Electroluminescent Manufacture in Shenzhen

Many still ask what is electroluminescent? While any material that emits light when electricity is applied might apply when we speak of electroluminescence we are referring to electroluminescent panel. It could be described as a flexible flat lamp that has been coated with phosphorus powders that light up when electricity is applied. During the manufacturing process the EL panel can have sections segmented and sequenced to light up at mixed timing. Once an image layer is added it could be used as an attractive promotional tool. In solid colors or patterns it can make a beautiful soft glowing decoration for interior lighting applications. EL panel in thin strip format can double as safety lighting for the floor as well as an attractive decoration.

As much as we can try to describe electroluminescent products it is difficult to explain the soft even glow of EL panel, it could be described as beautiful like a neon light but flexible and it is possible to create high resolution prints and place them on top of el panel making it a perfect method to display a logo or advertisement.

While the technology behind electroluminescent may not be incredibly complex the quality of EL panels can vary dramatically between different suppliers. If you think of EL panel like a cake then you might understand that not all cake is created equal. First if you consider the recipe or mixture of EL panel phosphors that are mixed with other materials glues and such in a batch before a production is made, the quality of all of the materials being used, the method of manufacture heating process and treatment.

One thing to look out for are thin spots or shadows where the electroluminescent panel does not seem evenly lighted; this becomes more problematic for larger panels as the panel phosphor will need to be spread evenly over a large area and even a small area if thicker or thinner phosphor can show up as a bright or dark patch on the EL panel. If an image layer is applied to the EL panel this sort of uniform brightness across the surface area of the el panel will be much less apparent.

The brightness test is a common benchmark customers use to test against the quality of different factories. Brightness can be difficult to judge between different suppliers, one trick is to increase the inverter voltage or frequency to cause the EL panel to shine brighter. One logical step is to use the same inverter to power two same size panels and measure the light output. To further complicate the matter a quality panel that has resistant materials added to it may appear dimmer if a weaker inverter is used to power it.  So for example a standard 85cd panel should not use an inverter meant for higher or lower grades of el panel.  A true test is over time, if a supplier has provided a low quality panel with an inverter that has increased voltage or frequency the EL panel can sometimes last only a month or three months much shorter than the expected lifetime. It is advisable if you will import EL panels from any factory to first start with smaller orders then increase the order volume as you can trust the quality.

Electroluminescent lifetime is a common question of new customers looking for EL panel.  One way of prolonging an el panel lifetime is to power at lower voltage which may cause it to be less bright initially but sometimes situations may require brighter el panel over lifetime.  While a long lasting panel is important must consider that unless you yourself have tested or have recommended from a reliable source about a particular factory EL panel lifetime should be viewed with caution, even environmental differences, moisture and UV can make a difference.  EL panel slowly lost its brightness over time so the “lifetime” of el panel is purely objective, it is what we call ‘useful life’ eventually as the panel become more dim you will find it is no longer useful.  If you live in a bright city you may find the useful life shorter, if you live in a dark country you may find the el panel useful for much longer as there is not any competing light source as it grows dim.  You can expect from 3,000 -35,000 ‘useful life’ out of your EL panel, each circumstance is different, if it is outdoor and exposed to bright sun the useful life will be shorter unless UV light and moisture protective layers have been added.

Color is also an important benchmark customers will use when selecting el panel suppliers. While color alone does not reflect the quality or lifetime or brightness of the EL panel it is very important especially when lighted a full color image or logo it is important for the purest white possible ‘when turned on’ so that the image color will shine true to the printed image layer on top.

Other things to look for in an el panel especially larger panels is bubbles in the film or under the image layer, also for uniform brightness from left to right or top to bottom,  if the EL panel has a conductor that wraps around the 4 edges of the el panel it will more likely have a uniform lighted from side to side.