30 p.m.

In addition to uniform source systems, a sampling of components from across the company’s product lines will be on display.  For backlight panel displays, laser cavities and targets, Labsphere’s diffuse reflectance materials can be applied to customer-supplied parts, or complete components can be designed, fabricated, tested and calibrated to customer specifications. 

For more information on Labsphere products and services and to discuss custom solutions with Labsphere’s application engineers, visit booth 622 at SPIE Defense and Security.

North Sutton, New Hampshire (January 4, 2008) –  To keep up with growing global demand for Labsphere’s light metrology, spectroscopy and reflective materials products, the company has recently appointed Dr. Raymond Yu as its Asia Pacific Application Engineer.

Based in Shanghai, China, Dr. Yu brings to Labsphere a solid background in Optical Precision Instruments research. He will be responsible for the answering customer’s questions, providing technology solutions and technology support & training for distributors and sales engineers. Additionally, Dr. Yu also takes charge for the analysis of customer attentions, and gives their feedback such as using requirements and preferences to the company and proposes development suggestions of new products according to market conditions. His appointment will make Labsphere’s products closer to the Chinese customer needs, thus providing more personalized service and solutions.

Dr. Yu joins Labsphere from Product Engineering Electrical Dept. of Shanghai-Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd. where he was the New Product Development Engineer. Prior to that, he worked as Product R&D Manager in Unimicro (Shanghai) Technologies Co., Ltd. Dr. Yu has a physics degree from Harbin Normal University and earned a master’s degree from the Applied Optics State Key Laboratory in Changchun Institute of Optical Precision Machinery China Academy of Science (CAS) in 2000.  In 2003, he received his doctor’s degree in Physical Electronics from the Space Remote Sensing Laboratory, CAS Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics.

For more information and assistance in Asia, please contact Mr. Roger Xiao, Asia Pacific Sales Director, via e-mail at rxiao@labsphere.com, or by phone (021) 5206 8686.