BY INTRODUCING its new Areamaster LED luminaire, Appleton says it has reinvented the floodlight category with a fixture that offers the industry’s highest lumens-per-watt output, superior colour rendering, and a service life of more than 60,000 hours.

Inheriting the corrosion-resistant protection of the original Areamaster yet weighing less than half its weight with a much smaller footprint, this completely redesigned luminaire is an energy-saving solution targeted for adverse and hazardous locations (Class One, Division Two).

Steve Henry, senior marketing manager of Appleton, says: “Anyone challenged to find an LED-driven floodlight to meet energy reduction goals will welcome the arrival of our Areamaster LED. We have taken the original Areamaster to a new level by incorporating state-of-the-art LED technology that drastically reduces energy consumption, while providing superior installation, maintenance and environmental benefits.”

The Areamaster LED is versatile with a universal design for flood or high-bay mounting, making it ideal for replacing virtually any HID (high-intensity discharge), fluorescent or incandescent fixture, he says. Rated at 127 W, it delivers an optimal 13,000-plus lumens of cool white light in a 131-degree (horizontal) by 134-degree (vertical) beam spread – exceptionally wide for a fixture measuring only 15 inches square, he says.

“Moreover, its highly directional light does not require the use of external optics, resulting in system efficiencies as high as 80 per cent. A standard HID lamp offers only 40 per cent efficiency since its light can only be controlled using a reflector or refractor. The Areamaster LED has a corrected colour temperature of 5,650 K, resulting in a cool white hue and an impressive colour rendering index (CRI) rating of 70. This compares favourably to the 62 CRI rating for a pulse start metal halide or the 22 CRI rating of a high-pressure sodium lamp,” Henry says.

The Areamaster LED features a one-piece die-cast aluminium housing. It is enclosed and gasketed with a single piece of formed silicone rubber that eliminates the need for splicing that could potentially lead to vapour or dust ingress. An architectural bronze polyester finish protects it from damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays, rough weather, and salt water.

As an added measure of protection, the lens is made of thermal-shock, impact-resistant glass that won’t fade due to exposure to the sun. Moreover, the LEDs that the fixture employs are resistant to shock and vibration, are “instant-on” even in cold weather, plus produce very little heat in the beam and contain no mercury, he adds.

The LED unit boasts contemporary styling coupled with a lightweight, easy-to-install-and-service design. Its hinged door remains captive when open for ease of installation. “Only four screws must be loosened to gain full access to the LED driver and array, a vast improvement over competitors’ floodlights fastened together by more than a dozen screws,” says Henry. In addition, it weighs a mere 22 lbs (9.98 kg), so the compact size combined with lightweight results in a lower wind loading when mounted on a pole application.

The Areamaster LED can be used at sewage treatment centres, petrochemical plants, pulp and paper mills, and marinas, as well as outdoor areas such as parking lots or public spaces where rough weather is a problem.

Appleton is a brand of Emerson Industrial Automation, which in turn is a member of Emerson. The company offers a full line of electrical products for hazardous and industrial locations. Appleton’s engineering facilities include explosion, environmental, photometric, electric and mechanical laboratories that are staffed with a team of experienced engineers.
Emerson, based in St Louis in the US, is a global technology provider that manufactures products such as alternators, electric motors and drives, electrical distribution devices and mechanical power transmission, fluid automation and ultrasonic joining solutions.

Apart from Appleton, its brands include Asco, Branson Ultrasonics, Browning, Control Techniques, Kop-Flex, Leroy-Somer, McGill, Morse, Numatics, O-Z/Gedney, Rollway, SealMaster, SSB Wind Systems and System Plast.