The world of lighting has evolved significantly over the years, moving from a mere tool of illumination to an essential aspect of aesthetics, energy efficiency, and smart control. Today, the spotlight is on LED Neon Flex, a game-changing innovation that is poised to redefine the lighting landscape.
What Exactly is LED Neon Flex?
LED Neon Flex is a unique type of lighting solution that employs a sequence of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) connected in a circuit and affixed on a flexible strip. The term 'flex' indicates their mounting on a flexible, rather than rigid, strip. To guard the neon LEDs and the circuit board, these lights are encased in a transparent PVC or silicone cover. This design makes them exceedingly versatile and user-friendly.
LED Neon Flex vs. Traditional Neon Lights
LED Neon Flex and traditional neon lights differ fundamentally in their structural design and operation. The table below provides a comparative analysis of their features:
LED Neon Flex Traditional Neon Lights LEDs mounted on a strip and jacketed by a transparent cover. Comprises a glass tube filled with noble gases like neon. Electrodes are placed at tube endings to deliver electric current. Electric current flows through the circuit mounted on the strip and lights up the LEDs. Electric current flows through the electrodes and activates noble gas molecules. This causes them to emit neon light. Consistent adjustable lighting throughout the LED neon flex strip. Non-adjustable lighting that can be spotty depending on the distribution of noble gas. How Does LED Neon Flex Work?
LED neon flex lights are fundamentally a plug-and-play lighting solution. They merely need to be connected to a power source corresponding with their voltage to light up. However, the type of LED neon flex lights you opt for can control aspects such as color, brightness, and color temperature.
- Color: RGB and RGBW LED neon lights have colored light-emitting diodes that allow you to select different colors of lighting.
- Brightness: Using an appropriate controller, you can adjust the brightness of your LED neon flex lights to a level that is comfortable for you or set a different ambiance in a room.
- Color temperature: CCT LED neon flex lights enable you to set your lighting to either warm or white light as needed.
These features provide you with control over your lighting, a feature not offered by traditional lighting forms. However, to avail these features, it's crucial to choose the right LED neon flex lights for your needs and the appropriate type of controller.
Installation of LED Neon Flex Lights
Installing LED neon flex lights is a simple and straightforward process, requiring only the right accessories and the user manual instructions to guide your DIY installation. Before installation, it's advisable to measure the length of the area where you want to install the lights. The size and design of the area will help you identify the necessary accessories, such as LED strip connectors for corners.
LED neon flex lights are resilient and can be installed both indoors and outdoors. Good quality brands have high IP ratings and are resistant to corrosion. As such, you don't have to worry about your lights getting damaged. Additionally, LED neon flex lights can be cut to fit different installation needs.
Comparing LED Neon Flex Lights with Traditional Neon Lights
Traditional neon lights, which involve glass tubes, high voltage electricity, and inert gas, are expensive, complex, and inconvenient. On the other hand, LED neon flex lights use LED technology and a new structure, with a PVC, silicone, or PU housing wrapped around the LED light source. This unique design increases the intensity and uniformity of light. The LED neon flex is easy to fabricate and extremely efficient.
Apart from being brighter, LED neon flex lights are more durable with a longer lifespan due to the LED light source and PVC/Silicone/PU housing. They are also more energy-efficient, consuming less power than traditional glass neon lights.
LED neon flex lights are safer as well, operating at low voltages and having low heat dissipation. They are shockproof and will not break. They are also more friendly to the environment as they do not contain heavy metals or other harmful substances, unlike traditional neon lights.
Applications of LED Neon Flex Lights
LED Neon Flex lights are versatile and can be used for a variety of applications such as:
- Signage & Exhibit Lighting
- Building facades
- Cove lighting
- Retail displays
- Architectural lighting
- Marine Lighting
- Automobile Lighting
- Artwork Lighting
- Special Event Lighting
- Home Decor Lighting
Structure of LED Neon Flex Lights
The LED neon light is essentially a flexible LED strip inside a casing of PVC, silicone or PU to diffuse the light and create a uniform effect.
Types of LED Neon Flex Lights
LED Neon Flex lights can be classified based on their bending direction, housing material, working voltage, and light color. They can bend horizontally (side bending), vertically (top bending), in 3D (horizontal and vertical bending), or 360 degrees round. The housing material can be PVC, Silicone, or PU (Polyurethane), and the working voltage can be low (12V/24V/36V/48V) or high (120VAC/220VAC). Light color can be monochrome, tunable white, RGB, RGBW, DMX512 Pixel RGB, or SPI Pixel RGB.
Production of LED Neon Flex Lights
The production process of LED Neon Flex lights is divided into two main parts: the production of the LED flexible strip (used as the light source for the neon lights) and the addition of the silicone shell to the LED strip. There are two main ways to add the silicone shell: LED strip and silicone integrated extrusion, or producing the silicone tube first and then manually inserting the LED strip into the silicone tube.
Quality Assurance of LED Neon Flex Lights
Ensuring the quality of LED Neon Flex lights involves several steps:
- Ensure that the light source LED strip with the brand or quality assurance LEDs, resistors, and IC components.
- Ask the factory for the LM80 test report of the LEDs, check the expected life hours of the LEDs in the report, high-quality LEDs, L80 lifetime up to 50,000 hours.
- Make sure that the PCB used for the light source LED strip is pure copper, double-sided PCB with a thickness of 2oz or 3oz.
- Ensure that the LED silicone neon light housing is made of RoHS compliant, UV resistant, flame retardant, and corrosion-resistant high-quality silicone.
- Ensure that the LED silicone neon is certified to the relevant product approvals, e.g., CE, RoHS, UL, etc.
Cutting, Soldering, and Powering LED Neon Flex Lights
The process of cutting, soldering, and powering LED Neon Flex lights involves several steps, including measuring the length, finding the cut position on the LED Neon Flex, cutting the LED Neon Flex, soldering the cable to LED Neon, filling silicone in LED Neon and end cap, lighting up the LED Neon to test, and waiting for the silicone to dry and solidify.
Installation of LED Neon Flex Lights
Installing LED Neon Flex lights involves measuring the length, finding the cut position on the LED Neon Flex, cutting the LED Neon Flex to size, attaching connectors to LED Neon, connecting the power plug to LED Neon, fixing the mounting clip or mounting channel to the place of installation, pressing the LED neon light into the mounting clip or mounting channel, and lighting up the LED Neon to test.
