20 years of CoolLED innovation.
10 years with Judges Scientific.
In 2006, CoolLED launched the world's first commercial LED illumination system for fluorescence microscopy. In 2016, we became part of Judges Scientific. This year, we're celebrating both.
From a technology that offered a new alternative to traditional mercury and metal-halide lamps, LED illumination has become an established part of modern fluorescence microscopy. CoolLED has been part of that change from the beginning.
Development of our first commercial LED illumination system began in 2003, leading to the launch of the pE-1 in 2006. It became the world's first commercially available LED-based illumination system for fluorescence microscopy and marked the start of a product journey that continues today.
The years that followed saw CoolLED develop illumination systems for an increasingly wide range of imaging requirements. From the pE-2 and pE-100 to the pE-300 Series, pE-400 Series and pE-800 Series, LED illumination continued to offer researchers greater control, long operating lifetimes and lower energy consumption while removing the need for mercury-based illumination.
Twenty years of commercial LED illumination
Some of the landmarks along the CoolLED journey from 2003 to today.
Ten years as part of Judges Scientific
Another important chapter began in 2016, when CoolLED became part of Judges Scientific. Over the ten years since, CoolLED has continued to develop and manufacture its illumination systems in the UK while expanding the technologies, applications and markets they support.
That period has included the launch of the Amora OEM illumination platform, the pE-800 Series and the pE-400 Series, alongside closer collaboration with microscope manufacturers, imaging companies and OEM partners around the world.
2026 adds another two products to the timeline. The pE-300opto brings fast TTL-controlled illumination to the pE-300 platform, while the pE-10 offers ten individually controllable channels spanning UV, visible and NIR wavelengths.
Twenty years after the pE-1 first brought commercial LED illumination to fluorescence microscopy, CoolLED is still developing new ways to give researchers and imaging system manufacturers precise control over the light they use.
Celebrating 20 / 10 together
We're marking both anniversaries with the people who have helped make that journey possible.
Celebratory lunch
CoolLED is bringing the whole company together for a celebratory lunch to mark both milestones properly.
A house plant for everyone
Every colleague will also receive a house plant to take home, a small thank you for being part of the journey.
Sustainable growth
The plants are a simple symbol of sustainable growth, fitting for a company whose technology has helped move microscopy away from mercury-based illumination. They also look rather nice.
Here's to 20 years of commercial LED illumination, 10 years with Judges Scientific, and whatever gets added to the timeline next.
