What You Should Know About Electroluminescent Paint
When you want to create a form of painting, textile, or film covering that glows, nothing can beat the electroluminescent (EL) light. EL produces lighting effects where other sources of light may not apply. To produce effective visuals, EL works with a special paint that you can use for different purposes, but in all cases, it produces light. If you want to light a section of your car or any surface, EL paint is your best solution. Read on to learn what you should know about electroluminescent paint.
Its Purpose
To understand the purpose of EL paint, you should know what it is. Electroluminescent paint is a painted circuit that can be applied to different surfaces using a spray gun. The EL paint system utilizes an alternating current power source to produce light. Four different layers of paint should be produced, so that light can be released when an inverter is connected to the painting.
The good thing about the technology used is that the top coat of paint conceals all the lighting elements underneath. In other words, people who are not aware of this system may believe that a painted surface is producing light. This EL pain system is ideal for retail displays, artistic installations, pop-up shops, and other decorations. Different colors and transparent paints are used, and they produce amazing results.
Where To Apply EL Paint
You can apply EL paint to any surface, like walls, wood, fiberglass, plastic, metal, and you’ll always get wonderful displays. The primary thing that distinguishes EL paint from other paints is that it requires current to produce light. EL Paint is a lighting solution that helps to design a variety of illuminated designs. Expert designers at Ellumiglow explain that you need a reliable source of power that can help charge the paint and produce beautiful lights. The technicians recommend a MEGA EL inverter series together with appropriate paint to produce the desired results. When you choose the ideal power source, it can make your paint glow brighter and also last longer. Painting with light gives you more opportunities than you may ever realize.
Structures Of ELP
An electroluminescent structure consists of four layers, comprising of two inorganic and two organic EL materials. One layer emits electrons while the other emits electron holes together with two electrodes. One of the electrodes should be transparent. Indium tin oxide has quality transparency and high conductivity, so it is commonly fixed on plastic or glass that is used as the top electrode for EL panels. The hidden electrode consists of a reflective metallic layer. The entire structure is placed on a specific support layer that will be adapted to the final application.
While flexible supports are ideal, a textile fabric is often seen as convenient. Textile material can also be used at the bottom electrode if it is coated with a conductive material like poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS). The cathode emits electrons when the structure is connected to a power source while the anode emits the electron-hole. The emission of light takes place as a result of radiative recombination of an electron as well as the electron-hole which release their energy through the emission of an axciton.
The color of the light emitted usually depends on the selected electroluminescent material. Additionally, the colors can also be moderated by adding more filters. The brightness of the EL structure increases according to the voltage applied until saturation. The required voltage of EL devices ranges from 100 to 1000 V, and the light emission is visible from different angles.
How To Use Its Features
EL paint is usually applied to surfaces that are closer to a source of power. Inside your home, you can place lighted paint anywhere provided that there is a power socket nearby. However, you can also connect lighted paints to a motorcycle or car battery. Interestingly, the technology is constantly evolving, and EL paint can be applied to different items like electric guitars. It is also possible to apply lighted paint to your helmet, but you will need a battery pack to use it.
How Long Does It Last
The other important thing that you should know about EL Pain is that the lighting produced does not last forever. At some point in time, it will fade and begins to produce dim light. The lifespan of EL paint depends on the amount of power that is applied together with the color used. Simply put, if you apply more power, you get brighter light but with a shorter half-life. LumiLor will gradually degrade in its brightness from half-life to plateau. At this stage, you will no longer enjoy the colorful display. However, the useful lifespan of the product can last up to 50, 000 hours depending on your usage.
Who Can Apply EL Paint
Are you wondering if you can design your EL Paint structure? Unfortunately, the paint used is complicated, and this means that only professional paint applicators can apply it. To get your car, bicycle, or anything painted, you need to find a professional who knows how to handle the paint. However, you can still get training to become a professional if you are interested in designing various projects. In any project, different materials are used. The following are some of the basic items that you should have to perform the task.
- Gloves
- Clear pain
- Mask
- Low-pressure gun
- Masking tape
- UV light
- Multimeter
- Heat gun
- Inverter to convert power from DC into A
- 9-12 batteries
You need to follow instructions and handle each step properly if you want to achieve great results.
Electroluminescent paint is a painted circuit that produces light, and it is usually used for displays and other decorations. The pain can be applied to any surface, and it works with the aid of power that is derived from batteries. EL paint is commonly applied to vehicles, bicycles, or any other surface to produce beautiful visuals. The paint has four layers consisting of different power elements. If you want to design your projects, you must get training first.
