NXTLED, a modular greenhouse toplight

Hortilux needed LED toplights for greenhouses in a wide range of spectra and power levels. They had to be built in the Netherlands, at a cost that still works with Dutch labour costs. I was responsible for the system architecture of the new NXTLED platform, with a focus on efficiency, fast assembly and modularity.

What that involved:

• Software tools that model the performance of the product, so the right balance between performance and price can be chosen for each variant.
• A driver and control topology that gives multichannel control with a single-channel driver.
• An assembly method that puts less stress on the optical components and makes assembly faster.
• Working with the suppliers of LEDs, PCBs, electronics and mechanics.

The result is a modular platform. Many market variants are built from the same parts on one production line, instead of being separate products.

For the in-house light lab I also set up a calibration system: an integrating sphere and a spectrometer, with software that takes every operator through the same fixed calibration and measurement steps. See test and measurement automation.