Choosing Industrial Machine Lighting: Technical Tips

Typical lighting options simply don't work well in industrial environments. For those who work with heavy machinery, great lighting is a necessity. Illumination is vital to the machining process, both for quality control and safety reasons. Without adequate light, it can be difficult to judge precision placement or to evaluate the quality of the piece as it makes its way through a line. A dedicated press light, mill light or drill light is an essential - but finding an industrial light that can hold up to the vibrations and punishment in the typical manufacturing environment isn't easy. These technical tips and information can help you make the right choice for your industrial lighting needs.
Differences in Industrial Machine Lighting
Industrial machine lighting available comes in many different types. The differences among them include the type of bulb, the type of housing and the type of fixtures. All of them have benefits and drawbacks that make them best suited for particular applications. One of your best guides for choosing the right industrial lights for your needs is to seek out units that are designed specifically for the type of use you have in mind: that is, choose a drill light for mounting on drills, a press light for mounting on presses and a mill light for use with industrial milling equipment. 
Narrowing Your Choices
Once you've singled out the specific use you'll have for your machine lights, you'll still have some decisions to make. The single best way to get the right machine lighting is to let an expert guide you to the right choice. Most manufacturers or distributors of industrial machine lighting can determine the best type of lights for your needs by asking just a few simple questions. Their advice can form the basis of the factors you'll want to consider when choosing industrial lighting for your facility.
Output
These days, figuring output can be a little confusing. It used to be a simple matter of choosing higher-wattage lighting for more light. Even now, the lumen can help you choose lights that put out more illumination - but it may not be a terribly useful measurement when you need to measure directed light. With machine lights, it's important to know the difference between LED and fluorescent output to help you determine whether a particular style or type of industrial machine light will put out the amount of light you need for your application.
How Will You Use It?
The way you intend to use the machine light can help you determine important factors and features for your light, including length and output, whether you intend to mount the light or whether it will be hand-held, whether it will be hard-wired or plugged into an outlet, and whether you need to shield it from caustic liquids such as solvents, oil or chlorine based fluids used in the manufacturing process. All of these will help you choose the best model and make of industrial machine lighting for your needs.
Energy Use
Different types of fixtures and bulbs use different amounts of energy. It's important to balance your industrial machine lighting needs with your need for energy efficiency.