Lamp recall affects 700,000 SSL products intended for fluorescent replacement and Cree will supply new LED T8 tubes beginning in July or offer refunds.
The Cree LED T8 tube family launched back in April has been found to have a design flaw that could result in a burn hazard, and Cree is voluntarily recalling 700,000 of the tubes and cooperating with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Cree is offering owners of the LED T8 tubes the option of a refund or replacement lamps that the company will begin shipping in July.
While the recall is surely not positive news for Cree, a number of companies in the solid-state lighting (SSL) business have been through similar situations. Osram Sylvania and Lighting Science Group were involved in an A-lamp recall back in 2013. And Philips Lighting recalled almost 100,000 LED A-lamps in 2013. Cree, like Philips and Osram, is acting proactively to ensure users of the affected lamps aren't endangered.
The surprising part about the Cree recall is the sheer number of LED T8 lamps involved. As mentioned earlier, Cree only recently announced the lamps that essentially replace an earlier T8 lamp design. But evidently, Cree has been supplying the LED tubes through electrical distributors to commercial customers going back to August of 2014 before essentially bringing them to the residential market in April.
Cree said the problem is a spring-loaded contact in the end cap of the tubes that electrically connects the power pins on the end of the tube to the printed-circuit board (PCB) inside the tube. Presumably, electrical arcing could result in overheating and possibly cause the tubes to melt.
For more information on the recall LED Cree Tube please visit cree.com
The Cree LED T8 tube family launched back in April has been found to have a design flaw that could result in a burn hazard, and Cree is voluntarily recalling 700,000 of the tubes and cooperating with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Cree is offering owners of the LED T8 tubes the option of a refund or replacement lamps that the company will begin shipping in July.
While the recall is surely not positive news for Cree, a number of companies in the solid-state lighting (SSL) business have been through similar situations. Osram Sylvania and Lighting Science Group were involved in an A-lamp recall back in 2013. And Philips Lighting recalled almost 100,000 LED A-lamps in 2013. Cree, like Philips and Osram, is acting proactively to ensure users of the affected lamps aren't endangered.
The surprising part about the Cree recall is the sheer number of LED T8 lamps involved. As mentioned earlier, Cree only recently announced the lamps that essentially replace an earlier T8 lamp design. But evidently, Cree has been supplying the LED tubes through electrical distributors to commercial customers going back to August of 2014 before essentially bringing them to the residential market in April.
Cree said the problem is a spring-loaded contact in the end cap of the tubes that electrically connects the power pins on the end of the tube to the printed-circuit board (PCB) inside the tube. Presumably, electrical arcing could result in overheating and possibly cause the tubes to melt.
For more information on the recall LED Cree Tube please visit cree.com