Approximately four years ago, the Minamata Convention treaty was signed to eliminate the use of mercury due to its affect on human health. Now on the heels of the treaty’s activation this past August, the projector company Casio America, Inc., has announced that its LampFree projectors will be mercury-free.[related]
The Minamata Convention targets linear fluorescent lamps in lighting products, including high-pressure mercury lamps, and Casio says that while projectors fall outside of the Minamata Convention’s scope, it supports the treaty.
“When Casio became aware of the Minamata Convention, we were eager to comply, even though projectors were not a required product category because it is important to us to deliver technology that is safe to use in classrooms, board rooms and beyond,” states Joe Gillio, senior director strategic planning and marketing, Casio business projector division.
“Our development team worked tirelessly to create a projection technology that not only met consumers’ demands, but also did not require harmful mercury to be used. The result was our hybrid light source, which combined LED modules with lasers to produce high-brightness projectors with a long lifespan, and most importantly, did not use mercury bulbs. We called this technology ‘LampFree’ and it was incorporated into all Casio projectors, well before the Minamata Convention’s 2020 deadline.”
Inside a Mercury-Free Projector
Casio explains that its line of LampFree projectors combine fluorescent laser element light engines with LED technologies to offer a light source that lasts up to 20,000 hours, while maintaining high brightness levels.
“As a staunch supporter of eliminating mercury in our projectors, we are proud to be at the forefront of delivering technology that does not contribute to the hazardous impact that mercury can have on the environment,” adds Gillio.
Casio’s line of LampFree products includes products for the business, education, commercial and residential markets through a choice of slim, ultra-short throw and 4K Ultra HD solutions.
