HAL makes light work of safety testing at NET LED

The company, which is quality assured by the Lighting Industry Association, has been designing, manufacturing and supplying LED luminaires and systems for installation in commercial and industrial areas across the UK for over a decade. This includes a range of advanced LED panels lights, downlights, surface linears, tube, battens, emergency lighting, bulkheads, flood lights, streetlights, high/low bays, controls and accessories.

NET LED invested in two HAL LEDs which, so far, have been used to verify the safety of more than 30,000 units manufactured at its factory in Cambridge before they are distributed to electrical wholesalers across the UK.

It also uses the equipment to batch-test any products sourced from other manufacturers as part of quality control procedures.

Each tester provides power measurement readings with a resolution of 0.2VA below 1000VA and performs continuity and ground/earth bond tests alongside AC/DC Hipot (FLASH/Dielectric Strength). This ensures NET LED’s products guarantee the quality, performance and reliability required and are safety compliant with EN 60598.

Function testing is also undertaken to check each unit effectively switches on/off and performs correctly at the required power consumption levels and that any ancillary equipment operates in accordance with technical specifications.

Test results are stored automatically by the HAL units, giving full traceability. This ensures all products are proven to be quality assured before leaving the premises. NET LED use this data to produce a test record for all manufactured units in the event of any damage during distribution, or to track and trace any product returns - in line with the company’s customer service policies.

Oliver Bubb, managing director at NET LED, said: “We have invested in improving our testing with the HALs, which offer far more rigorous capabilities and have significantly reduced the time it takes to complete a test, as we have ramped up our own manufacturing capacity in 2020.

“Ultimately, the two testers provide the reassurance and peace-of-mind that every unit leaving our facility is 100% safe-to-use and operates as required, Seaward have provided us with a market leading and a first-class aftersales service”.

The HAL LED delivers better resolution when testing low power products compared to the other safety testers, ensuring improved accuracy of measurement and quality control standards during manufacturing.

Manufacturers like NET LED can complete end-of-line tests with the additional benefit of functionality testing of the operation of the equipment, ensuring not only a safe product, but consistent quality control throughout the production process.

 The HAL LED combines the performance of a multi-function production line safety tester with power measurement for product energy consumption. The tester can be integrated into automated manufacturing systems with selectable sensors and can be controlled using a PC, either using Seawards own software solution or by means of a command protocol.

A large graphic display presents information either in a numerical or analogue format while a powerful internal memory allows the storage of up to 6,000 test results and up to 50 configurable test routines. The instrument can also be interfaced with a variety of accessories, to improve both safe working and efficiency, including Bar Code scanners and Safety warning beacons.

Picture shows electrical safety testing at NET LED's Cambridge factory