Miniature Light Bulbs

One hundred and thirty years, Thomas Edison has completed the first successful test of sustained incandescent bulb. With a few incremental improvements along the way, the basic technology of Edison lit the world since. This is changing. We are at the dawn of a revolution in lighting semiconductors that will eventually replace the bulbs with a solution of Edison lighting more energy efficient. The solid state LED lighting will eventually replace almost all of the hundreds of billions of incandescent and fluorescent lamps used in the world today. In fact, as a step in this direction, Obama unveiled new last June, the high standards of lighting that will help phase out incandescent bulbs (which are already banned in parts of Europe).

To understand how the LED bulbs are revolutionary and why they are still expensive, it is instructive to see how they are made and compared to the manufacture of incandescent bulbs. This article examines how the bulbs are made and then contrasts this process with a description of the manufacturing process of typical LED bulbs.

So, let's take a look at how the traditional incandescent light bulbs are manufactured. You will find that it is a classic example of an automated industrial process refined in over a century of experience.

Although no one incandescent bulb types differ in size and power, they all have three basic elements: the filament, the lamp and the base. The filament is tungsten. Although very fragile, tungsten filaments can withstand temperatures of 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit and above. The plug or lead in the son are typically made of nickel-iron wire. This thread is immersed in a solution of borax to make the wire more adherent to glass. The bulb itself is made of glass and contains a mixture of gas, usually argon and nitrogen, which increases the lifetime of the filament. The air is pumped out of the bulb and replaced by gas. A standardized base holds the entire assembly in place. The base is known as the base "Edison screw." Aluminum is used on the outside and glass used to isolate the interior of the base.

Originally produced by hand, making bulb is now almost fully automated. First, the filament is produced by a process known as drawing, in which tungsten is mixed with a binder and pulled through a die (one shaped hole) in a thin wire. Then, the wire is wound around a metal rod called a mandrel for the mold in its spiral shape good, and then heated in a process known as annealing, softening of the wire and makes its structure more uniform. The mandrel is then dissolved in acid.

Second, the coiled filament is attached to the head current. Lead in son have hooks at their ends which are either pressed onto the end of the filament or, in larger bulbs, spot welded.

Third, the glass bulbs or casings are made using a tape machine. After heating in an oven, a continuous ribbon of glass moves along a conveyor belt. Precisely aligned air nozzles blow the glass through the holes in the conveyor belt into molds, creating envelopes. A ribbon machine moving at top speed can produce more than 50,000 vials per hour. After the casings are blown, they are cooled and cut the tape machine. Then, inside the bulb is coated with silica to eliminate glare caused by bright filament discovered. The label and power are then stamped on the top outside of each enclosure.

Fourth, the base of the bulb is also constructed using molds. It is made with marks on the form of a screw so that it can easily fit into the socket of a lighting fixture.

Fifth, once the filament core, and bulb are made, they are assembled by machines. First, the filament is mounted to the ASSE strains.