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Development History of Track Lights

Author : Amy Rise Lighting

Update time : 2023-06-05 00:42:30

Track spotlights are one of the most important lighting fixtures in commercial lighting spaces. It has the characteristics of flexible installation, convenient adjustment, and concentrated light efficiency. Today, we will mainly introduce the evolution history of track lights in the past 10 years and related application issues based on the classification of light source types.

First generation：halogen track light

When the concept of key lighting began to be reflected, spotlights emerged.

Advantages of halogen track lights:
1. The lamp body is compact, with a simple structure (lamp body+electrical appliances+replaceable light source), and the price is cheap.
2. Good color rendering and excellent radiance in the light sense, allowing the subject to emit a sense of luster.

Disadvantages:
1. The heat is high, and for light sensitive objects, special protective measures need to be added to the lighting.
2. High energy consumption, short lifespan, and high cost of electricity and frequent replacement of light sources for commercial space operation and maintenance are the most important reasons why halogen track lights were rapidly replaced and eliminated by LED products in the years 2010 to 2013.

Second generation：fluorescent track lamps

Products that use fluorescent light sources for track lights are relatively rare, as fluorescent light sources emit light on a large area, making it difficult to achieve key lighting effects. But for some special places, such as wall washing requirements, in the past where optical solutions did not have LED development, fluorescent lamps were the best choice. H-tubes were commonly used to combine and design wall washing products. Of course, due to the limited light source, the wall washing effect in the past could not be the same as today.

Third generation：metal halide track lamp

Metal halide track lights were once the best-selling products for early indoor commercial photography. They were the first choice for clothing chains, shopping malls, furniture exhibition halls, and stores, and were widely used. With the expansion of various brand stores, metal halide lights were indeed ubiquitous.

Metal halide lamps have several significant features:
1. High light efficiency and high power are the masterpieces for creating a "brighter than the neighboring competitor brand store"!
2. Long lifespan, compared to the average halogen light source that needs to be replaced every six months, the lifespan of metal halide lamps is already enough for a store's decoration cycle.

But it also has several hard wounds:
1. The metal halide lamp takes a long time to start and requires more cooling during restart. It cannot be turned off and turned on immediately.
2. Poor quality metal halide light sources are prone to color drift (which is slightly different from the color difference we are currently talking about)
3. The light efficiency is very high, and there are few power options (usually 35W, 70W, and 150W), which do not support dimming. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve diversified effects.
4. There are two types of electrical appliances for metal halide lamps: electronic and inductive. The inductive ballast has a large size, is not aesthetically pleasing, and the inductance is prone to noise.

Fourth generation：LED track lights
After experiencing the above three lighting products, LED has begun to emerge in the early 21st century. Around 2006 to 2008, some companies began to try it out, and after 2008, there has been an intensive wave of LED promotion, application, and replacement. LED track lights have also undergone changes over the years.

The earliest LED track lights: replacement for halogen lights. The earliest batch of LED track lights were often equipped with light sources for lamp racks by manufacturers. As can be seen from the pictures, there is no concept of integrated design of LED products yet.

The second generation LED track lights: SMD type (single light source type). Some early LED track spotlights often have two optical solutions, integrated lens or single lens combination use.

Third generation LED track lights: COB type
When COB light sources appeared, application manufacturers found that the new LED products with small size and high power packaged in this way were easier to design. Moreover, under the same volume, the lamps can achieve higher power to meet the demand for higher lumen values, making them the most mainstream LED track lights in modern commercial lighting spaces.

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