HELLA: Using High Standards of Automotive Industry for Agricultural Technology

Lippstadt, August 18, 2017. The lighting and electronics specialist HELLA specifically aims at transferring central topics of the automotive industry to agriculture. Narrow time windows for sowing and reaping make it frequently necessary here to continue working after dark. Optimal lighting of agricultural machinery is a prerequisite for good work results, high energy efficiency, maximum safety in the field and on the road as well as comfortable and fatigue-reducing working.

 

Thanks to the equipment competence of HELLA, new agricultural technology can be optimally equipped from the very start. To this end, the company offers a wide product range, which in addition to the glare-free ZEROGLARE System, the Q90 compact LEDs and the Power Beam 1800 compact of the Thermo Pro series now also features the performative Ultra Beam work light.

 

ZEROGLARE: perfect vision without glare effect

 

The 7,800 lumen of the LED work lights RokLUME 380 provide twice as much light as comparable xenon headlamps. They were developed for the toughest operating conditions: In addition to the cover lens from impact-resistant polycarbonate, the aluminum housing features a particularly robust NanoSafe coating. The headlamp is thus especially well-protected against external mechanical influences such as stone, water, and salt impacts. A further advantage: in addition to standard light distribution for close- and long-range illuminations, the work light is also available in the glare-free ZEROGLARE illumination version. The system specifically aims the LED light onto the area in front of the vehicle, creating a very clear boundary between light and dark. This means that drivers of oncoming vehicles won't be blinded.

 

Thermo Pro: innovative plastic material for high corrosion resistance

 

With the plastic series Thermo Pro, HELLA introduced a new technology on the market. In addition to the already-known LED work light Q90 compact, the Power Beam 1800 compact is now also equipped with the special plastic material. This is characterized by heat-conducting powers similar to aluminum as well as high robustness. Thanks to their compact design, the headlamps are also ideally suited for mounting to harvester front and rear areas. Specially-developed multi-facet reflectors provide a homogeneous distribution of light across the work area, which alongside the color temperature of 6,500° Kelvin mimicking daylight provide markedly greater operating comfort. LED technology makes the headlamps much more efficient, resulting in a mere third of the energy consumption of regular halogen headlamps.
 

The most powerful Ultra Beam ever

 

With its Ultra Beam LED Gen.II, HELLA furthermore presents the most performative work light of the Ultra Beam series. The light output of now 4,000 Lumen, doubled from its predecessor generation, means the LEDs can top even the performance of xenon headlamps. Further advantages include a long service life, maintenance freedom, high-end aluminum coating and a light color resembling daylight. This prevents fatigue and makes for more pleasant working at night.  
 

Specific solutions for customers

 

Based on more than 100 years of experience in automotive equipment, HELLA continuously advances the development of lighting technology in agricultural machinery, as progressive lighting concepts and modern design enjoy increasing significance.  Against this backdrop, HELLA is primarily promoting tailor-made and customer-specific solutions and LED technology. Compared to the traditional halogen light source, LEDs not only allow for better illumination and lower power consumption, they also provide greater configuration options for brand-specific vehicle designs. Customers thus benefit from HELLA's original equipment competence on the one hand and can easily retrofit their existing machinery to LEDs on the other.
 

Thermo Management in focus

 

The increasing demands on operating quality in the field and the ever-more crowded streets call for "cool heads".  Accordingly, most newly-registered vehicles are air-conditioned. HELLA supports agricultural machinery manufacturers in this quickly growing segment with, amongst other things, fundamental knowledge and useful practical tips regarding the design and function of air-conditioning systems as well as troubleshooting and debugging.
 

A look ahead: SmartCAB

 

Aimed at bundling pre-series innovations in joint projects while showing up potentials for efficient system integrations, HELLA, in collaboration with other renowned suppliers and scientists, has founded the CAB Concept Cluster in 2014.

The Cluster is focused on manufacturers of construction, agricultural, and material handling machinery. The Genius CAB presented at bauma 2016 showed how, by using a wheel loader cabin, a customer-neutral platform can bundle innovation and added customer value. At the Agritechnica, the Cluster presents its latest project, the Smart CAB. On the basis of a multi-functional cabin for self-driving harvesting machines, the integrated innovations show how requirements of the agricultural engineering industry can be met today and tomorrow. HELLA has thrown its hat into development via various innovations presented at Agritechnica's joint Concept Cluster stand (Hall 17, Stand D53).