Products, Materials + Tools | Jul 23, 2010

ilumisys Launches LED Designer Series Solid State Lighting Fixtures

ilumisys, Inc. is unveiling a new line of five elegantly designed, contemporary LED lighting fixtures that exploit the unique characteristics of solid state lighting. Four of the Designer Series luminaire creations are pendant fixtures; the other is a table lamp.

With light outputs ranging from 600-1000 lumens (roughly equivalent to 60-100 watt tungsten filament bulbs), the luminaires consume only 10 to 18 watts of electricity. They are powered by LEDs from Nichia Corporation, have color temperatures of 4200°K (neutral white) and CRI indexes above 90, while consuming only 10-18 watts of electricity.

Altair ProductDesign, a division of ilumisys' parent company, Altair Engineering, Inc., provided its award-winning styling and design development services to create this new product line. The luminaires feature interesting combinations of materials and finishes – metals, acrylic and glass – using designs made possible by LEDs to achieve fascinating interplays of light, contrast and sensations of graceful energy.

"We believe ilumisys is unique in the solid state lighting industry with high caliber solid state lighting engineers and award winning product designers physically located under the same roof," noted Dave Simon, president of ilumisys. "From the Mars rover, the smart fortwo auto, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Buell motorcycles, Motorola cell phones, Whirlpool washing machines and more, Altair's development staff and technology strives to be at the forefront of innovation."

Mr. Simon added the interdisciplinary teamwork provides the opportunity to be highly creative, with what can often be dispassionate technology, and apply emotive design principles to the fixtures. "Few companies across all industries have such left-brain, right-brain capabilities," he noted. "The work provided by our parent company's design studio represents an unparalleled effort to move LED technology out of strictly technological or 'archetainment' implementations and toward a truly architectural fine-design category."

James Trumble, Altair's studio lead for product design and focal point for Altair's effort to evaluate and implement sustainable design practices, led the design team. He explained that the unique characteristics of LEDs as point light sources drove the forms of these fixtures. "For many years, luminaire design and thinking have usually revolved around how to attractively wrap metal around a bulb or tube. We did what can't be done with traditional light bulbs, from both design and technology viewpoints."

About ilumisys:
ilumisys, Inc. is a Troy, Michigan-based company focused on next-generation solid-state lighting technology. The company was formed in 2007 as a spinoff venture and wholly owned subsidiary of Altair Engineering, Inc. Initial products will be derived from Altair's intellectual property as they relate to the direct replacement of fluorescent light tubes with light-emitting diode (LED) lamps and direct replacement of incandescent lamps. For more information, please visit www.ilumisys.com .

About Altair:
Altair Engineering, Inc. empowers client innovation and decision-making through technology that optimizes the analysis, management and visualization of business and engineering information. Privately held with more than 1,300 employees, Altair has offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. With a 20-year-plus track record for enterprise analytics, product development, and advanced computing, Altair consistently delivers a competitive advantage to customers in a broad range of industries. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

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