The Long-Life Lightbulb Formula Is Tricky

It is the coil and some of the chemicals inside that make one lightbulb last longer than another. There is a mix of inert gases, such as carbon, krypton, argon, and neon, inside of a lightbulb. The coil that is used in an incandescent lightbulb is made of tungsten, and if the coil were stretched out, it would be quite long. The thickness of the coil and the number of turns are part of the science of making a lightbulb. It is the combination of the differences in the coil and the slight differences in the gases that fill the vacuum that differentiate one lightbulb from another.

The long-life formula is tricky. If you put too much life into a lightbulb, the light output goes down. A lot of imported lightbulbs have tried too hard to maximize life. For example, a company would come out with a three-year incandescent lightbulb, but the light output from these lightbulbs would drop dramatically. The life of a lightbulb is important, but the quality of the light is also important. You cant just bring out a long-life lightbulb; it also has to have sufficient light output. The trade-off between life and light has to be optimized.

The challenge at Philips was to develop an incandescent lightbulb that would last at least one year. Consumer research showed that consumers might accept a six-month life, but Philips felt that at least one year would represent an improved product. This was the ˜˜good lightbulb. Philips then added halogen technology to create a ˜˜better lightbulb with a two-year life. Finally, Philips used fluorescent technology to create the ˜˜best lightbulb, with a life of between five and seven years . Management felt that this would take Philips lightbulbs out of the commodity class and make them products with real value-added qualities.