In a market currently making waves and continuously fighting to increase diversity in its applications, while simultaneously improving upon efficiency to lower total costs, Electro-LuminX is working hard to make a name for itself by carving out a special niche within the printed electronics industry.
 
Current estimates value the global printed electronics industry at roughly $29 billion for 2015 with future projections increasing that value to over $73 billion by 2025. This market, though fairly diverse at present, is at the cusp of exploding and those in the industry currently have a plethora of future prospects. Competition is fierce and will only get increasingly so in the near future; differentiation is critical.
 
Electro-LuminX is one company that is set to make a name for itself in this growing industry. Electro-LuminX specializes in the manufacturing of the “next generation of accent lighting,” according to Marisa Impellizzeri, brand and marketing strategy, Electro-LuminX.
 
Prior to moving the business to Richmond, VA in 2004, president Steve Pendlebury saw immense investment opportunity with the electro-luminescent technology, which he discovered while working as the global business director for Honeywell. Upon leaving Honeywell and moving to Richmond, Pendlebury set out to perfect the technology for the product that came to be called Light Tape.
 
Light Tape works by storing the channeled electricity for a single millisecond before it’s released as light. Compared to traditional lighting technology, this product works by directly converting the energy input as electricity to emitted light, losing no energy to the production of heat. This high efficiency results in a consumption rate of less than 1watt per linear meter, a 40% and 60% greater performance than LEDs and standard fluorescents, respectively.  This is a direct result of their patented manufacturing.
 
Implementing a patented process of manufacturing, Electro-LuminX has brought advancement to the field of electro-luminescent lighting by using split electrode technology, “allowing the current to jump back and forth over the scribe line; an advancement that results in an entire surface of even illumination,” as described by Impellizzeri.
 
In addition, at only .02 inches thickness, this very thin, lightweight panel “can withstand the most extreme conditions (weather and traffic); is cool to the touch and uses less light (energy) to be more visible,” added Impellizzeri. “All light sources on the market today tout their brightness levels and we believe this is an archaic philosophy.”
 
To validate this belief, they continue to develop products that are designed for elegant illumination while maintaining their high efficiency, without concern for solely achieving the highest possible luminous flux.
 
Light Tape is available in an array of width options – .25, .5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 inch. Paired with its efficiency and durability factors, this allows Electro-LuminX to explore new markets that other light sources are unable to.
 
“Ultimately, its form factor into any creative application, and thus, ability to do what no other light source in the world can, is the unifying benefit we offer,” stated Impellizzeri.
 
Presently operating in diverse industries with businesses like Disney, Audi, and Boeing, Electro-LuminX sees opportunity for growth in other areas such as floor and step lighting markets, exterior accent lighting, as well as backlighting large format signage (billboards) – an area that the company is currently working on to develop a new technique of backlighting for large, vinyl billboards.
 
Commenting on the versatility of Light Tape, Impellizzeri stated, “These markets benefit from Light Tape’s UVP in extreme durability, unmatched nighttime visibility, and the production of no heat, respectively.”
 
Electro-LuminX is “excited” to see the continued convergence of the flexible and printed electronics markets in the coming years. “We see a lot of potential for purposeful collaboration between light manufacturer and printed electronics,” Impellizzeri stated.