The only two new Arrimax 18,000 watt HMI lights in the Midwest arrived Wednesday at Essanay Studio & Lighting.
“These are literally the first lights out of the box,” said Essanay’s Wayne Kubacki. “The container from Germany was unloaded in New York and our lights were in the first container shipped across the country.
“Rental rates aren’t established yet, they’re that new.”
Arrimax, manufactured by Arriflex, is a brand new name “as the lights are a unique type of HMI light, neither a PAR nor a fresnel,” said Kubacki.
By utilizing the new 18,000 watt, single-ended HMI bulb in conjunction with a unique, deep multi-faceted reflector mirror, “you get the variable beam spread characteristics of a fresnel type fixture with the punch of a PAR type?but with an intensity 50% greater than anything previously available,” he explained.
In a comparison demonstration of a prototype held on an Essanay stage last summer, “the Arrimax out-performed both the spread of an 18K fresnel and the intensity of a 12K PAR.
“Even more impressive was the extremely even intensity of the field of light created?and without any of the customary rainbow light spectrum common to HMI lights at the edges of their pattern, Kubacki stated.
At the heart of the 18K Arrimax is the new 18,000 watt single-ended HMI bulb pioneered by Osram. The single-ended design of the bulb made it possible for Arri to create the Arrimax’ unique reflector design.
The “18K SE” bulb sets a new benchmark for cost, but making it requires pushing the envelope of high-tech material heat tolerances and manufacturing techniques.
