Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

The concept of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, initially surfaced in the 1980s, thanks largely to the innovative work of engineer Chuck Hull. Hull invented a process called 'stereolithography', or SLA, a method that allowed for the creation of 3D models layer by layer, literally bringing ideas to life. It was a revolutionary breakthrough that sparked the beginning of the 3D printing era.

It’s hard to believe that it was just three years ago that much of the country was on red alert status thanks to Covid. Researchers were still learning more about the new virus, but one thing they were sure of was that it spread through the air, which made air purification systems a new priority for any place people gathered in large numbers.

A decade ago, LED lighting was still fighting for acceptance among designers, contractors and consumers. Early product generations suffered from quality control problems, flickering and light that was too far into the blue end of the visual spectrum.

There it is again! That cat’s chasing rabbits in my garden again tonight. I knew something was tearing things up in there at night, so I installed a set of solar powered floods on the top of the gate.

As someone who’s tracked LED lighting since its early days as a commercially available technology, my own experience with the products has evolved. I live in an older house with overhead lighting only in the kitchen and bathrooms, so this has mostly meant experimenting with LED bulbs (or “lamps,” in lighting designer lingo) in the 14 or 15 table fixtures scattered around my home.

Lighting without wires – that’s the promise solar-powered security lighting offers homeowners. If you’re an electrical contractor, you might see that lack of wires as a threat to your installation business – after all, if there aren’t any wires, why would customers turn to you for help?