The two new, thin, surface-mount-style lamps are the latest additions to Optronics’ family of eight smoke-lens LED lights. First introduced in 2020, Optronics’ blackout lights are renowned for their truly black appearance when not illuminated and their ability to meet FMVSS 108 and CMVSS 108 compliance when illuminated. The lamps are also on the leading edge of commercial vehicle styling.

“The rising trend of blackout packages in the commercial vehicle sector, especially concerning truck beds on work trucks, is undeniable,” explained Dustin Smith, vice president of sales for Optronics. “Driven by evolving preferences in both the automotive industry and broader industrial design community, adopting a completely black aesthetic enhances the visual prominence of a vehicle’s shape, while allowing its other features to blend in.”

Some lighting manufacturers, especially those catering to the automotive aftermarket, have tried to respond to the increasing preference for less noticeable blackout-style lighting. However, initial efforts fell short of complying with FMVSS 108 and CMVSS 108 photometric standards.

“Before Optronics, there was just not a viable, compliant solution of smoke lights that we felt comfortable to install on our truck beds,” said Greg Chumchal, president of Bedrock Truck Beds. “There were some lights with dark lenses, but that also made them less able to emit the correct amount of light to pass federal requirements, and let’s face it: Having a non-compliant light is like having no light at all.”

The new 9-LED and 11-LED lamps are both examples of Optronics’ dedication to creating the darkest possible smoke-lens lights. The company’s engineers innovated by using black printed circuit boards (PCBs) inside the lamps, minimizing reflection when the lights are off. Unlike conventional LED lights that feature white or reflective chrome-like PCBs to boost brightness, Optronics’ smoke-lens lights rely on their high-intensity LEDs to achieve the necessary brightness levels for compliance with federal photometric standards.

As the sole commercial lighting manufacturer to offer genuinely compliant blackout lights, Optronics has met market demand head-on. The company now offers an extensive selection of LED smoke-lens lighting products. This range includes everything from small, 3/4-inch round, single-diode marker/clearance lights to diamond-shaped, three-diode marker/clearance lights, as well as 4-inch round, six-diode backup lights and 6-inch oval, six-diode stop/turn/tail lights, among others. The company is also planning a blackout version of its popular Fusion Series stop/ turn/tail/backup combo lamp.

“The more varieties we produce, the more varieties people seem to request,” Smith commented. “It’s clearly a trend that, as of now, shows no indication of diminishing.”

Although the Thinline Series is suitable for both trailers and box trucks, regardless of their width, Optronics anticipates a particularly strong response from the work truck segment. The flexibility offered to body designers of work trucks in terms of where and how lighting is installed means that the new Thinline smoke-lens lamps are especially relevant for these vehicles.

The lamps’ lenses are made of tough polycarbonate material that is sonically welded and resistant to dust and moisture. The lamps employ a solid-state, surface-mount device (SMD) design that protects their electronics against moisture, shock and vibration. Like all LED products from Optronics, these lamps come with a no-hassle, one-diode lifetime warranty protection that will replace a lamp if even one diode fails.

The smoke-lens Thinline STL59SRSHB Series 9-LED and STL87SRSHB Series 11-LED surface-mount, stop/turn/tail lamps are in stock and available for shipping immediately.

Optronics products are available in the U.S. and Canada through the company’s extensive distribution network of more than 30,000 convenient distribution locations. Users can access individual Optronics distributor websites by simply clicking on their logo icons. For information on international sales and distribution of Optronics products, please contact Dorian Drake at +1 (914) 697-9800, or visit http://doriandrake.com.

To view high-resolution product images of the new Thinline STL59SRSHB Series, 9-LED, and STL87SRSHB Series 11-LED, surface-mount, stop/turn/tail lamps, please visit https://www.optronicsinc.com/RESOURCES/ImageGalleries/SmokeFamilyV2.aspx.