Decorative Light Posts and Outdoor Lighting Fixtures Benefit from Extruded Aluminum Designs

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) transformed the lighting industry in the mid-2000s. Compared to traditional lighting sources, energy-efficient LEDs provide longer life spans, improved environmental performance, and flexible design options. Because LEDs can be as tiny as a speck of pepper, fixture designers are afforded exceptional design flexibility. One of the preferred materials by housing and enclosure designers is extruded aluminum because of the multitude of application options and the design versatility.
Aluminum extrusion is the mechanical process that pushes aluminum alloy materials through a die opening, resulting in a desired size and shape product. The extrusion process can be likened to cake icing being squeezed out of an icing bag. Extruded shapes can be solid, hollow, or semi-hollow and used in many industries, including the lighting industry. Aluminum extrusions are specifically created and easily tailored to fit the shape and size of an LED fixture for any design concept or application.

Advantages of Aluminum in Light Poles and Bases

Some advantages of using aluminum extrusion in the lighting industry include that the process allows for flexibility in terms of the product’s finished size, is lightweight, and can be made as strong as needed by internal reinforcement and varying wall thicknesses. Aluminum extrusions are corrosion-resistant, non-combustible, and have a superior surface finish. The quality finish surface provides aesthetic and durability advantages for poles, bases, and caps.
Another advantage of aluminum extrusion is that the process allows the manufacturer to use less material while still obtaining the same thermal efficiency, strength, and flexibility, which means a lower cost to the consumer. Aluminum is also sustainable and can be recycled repeatedly without compromising, changing, or declining properties, aesthetics, or functionality, making it superior to its counterparts.

Aluminum Fixtures Provide Superior Thermal Conductivity

A final advantage of using aluminum extrusions in the lighting industry is that extruded aluminum fixture housings provide a higher level of conductivity and serve as both heat sinks and reflectors. The most critical factor of an LED’s lifetime performance is its thermal management, and aluminum extrusions are the perfect choice for LED housings. They conduct heat away from the light engine, which keeps them from overheating and burning out. This efficient conduction allows the LED light source to be a long-lasting, energy-efficient, versatile light source for all lighting applications.