Lighting the way for motorists

This technology and electronics company suffered badly from the 2014 oil price slump. But then the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) asked if it could deliver highway guidance lighting – opening a new growth opportunity.

Challenge
Based on glass spheres with housing and screws, today’s illumination solution faces the challenge that it does not cope well with the tough environment along Norwegian roads.

This includes temperature differences, water and salt. And the sensitive electronic elements are installed in a concrete well which leaves them vulnerable to rough conditions.

This video shows how robust the technology is.

The answer was to design a hermetically sealed lamp, building on Fosstech’s expertise from delivering encapsulated electronics to Kongsberg Gruppen, Schlumberger and others.

This allowed the company to encase the LED lights in a transparent compound which is better at coping with the demanding environment. In theory, the LED lights can cope with water pressures corresponding to a water depth of 3 000 metres.

Big savings
The new solution will provide big savings in socio-economic terms. According to the NPRA, the LEDs use much less energy than traditional guidance lighting on roads.

They are therefore far more environment-friendly and also need less maintenance, while being likely to save NOK 70-80 000 per kilometre in annual illumination costs.

This video shows led lights installed along european route E6.

Fosstech manufactures several of the components in the new product with the aid of three-dimensional printers.

The solution has been well received by the market, with the NPRA adopting it and big interest being expressed by both contractors and consulting engineers.