The different types of light in industry. Which lighting is right for your processes?
What types of lighting are there in industry and how do they affect efficiency, ergonomics, and quality? Learn more about work white light, UV light, and UV-free yellow light in industrial use.
Types of light in industry explained simply
The demands on industrial lighting are diverse. It must ensure optimal visibility, support work processes, and simultaneously meet ergonomic and safety requirements. Whether in mechanical engineering, textile manufacturing, or electronics production, the right type of lighting significantly influences productivity, quality, and employee safety.
In modern production environments, three types of light have become established:
- Work white light for precise and ergonomic work
- UV light for curing and testing processes
- UV-free yellow light for sensitive materials and clean rooms
Work White Light – ergonomic and efficient lighting
Work white light with color temperatures between 4000 K and 5700 K is widespread in industry.
- Neutral white light (approx. 4000 K): ideal for assembly tables and fine work. It is easy on the eyes, supports focused work, and ensures even illumination.
- Daylight white (approx. 5700 K): frequently used in machine lamps and has an activating effect. It helps to identify sources of error early and increases process safety.
In industries like mechanical engineering or textile processing, ergonomic work white light ensures precise work, reduced error rates, and sustainable improvements in working conditions.
UV Light – precise curing and quality assurance
UV light is an indispensable tool in numerous industrial applications. In bonding, painting, and coating processes, it enables rapid curing of materials with high process stability. This reduces lead times and increases production quality.
Moreover, UV light is used for quality inspection. It makes particles, cracks, or defects visible that cannot be detected in the visible light spectrum. These properties make UV light particularly valuable in material development, electronics manufacturing, and automated inspection.
UV-Free Yellow Light – safety for sensitive materials
In certain manufacturing processes, light without UV content is indispensable. UV-free yellow light prevents light-sensitive materials from reacting or curing unintentionally.
Typical application areas are:
- the assembly of electronic components,
- the processing of photoresists,
- and the testing of light-sensitive materials in clean rooms.
This special type of light reliably protects products and processes from interference by UV radiation. For companies working with sensitive materials, yellow light is therefore an essential part of modern lighting systems.
Choosing the right lighting as a competitive advantage
The targeted selection of the appropriate types of light in industry is a key success factor.
It affects efficiency, quality, and safety equally. Companies that optimally align their lighting solutions with processes and work environments benefit from:
- higher productivity,
- increased process safety,
- and long-term reduced operating costs.
With the advancement of modern LED technologies and intelligent lighting controls, new possibilities are opening up to adapt industrial lighting even more precisely to the requirements of practice.
Those who invest in well-thought-out lighting concepts today secure technical and economic advantages for the future.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
It supports visual perception, reduces fatigue, and facilitates quality control through high color fidelity and even illumination.
At assembly workstations, inside machines, in test laboratories, as well as in visual inspections and packaging processes.
UV light is used for curing coatings, adhesives, and inks (UV curing), in non-destructive testing, as well as for disinfection and material analysis.
UV-A (315–400 nm) is used for curing and inspection processes; UV-B (280–315 nm) is sometimes used in lab applications; UV-C (200–280 nm) is used for disinfection, as it is germicidal.
In UV curing, ultraviolet light initiates polymerization reactions, making coatings, paints, or adhesives harden within seconds—without heat or solvents.
UV-LEDs are more energy-efficient, have a longer lifespan, no warm-up time, and contain no mercury. They emit targeted defined wavelengths and generate minimal heat radiation.
Mainly in semiconductor and PCB manufacturing, medical technology, optical industry, as well as laboratories where UV light could disrupt chemical reactions.