Truck-Lite has built a new lighting laboratory at Penn State Behrend in Erie, Penn., where it will conduct R&D activities in close collaboration with the school, its students, and staff.
The testing and validation facility is on campus in the school’s Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center (AMIC) building adjacent to Knowledge Park, where Truck-Lite has been headquartered since 2022.
A thermal shock chamber tests the lamps through five thermal shock cycles with temperatures ranging from -40 Celsius to +85 Celsius, then repeats the temperature process. (Photo: Truck-Lite)
“Truck-Lite has proudly earned the trust of customers over its history by consistently delivering products that set the industry benchmark, and we intend for this to continue well into the future,” said Jon Stineman, president of Truck-Lite. “The Truck-Lite Advanced Transportation Lighting Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility that brings a complete set of testing and validation capabilities directly to the Truck-Lite engineers responsible for the development of future lighting solutions.”
The laboratory will allow Truck-Lite to validate product designs against more than 1,000 different standards set by the transportation industry. It features a 100-foot light tunnel designed to measure optic performance including intensity, color, and distribution/spread.
The lab can simulate real-world environments to test durability and longevity, Truck-Lite says.
“From electric and autonomous drivetrains to connectivity, artificial intelligence and other smart solutions, the new technologies changing transportation today have different technical requirements that impact lighting,” said Craig Watrous, vice-president of technology and compliance. “The Truck-Lite Advanced Lighting Laboratory will help us develop next-generation lighting that meets both future technical requirements as well as our own exacting standards.”
