The LM-80 test is focused at the component light-source level including packaged LEDs, arrays, and modules. The test is designed so that LEDs from different vendors can be fairly compared.

Despite the component focus, luminaire purchasing specifications can require that the LEDs integrated into the product have LM-80 test reports. And certainly many influential bodies such as the US Department of Energy (DOE) have recommended LM-80 reports as a buying criterion.

Moreover the report is mandated for the Energy Star rating that is increasingly a requisite for selling a product in the US. Artur Groesbrink, who is responsible for standardization at Osram Opto Semiconductors, said, “The Energy Star certification is essential if companies want to market their products [successfully] in the United States.”

Osram has completed the LM-80 tests for the two LEDs series and has tests on other LED models ongoing. “Successful completion of the LM-80 test for two of our very different LED product families is a significant achievement, but it’s only the start,” said Groesbrink. “Other products are already in the test phase, so in the near future all our high-power LEDs for general lighting will comply with LM-80 testing requirements.”

Oslon is a ceramic-based LED with a small light source and narrow radiation pattern. It delivers efficient lighting in compact luminaires. The Golden Dragon Plus LED is a pre-molded design that delivers efficiency in excess of 100 lm/W.

In the LM-80 tests, the sources operate continuously for 6,000 hours or about nine months at two different redefined temperature levels -- 55°C and 85°C. Moreover, LM-80 requires the component manufacturer to choose a third temperature for testing. Osram tested the Oslon and Golden Dragon Plus LEDs at 105°C to emulate what it calls “highly demanding applications.”