This blog is quite literally just a way to flex with the patents that Clear Lighting uses for the contour lighting we’re selling. These make the LED strips flexible in a way that is not detrimental to the lifespan or light output.
The first patent is Twinflex™. This relates to the FPCB, the flexible printed circuit forms the basis of every LED strip. In order to be able to make such a printed circuit board bendable, the copper tracks on which the LEDs are soldered are very thin. But unfortunately that also poses a problem. Because these lanes are so thin, you can send very little power through them. The longer such an LED strip becomes, the worse the effect on the light output. You will get voltage losses, causing color differences.
The Twinflex technology is nothing more than an extra thick printed circuit board, which ensures better heat conduction. Clear’s LED strips can therefore also be longer without leading to a loss of light output or color differences.
The second patent is called Pinboost™ and ensures that a Clear LED strip is actually bendable in practice, and not just in theory. If the soldering of all LEDs comes off immediately as soon as you bend the strip once, then it is not bendable. Pinboost is essentially just an extra copper component that is also soldered onto the PCB, around the soldering of the LEDs. It is located in front of and behind each LED and ensures that the solders do not come loose when bending the strip. Very few manufacturers of contour lighting takes this extra step, because it requires more material and soldering.
Yet it is precisely these kinds of extra steps that make the difference between disposable strips and a high-quality product. Clear’s contour lighting is premium for a reason, plus it actually pays for itself due to a much longer lifespan and consistent light output.
Would you like to know more about Clear contour lighting? Take a look at our product page.