At VPK Paper, including in Dendermonde, 98 Snapper HT luminaires are installed in and around the paper machine, where temperatures reach +120 °C with steam and very high humidity. Where earlier LED solutions gave up within months, the Snapper HT has held up since the first trial in 2020, delivering 100 to 200 lux at 35 W per luminaire.
Client
100 to 200 lux
in the machine
0.40 to 0.60
uniformity
35 W
per luminaire
98 Snapper HT
luminaires
15 years
design life
VPK Paper wanted to convert the lighting in the paper mills to LED. That sounds simple, but none of the solutions tried previously stood up to the conditions in this environment.
After several trials with different suppliers, a trial was conducted with JEL’s Snapper HT. That trial was successful and formed the basis for the further rollout. You can read more about our approach on our page about lighting for the paper machine.
In the most extreme cases, the temperature inside the machine rises to +120 °C. This is accompanied by steam generation and very high humidity within the machine itself.
The combination is exactly what destroys standard LED luminaires. Heat shortens the lifespan of the LED and the driver, and steam and moisture find every weak spot in the seal. A luminaire must not only work here, but continue to work for years. That requires high-temperature resistant lighting.
Before JEL came along, multiple LED solutions had already been tried in the paper mills. None of them held up under the conditions in and around the paper machine. Every failed trial cost time, money, and faith in the conversion to LED.
VPK Paper therefore opted for an approach based on proof of concept: first, a trial of our Snapper HT under real-world conditions, and only then the rollout. That trial was indeed successful.
The trial started in 2020 above the dryer hood, with six luminaires at a time. VPK Paper assessed two things: does the light level hold up, and does the seal withstand the hot steam? Both held, and that is why VPK Paper continued with us.
The earlier LED solutions failed within a few months. Standard luminaires were not watertight enough, and those that were had not been built for the ambient temperature and still burned out.
Project card
Project Type
Conversion to LED lighting in paper mills
Location
Including Dendermonde, Belgium
Client
VPK Paper (corrugated board and paper manufacturer)
In operation since
2020, first trial above the dryer hood, followed by a phased roll-out
Environment
In and around the paper machine: up to +120 °C, steam development, and very high humidity
Current situation
Previous LED solutions did not perform well.
Scope
Lighting design and engineering, installation design, delivery of high-temperature luminaires
Products
Result
100 to 200 lux in the machine, uniformity 0.40 to 0.60, 35 W per luminaire
Standards
EN 12464-1
Written by Lucas de Graaf, Technical Director, JEL Products. Last updated on 27 October 2026.
Prefer direct contact? +31 33 785 9809
JEL handled the lighting design and engineering, designed the installation, and supplied 98 Snapper HT luminaires in the AC version. The lighting design was assessed against EN 12464-1 and tailored to the actual needs in and around a running paper machine. If you’d like to know how we approach this, please visit our Lighting advice.
The Snapper HT has an IP66, IP67 and IP68 rating and is specified for continuous operation up to +120 °C, with short peaks up to +130 °C.
What the protection rating says about steam and moisture, and what it does not, is explained under IP and IK ratings.
Step 1
The environment
What is happening at the location determines the design: height, operating hours, environment, standards.
Step 2
The system
Light distribution, uniformity and glare are calculated before a luminaire is chosen.
Step 3
The product
Only after that follows the choice of luminaire, optics, and mounting that matches that calculation.
JEL provided the lighting design and engineering for the paper mills, designed the installation, and supplied the HT luminaires. The Snapper HT is designed for environments where thermal management is critical to the luminaire’s service life. Thanks to its thermal design, choice of materials, and sealing, the luminaire continues to perform reliably in high temperatures, steam, and high humidity.
The AC version is connected to mains power, but the drivers are not in the hot zone. They sit outside the machine in control cabinets, grouped in DRB-2 driver boxes with up to five drivers per box. This keeps the temperature-sensitive part outside the hot and wet zone, and driver maintenance takes place outside the machine.
