Lighting icons – 10 years of Nimbus LED - 10 years of Modul Q 36
"LED is the light source of the future." That was the much quoted statement made ten years ago by Dietrich F. Brennenstuhl, the founder and CEO of Nimbus. His vision has turned into reality. In 2006 on the occasion of the world's leading lighting fair, Light+Building, Nimbus surprised the entire lighting sector with the first range of LED luminaires for interior lighting to be ready for series production. And Nimbus did not realise this feat with the obvious solution of a LED retrofit but designed the "archetype" of the minimalistic LED luminaire: the iconic Nimbus Modul Q 36.
Showing an uncompromising attitude unlike that of any other manufacturer, ten years ago Nimbus catapulted lighting into the digital age of the semiconductor – from the filament to the light pixel. The appearance of the Modul Q 36 and of the Modul Q range as a whole has hardly changed since 2006. The conical indentations precisely placed in the matt panel made of acrylic glass became the luminaires' identifying feature. Thanks to the conical indentations with the uncovered LEDs behind, the Modul Q luminaires produce a brilliant yet glare-free light. The luminaires have never needed additional light reflectors or complex light directing systems. It was this innovation that paved the way for the extremely slim profile of the Modul Q luminaires. During the last 10 years we have been very sensitive with any changes to the "bodywork" of the Modul Q luminaires – only making alterations in connection with changed technical parameters. The constant technological progress in LED development forces us to perform a little fine-tuning once in a while. On the design side, the evolutionary process is of course a matter for the well trained eye when it comes to the minimalistic design of the Modul Q luminaires.
"There is nothing permanent except change"
The Nimbus original is constantly undergoing further development: its energy efficiency is constantly being optimized and new versions are constantly being added to the range. For example, the latest version of the square Modul Q 36 impresses with an efficiency of over 110 lm/watt – and that with an excellent colour rendering index of CRI > 90. Whereas upon its launch the Modul Q 36 required around 12 watts for a lumen output of 470 lm, 10 years later the figure is just 4.7 watts for a lumen output of 550 lm. This enormous increase in efficiency applies to both the Modul Q family and the Modul R, Rim R ranges as well as to many other Nimbus LED luminaires. These new efficient luminaires are available for delivery as of 01 August 2016.
For over 10 years now, the Modul Q range has captivated with its innovative technology, high-class quality and significant, minimalistic design – all these aspects have gone into making our first range of LED luminaires a classic product which more and more people, both professional and private users alike, are coming to appreciate. And since 2006, the DNA of the Modul Q has become the basis for a large part of our luminaire development.
More inforamtion about our iconic Modul Q 36 you will find in our web special.