Raytec terms & industry phrases

Hazardous Area & Certification Terms

Zone 1: A hazardous area classification, where a hazardous explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation.

Zone 2: A hazardous area classification, where a hazardous explosive atmosphere is not likely in normal operation but may occur occasionally.

CID1 (Class I Division 1): A classification for hazardous areas where exposive gases or vapours are present during normal operating conditions. (North American standard)

CID2 (Class I Division 2): A classification for hazardous areas where hazardous gases are not normally present but may exist under abnormal conditions. (North American standard)

ATEX: ATEX is a European standard based on two directives, ATmosphères EXplosibles (French for “Explosive Atmospheres”) that ensures equipment and protective systems used in potentially explosive environments are safe and meet health and safety requirements for workers.

EX: A general mark of indication whether equipment is explosion-protected in hazardous environments.

IECEx: IECEx (International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres) is an international voluntary certification system that provides a single framework for verifying that equipment and services intended for explosive atmospheres meet global safety standards. It aims to ensure personnel and environmental safety in explosive environments and facilitate the international trade of certified equipment.

UKEX: UKEX refers to the UK’s regulatory framework for equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres, implementing the Equipment and Protective Systems for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016. It serves as the UK’s successor to the European ATEX Directive after Brexit and mandates the UKCA marking for such equipment to ensure it meets UK safety standards for explosive environments in sectors like oil, gas, chemical, and mining

UKCA: UKCA stands for UK Conformity Assessed and is a new product marking required for certain goods sold in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) that signifies conformity with UK standards. It was introduced after the UK’s exit from the European Union to replace the EU CE marking for the GB market. While the CE marking is still recognised for now, the UKCA mark will eventually be necessary for most products.

Ex e: Ex e, or “increased safety,” is an ATEX protection method for electrical equipment in hazardous areas that prevents ignition by designing components to eliminate sparks, arcs, and hotspots, using higher margins for insulation and clearances. This robust design method ensures equipment runs cool and maintains mechanical and electrical integrity, preventing the ignition of potentially explosive atmospheres.

Ex d: Ex d refers to a flameproof type of protection for electrical equipment used in hazardous areas, meaning the enclosure is built to withstand an internal explosion and prevent it from igniting the surrounding explosive atmosphere. This protection is achieved through a robust, tightly sealed enclosure with carefully designed joints called flamepaths, which cool and relieve pressure from the explosion gases before they can escape.

DALI: DALI, which stands for Digital Addressable Lighting Interface, is a standardized, digital communication protocol for controlling lighting systems, enabling two-way communication between lighting fixtures and their controllers. It provides precise, flexible, and addressable control for individual lights or groups, facilitating features like dimming, scene-setting, and energy monitoring. As an open protocol, it allows components from different manufacturers to be used together.

Maintained Lighting: In electrical terms, “maintained” refers to emergency lighting that is always on, powered by the main electricity supply during normal operation and automatically switching to a backup battery during a power outage. Unlike non-maintained lights, which only come on when the power fails, maintained units provide continuous illumination, functioning as standard lights when power is available and as emergency lights when it’s not, making them essential for guiding people in public areas like cinemas and hospitals.

Non-maintained: In electrical contexts, a non-maintained emergency light is a luminaire that remains off during normal operation but automatically activates and illuminates when the main power supply fails, providing essential lighting for safe evacuation or to indicate exits. Unlike maintained lights, these fixtures are only powered during an emergency and are kept charged via the mains power to ensure their battery is ready for immediate use when needed.

IK Rating: An IK rating is an international standard (IEC 62262) that classifies the level of protection an electrical enclosure or fixture has against external mechanical impacts. The rating, which runs from IK00 (no protection) to IK10 (highest protection), is determined by testing with a hammer or pendulum device at increasing impact energies, measured in joules. A higher IK rating indicates a more robust, impact-resistant product, making it suitable for environments with a higher risk of vandalism or accidental collision.

IP Rating:  A standard classification indicating a product’s resistance to dust and water. It consists of two digits: the first specifies protection against solids (like dust and dirt) from 0 to 6, and the second details protection against liquids (like water) from 0 to 9, with higher numbers representing greater protection. This rating helps users understand how safe and durable an electrical device is in various environmental conditions.

Retrofit: To upgrade an existing lighting system by replacing or modifying its parts to incorporate more advanced, energy-efficient technology, such as upgrading from incandescent bulbs to LED lights or adding smart controls, to improve performance and reduce energy consumption without a full system replacement

Raytec Product Brands

SPARTAN: A flagship range of explosion-proof LED lighting designed for hazardous environments.

