GE finally gives up spiral "Heliax" CFL
GE finally gives up spiral "Heliax" CFL
In 1995, GE lighting introduced the helical (spiral-shaped) compact fluorescent "Heliax" lamp. Due to its unique optical properties, the lamp attracted enormous interest from luminaire manufacturers and designers who wanted to design compact downlights, spotlights, floodlights, etc., for the lamp. The broad market introduction of the lamp was delayed, however, and in June 1997 GE finally decided to give up on the project.
When GE presented their lamp, it was hailed as a great invention. The spiral tube helped minimize "light trapping", i.e. the shadowing effect created by the lamp's own tubes when they partly block the light emitted towards the center from tubes on the opposite side of the lamp. Due to its design, the lamp could be made very compact, and GE claimed it to be the CFL with the highest luminous intensity per unit length.
According to Terry McGowan at GE, the lamp performed as promised when produced as a prototype in small batches. Several manufacturers had received sample lamps that they could use when designing customized reflectors. In the 1997 edition of GE's technical catalogue, the lamp was still included, and it was also shown at the `97 Hannover Fair. But, according to GE, problems arose when tooling and machinery for large-scale production had to be developed. What was possible to achieve on a small scale in the workshop proved to be impossible on a large scale where heavily automated processes are necessary to keep the price of the lamp low.
This development helped to put the links between luminaire and light source manufacturers into perspective. Whereas lamps used to be developed by the light source manufacturers and then presented to the luminaire industry, they are now developed in closer cooperation with luminaire manufacturers. The reason for this development is obvious: In order to utilize capital and human resources efficiently, manufacturers strive to develop a market for the lamp before mass production starts. Moreover, continuous feedback from advanced luminaire manufacturers is considered a valuable technical benefit.
On the other hand, these close links can pose risks for luminaire manufacturers. For example, GE's failure is not only a great of loss of prestige for GE, but creates trouble for others in the industry: In the June 1997 issue of the US magazine Lighting Design + Application, US-based Prescolite ran a two-page ad on a new reflector exclusively developed for the Heliax lamp. It is now clear that their costs for marketing as well as development will never be recovered.
Nils Borg