The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published SSL 3-2010 High-Power White LED Binning for General Illumination. This marks NEMA’s first solid state lighting (SSL) standard.
Produced by NEMA’s Solid State Lighting Section, SSL 3 provides standardized categorization areas (bins) for the colors of “white” light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used for general lighting. LED manufacturers use binning to manage variations in LED performance during mass production. When manufacturers use different binning structures and labeling, LED system integrators and assemblers face unnecessary testing, verification, qualification, and validation processes.
The bin structures established by SSL 3 promote continuity among suppliers. The standard also sets a level of expectation for color characterization that results in a reasonable number of bins for stocking purposes. The bin structures are based on ANSI color standards for fluorescent lamps as specific in ANSI_NEMA_ANSLG C78.377-2008.
This standard will streamline the binning process and alleviate consistency issues. Robert Hick of Leviton, chair of the section, says upcoming revisions will address additional characteristics for binning.
Click here for more information on how to obtain a copy of the standard.
