They may not be the prettiest fixtures to look at, but the new commercial LED lights from InLedCo are sporting something we’ve only seen in tiny LED lights, a plastic heatsink. However where the small LED lights get by with a plastic heatsink by using very low power and efficient diodes, InLedCo’s fixtures have an entirely different trick up their sleeve, a new kind of heat conducting plastic.
It’s quite natural to think of aluminum when we think of dissipating heat in our consumer electronics but recent years have seen big advancements in specially engineered plastics that dissipate heat. You may have started seeing cheaper LED light ‘bulbs’ with this thermoplastic in their base and now with these new fixtures from InLedCo we will soon start seeing them in aquarium lights as well.
Of course the new heat conducting plastic aren’t as efficient as aluminum at wicking and dissipating heat but it is a lot cheaper, both as a material and producing a desired shape with it. With this new material InLedCo has been able to create a new breed of LED aquarium lights that are both waterproof and won’t corrode in the harshest environments. These lights are designed with holes right through their body both to help air flow but also to drain away water when they are hosed down to keep them clean in commercial environments.
A two inch square and pretty thick piece of this thermoplastic is capable of absorbing and dissipating about 25 watts of heat which is more than enough for InLedCo to experiment and build a variety of different LED strips and panels. InLedCo is the first company to demonstrate an all glass LED light, which they’ve been perfecting for two years. Needless to say they are no stranger to using unconventional materials to make LED lights and we’re very excited to see the directions they take with this new medium.
