AviLighting Egg Candlers

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Livestock and Poultry Program intends to purchase shell egg candling lights that use LED technology to replace aging, obsolete candlers that use incandescent light bulbs. It is becoming more difficult to find suitable replacement bulbs for the older candlers due to legislation in several states that mandate lighting companies move toward more efficient and eco-friendly technology. LED technology has other advantages related to employee comfort: they are brighter making it easier to candle eggs and assess interior egg quality, generate less heat, and are less strain on the eyes over long periods of time. Similarly, L&P has established minimum criteria for flashlights used in plant sanitation assessments. Modern LED flashlights assist L&P staff with more accurately determining satisfactory or unsatisfactory sanitation conditions, especially in cavernous stainless-steel equipment like egg washers. Many modern flashlights are manufactured to defined flashlight standards for lumens, color, and battery life. This allows for more consistent equipment to be issued among L&P grading staff. The LED lights were designed using research conducted by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). ARS tested a wide array of LED bulbs and found specific bulb types with a narrow color spectrum that would be most suitable to candling shell eggs in a darkened room. ARS also designed the basic circuitry for manufacturing a few test candlers at their laboratory. Required Specifications: Ability to candle white & brown eggs Height adjustable Stationary &/or portable Bench top mount & shelf mount option AC ‘wall-wort’ or battery powered High intensity LED light Touch-controlled dimming Low-to-no heat generation Rugged, yet lightweight Includes a case light Long useful life Mobile candling package should include: Egg Candler Fixture with front candle light & bottom case light Mobile candling stand with vertical height adjustment Stationary candling shelf mount Lithium Ion battery pack with approximate 8 hour run-time 12V DC wall-wort power supply with Y adapter to charge-and-use the candler simultaneously 5 year warranty Stationary candling should include: Egg Candler Fixture with front candle light & bottom case light Stationary candling shelf mount 12V DC wall-wort power supply 5 year warranty Flashlight requirements should meet at minimum: Adherence to the ANSI FL 1 standard for stated specifications High intensity LED light A minimum lumen rating of 900 lumens A sufficient battery run time to conduct multiple inspections (> 6hrs at 900 lumens) Case that meets IP-65 enclosures standards for electrical enclosure protection Rechargeable battery Charging cord