LIGHT SOURCES IN GLASS

Alsigns-Surelite Limited produces a range of self-luminous fail-safe lighting (energy-free cold light sources with a twenty-five year life requiring no maintenance) on a custom-made basis, in glass tubing, to order.

The glass light sources are manufactured in whatever size dimensions [O/D x length], pressures and shapes a customer requires, in volumes extending from hundreds to hundreds of thousands.

For example, all known types of aircraft self-powered lighting artefacts are made, together with any improvements, adaptations or innovations in them.

To be precise, we start from 2.0mm O/D x 5.8mm length, shaped round (for cylindrical tubes) or square (for rectangular tubes), right up to 10mm [1cm] O/D x 110mm [11cm] long tubes.

1. A full range of rectangular lights in various sizes
   - from 3.4mm height x 6.4mm width, up to 4.0mm height x 10.0mm width.
2. Disk-shaped lights of various sizes
   from 9mm to 13mm diameter x 3.5mm thick.
3. Also, fully circular balls - respectively, 9mm, 11mm and 13mm in circumference.
4. Arc-shaped glass which is shaped to fit into various fixtures. The glass is bent by hand for a more accurate fit.
5. Cylindrical tubes from 2.0mm to 7.0mm O/D, and of lengths between 7.0mm and 20.0mm.

All of our lights are hand-made by fully skilled glassblowers and, if required, are made to tolerances of 0.5mm.

If you have an application that requires a low level light source, contact Alsigns-Surelite to discuss your particular needs.

Cylindrical in cross-section, these are the mainstay of the hydrogen light source industry. Used in situations where the tube itself is not on display, eg. to back-light signs.

• Max. tritium pressure: 1000 millibars
• Borosilicate glass thickness: 0.8mm
• Length: to customer specification (within min/max. limits)
• Lifespan of illumination: 10-25 years

Square in cross-section, they offer extra advantages over round ones. The internal volume (and thus light output) are higher than for a round tube of an equal size diameter.

• Max. tritium pressure: 1000 millibars
• Borosilicate glass thickness: 0.8mm
• Length: to customer specification (within min/max. limits)
• Lifespan of illumination: 10-25 years

Rectangular in cross-section, these provide luminous areas using reduced height. The maximum ratio of width to height is 5:1, and above a 3:1 ratio the filling pressure is reduced below 1000 millibars for safety to avoid a burst risk. This reduces maximum brightness, but still offers advantages for certain design situations (eg. backlighting).

Similar to pip-ended tubes (above), but with double flat-end tube closure and consequently slightly more expensive to manufacture. Used in situations and applications where the tube itself is set to be directly visible and so must be of "display quality", eg. watch dials.

Typically used to illustrate graticules in reticles. Usually, two 180° sources are used on the circumference of the reticle. Forming the glass arcs with the required precision requires special tools.

• Section: round, square or rectangular
• Sizes: 1-7mm section height
• Internal radius: 5-300mm depending on section size
• Arc: 45-300° depending on section and radius