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ilumisys Partners with National Center for Manufacturing Sciences for Department of Energy Solid-State Lighting Program

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 April 2009, 09:00 CDT

DOE program to develop eco-friendly LED products, recycling procedures

TROY, Mich., April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- ilumisys, Inc., developer and producer of next-generation solid-state lighting technology, announces a partnership with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) in conjunction with a Department of Energy grant for product life cycle design for solid-state lighting.

The purpose of the DOE grant of more than $590,000 to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences is to develop a sustainable design and manufacturing strategy that addresses product use, recycling and disposal scenarios for LED-based lighting.

"NCMS has been successfully commercializing and standardizing innovative technology for decades," said Rick Jarman, president and CEO of NCMS. "This partnership with ilumisys will strengthen the growing solid-state lighting industry both in Michigan and nationwide."

In conjunction with ilumisys, NCMS plans to build collaborations for applied research and development activities involving the implementation of sustainable design practices into LED lighting products. Support activities include program technical and management services, including leveraging other programs within the DOE to complement existing efforts.

"Many companies are beginning to design and manufacture solid-state lighting, but there is no acknowledged set of best practices for lamp and luminaire design," said Dave Simon, president of ilumisys. "This partnership, which addresses not just the complete end-use product but also the recycling and disposal issues, is a huge step for LED lighting."

"We are going to take a very systems-level approach to help guide product decisions such as material selection, fastening methods, and manufacturing methods to help ensure that finished products using LED technology have a truly beneficial effect on carbon footprint and other environmental issues," Simon added.

In addition to providing an energy efficient alternative, the ilumisys products are mercury-free. The 500 million to 600 million fluorescent tubes discarded annually in the United States introduce an estimated two to four tons of mercury to the environment, despite industry and government efforts to limit mercury content and encourage recycling.

ilumisys, formed in 2007, is a spinoff of Altair, a global software and technology company that has a growing presence in the energy market. With the backing of Altair, its majority owner, ilumisys has a deep and substantial investment in research and development that includes more than 30 patent applications filed to date.

About NCMS

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has over 20 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector. For more information, visit http://www.ncms.org.

About ilumisys

ilumisys, Inc. is a Troy, Mich.-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. Products are derived from Altair's intellectual property as they relate to the direct replacement of fluorescent light tubes with LED lamps and direct replacement of incandescent lamps. For more information, please visit www.ilumisys.com.

SOURCE ilumisys, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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