VARIO2: A range of infrared and white-light, and hybrid illuminators offering flexible, modular beam patterns.

URBAN: Premium LED industrial lighting products designed for heavy industrial and commercial applications. LED luminaires are designed for roads, pedestrian routes, recreational areas, and industrial outdoor spaces.

WARRIOR: A robust range of industrial LED lighting built for harsh environments and heavy-duty applications.

PULSESTAR: A series of pulsed strobe illuminators engineered for machine vision and transport imaging. Pulsed LED illuminators tailored for transport applications. Delivering high-performance illumination for fast-moving objects that can be pulsed in synchronisation with the camera shutter.

Lighting Types & Technologies

Infra-Red (IR): Invisible light used for covert CCTV and night-time surveillance. Infrared – Raytec use Active IR (730nm, 850nm, 840nm). This type of light can be picked up by cameras in black and white (monochrome) mode. IR gives greater distance coverage and is less visible to the human eye than white light.

White Light: Visible illumination that enables colour recognition for security and general lighting.

Hybrid Lighting: A combination of IR and White-Light LEDs, allowing cameras to use either. Typically, IR will be used for detection, and WLwill be  turned on for colour surveillance or to act as a deterrent.

730nm: A wavelength of far-red light, used for long-range or covert surveillance illumination.

Hazardous Area: Environments where flammable gases, vapours, or dust create explosion risks.

Transport: Lighting designed for road, rail, aviation, and vehicle checkpoint applications.

Security: Lighting specifically for surveillance, CCTV, and perimeter protection.

Industrial: Lighting solutions tailored for warehouses, factories, and heavy-duty sites.

Modular: A flexible lighting design approach allowing components to be adapted or replaced easily. Parts can easily be removed and replaced for better maintenance,  modular design also helps our manufacturing as the same parts can be used on different products.

Mid Power: Lighting designed to balance energy efficiency with reliable performance in hazardous or industrial settings.

Software: Digital tools to control, monitor, and optimise lighting systems.

Lighting Performance & Form Factors

High Output: Lighting delivering high lumen levels for wide coverage and tall mounting heights.

Recess: Fixtures installed flush into ceilings or walls for a discreet finish.

Bay: High bay or low bay lights designed for large indoor industrial spaces.

Linear: Slim, elongated luminaires providing uniform light over wide areas.

Flood: Broad-beam, high-powered lighting for wide-area illumination.

Bulkhead: Compact, rugged luminaires for walls, walkways, and perimeters.

Street: Luminaires designed for roadways and urban environments.

Plank: A style of recessed linear lighting with a slim, plank-like form factor.

Pole Mount: Lighting designed to be mounted on poles for outdoor or perimeter applications.

Lighting Concepts & Components

Lighting Design: The planning and optimisation of illumination for efficiency, safety, and coverage.

Luminaire: A complete lighting unit, including the housing, LEDs, optics, and electrical components.

LED (Light Emitting Diode): A semiconductor light source known for efficiency, durability, and low maintenance.

Pulsed: Lighting that operates in short bursts, often synchronised with cameras for high-speed imaging.

Illuminators: Lighting devices designed to project light (infrared or white) to aid surveillance or visibility.

Network: Lighting systems integrated into IP or connected networks for monitoring and control.

Shutter speed: How long the camera shutter is open, measured in fractions of a second eg. 1/50 = open for 1/50th of a second. Faster speeds are used for faster moving objects to reduce motion blur

CCTV: Closed-Circuit Television

VSS: Video Surveillance System

Photometrics: Light output test results provided by a Goniophotometer and interpreted by lighting design software. Photometrics files are usually LDT format (.ldt) or IES (.ies)

Lumens: Lumens measure the total amount of visible light emitted by a source, essentially indicating its brightness. A higher lumen rating means a light appears brighter to the human eye. This unit of measurement, also called luminous flux, replaced watts as the standard for comparing brightness, especially with the advent of energy-efficient LEDs.

Colour Rendering Index: CRI, or Colour Rendering Index, is a measurement of how accurately a light source reproduces the colours of objects compared to natural daylight, on a scale from 0 to 100. A CRI of 100 indicates perfect colour rendering, while lower scores mean colours may appear less vibrant or natural. Higher CRI ratings (above 80) are generally recommended for applications like retail or homes, where colour accuracy is important