June 25, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Harvey Levenson
Cal Poly Graphic Communication
805-756-6151; hlevenso@calpoly.edu
New Graphic Arts Lighting System Introduced at Cal Poly --
Addresses Color Viewing, Safety, and Sustainability
SAN LUIS OBISPO-Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department recently installed a new lighting system as part of the first North American test site for photoluminescent lighting technology in the graphic arts. The system was donated by Longlite US.
The new technology illuminates an entire work environment and standardizes the viewing conditions for color printing and publishing applications. The system is designed for manufacturing and service companies that are now capable of doing their own printing due to the proliferation of short-run digital presses that are cleaner, easier to run and have a relatively small footprint.
The Longlite Blue Safety Tube lighting system was installed in Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Bowne Lab. Key elements the Cal Poly faculty and staff will evaluate are color viewing, safety, and sustainability.
“Safety is particularly relevant to the plant environment,” said Harvey Levenson, head of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department, “and particularly to larger plants that face catastrophic consequences if total power is lost due to natural disaster, human error or failure of the electrical grid.” The afterglow of the new photoluminescent technology provides sufficient lighting for evacuation and other emergency procedures. The afterglow lasts for several hours and is renewable through the life of the tube.
“When used as normal room or industrial plant lighting, Longlite Blue Safety Tubes double as emergency lighting in the case of power failure, brownouts, blackouts or electrical grid failure,” said Denis Rizzo, manager of Longlite US. “When the power is turned off or fails, the photoluminescent technology literally glows, so it provides visibility for evacuation or other procedures necessary during power loss.”
A leader in environmental solutions on college campuses, Cal Poly is also assessing the lighting for sustainability features. The lighting system met the department’s requirement of being mercury-free, and features an extended lifetime while reducing environmental contamination in industrial and occupational settings.
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