Smart Vision Lights, a leader in LED research and development, engineering, and manufacturing of machine vision lights for the advanced lighting industry, was recently qualified as a Level IV LED testing and certification facility by Intertek, a leading international provider of testing, inspection, and certification services under Intertek’s SATELLITE™ Data Acceptance Program.

The new Level IV LED light testing and certification lab means that all Smart Vision Lights’ LED light sources are tested and documented to meet international light performance and safety standards, including IEC-62471, “Photobiological Safety of Lamps and Lamp Systems.”

Smart Vision Lights’ customers are already enjoying the benefits of buying LED lights that are tested to the IEC-62471 standard. "Cognex products needed to have a UL certification, and in order to obtain this, UL required Cognex to have our products IEC-62471/RP27 certified,” explains Nathan Caughel, Product Marketing Specialist at Cognex Corporation (Natick, MA). “Smart Vision Lights provided this certification, further demonstrating their value as a lighting supplier in the machine vision industry."

All lights sold in Canada, the EU, and Asia are required to be tested to the IEC-62471 standard to protect workers from injuries and blindness caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV), visible, and infrared/thermal electromagnetic radiation. If a manufacturer applies a CE or CCC mark to an LED light for sale in Europe and China, respectively, without supporting documentation of IEC-62471 compliance, the equipment can be recalled and prohibited from sale. The manufacturer can also be liable for fines and other damages. Although the U.S. does not require IEC-62471 compliance today, UL regularly requires IEC-62471-compliant LED lights for systems that could be sold in Canada or other non-U.S. markets.

“Compliance with IEC-62471 is becoming a hot button for light manufacturers, particularly advanced light manufacturers in machine vision and industrial automation industries,” explains David Spaulding, President of Smart Vision Lights. “It takes considerable investment for a company to qualify as an Intertek light-testing laboratory under the SATELLITE™ Data Acceptance Program. Smart Vision Lights’ investment in this area is in line with our commitment to produce the best engineered solid-state lighting for machine vision and industrial applications that meets or exceeds all relevant international standards. Our customers can be confident that their systems, products, and investment containing Smart Vision Lights’ products are fully compliant with international standards and safe for sale across all global markets.” Intertek’s SATELLITE™ Data Acceptance Program integrates speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness into the product development process by accepting internal laboratory test data of qualifying customers.

Smart Vision Lights’ LED testing lab includes a new Gooch & Housego Spectroradiometric system consisting of an OL 750-M-D double monochromator with integrating sphere, including germanium, lead sulfide, and silicon high-sensitivity detectors for performing highly accurate optical radiation measurements. The new equipment enables Smart Vision Lights certified lab technicians to independently measure and validate IEC-62471 data including radiance and irradiance of optical radiation from 200nm through 3000nm wavelengths. The entire lab will regularlyundergo periodic Intertek audits to maintain its Level IV status.