98 Snapper HT luminaires in AC versions, installed in and around the paper machine,exactly where previous LED solutions had failed.
Steam generation and very high humidity inside the machine itself. Moisture finds every weak point in the seal, so the seal is just as critical here as the thermal design.
In the most extreme cases, the temperature in the machine can reach +120 °C. Heat shortens the lifespan of both the LED and the driver, unless the luminaire is specifically designed for it.
The lighting design provides 100 to 200 lux in the machine, with a uniformity between 0.40 and 0.60 across the different areas, tailored to the work on and around the machine.
The conversion to LED provides the efficiency that VPK Paper opted for: 35 W per luminaire, with light that continues to perform instead of failing.
Under our warranty terms the 5-year HT warranty applies here, also under these temperature, steam and humidity conditions. The technical design life is 15 years.
The installation provides 100 to 200 lux in the machine with a uniformity of between 0.40 and 0.60 across the different areas, at 35 W per luminaire.
However, the true value isn’t reflected in those numbers. While earlier LED solutions failed over time, the Snapper HT withstands temperatures of +120 °C, steam, and high humidity. That is exactly what VPK Paper was looking for: an LED retrofit that keeps working, with a 5-year warranty and a design life of 15 years. See also our approach in the heavy industry and extreme heat.
Previously there were luminaires of 100 and 150 W. With 35 W per luminaire, and light aimed more precisely at the work, the power per position has been reduced by 65 to 77 percent.
“At VPK Paper, earlier LED luminaires failed in two ways: one was not sealed well enough against the hot steam, the other was sealed but not built for the temperature. So the Snapper HT had to handle both at once, and we proved that above the dryer hood first, before anything was rolled out further.”
Lucas de Graaf, Technical Director, JEL Products
VPK Paper is also the case study in the article on the payback period of high temperature LED lighting.
100 to 200 lux in the machine, uniformity 0.40 to 0.60, 35 W per luminaire
Used product
There are 98 Snapper HT-Luminaires supplied in AC versions. The Snapper HT is our heat-resistant luminaire designed for the harshest industrial environments, where high temperatures, steam, and moisture are present.
At 35 W per luminaire, the installation delivers 100 to 200 lux in the machine, with a uniformity between 0.40 and 0.60 across the various areas. Under our warranty terms the 5-year HT warranty applies here, also under these temperature, steam and humidity conditions. The technical design life is 15 years.
In and around the paper machine, temperatures can reach as high as +120 °C in the most extreme cases, accompanied by steam and very high humidity. This combination of heat and moisture is devastating for light luminaires that are not specifically designed for these conditions. VPK Paper tried several solutions before the trial with the Snapper HT was successful.
The Snapper HT is specified for continuous operation up to +120 °C ambient temperature, with short peaks up to +130 °C. At VPK Paper, the temperature in the machine rises to +120 °C in the most extreme cases, combined with steam and very high humidity.
At VPK Paper, illumination levels of 100 to 200 lux are achieved in the machinery, with a uniformity between 0.40 and 0.60 across different areas, in accordance with EN 12464-1. This pertains to work on and around the machinery, not fine visual tasks, making lower values appropriate compared to, for example, an assembly hall.
The AC version is connected to mains power. The drivers are located outside the machine in control cabinets, grouped in DRB-2 driver boxes with up to five drivers per box, so the temperature-sensitive part stays outside the hot and wet zone.
Under our warranty terms the 5-year HT warranty applies, also under the temperature, steam and humidity conditions in these paper mills. The technical design life is 15 years.
The trial started in 2020 above the dryer hood, with six luminaires at a time. VPK Paper assessed whether the light level held up and whether the seal withstood the hot steam. Because both held, VPK Paper rolled out the Snapper HT further, to 98 luminaires in and around the paper machine.
Previously there were luminaires of 100 and 150 W; now it is 35 W per luminaire at 100 to 200 lux in the machine. That is 65 to 77 percent less power per position, partly because the light is aimed more precisely at the work. And where earlier LED solutions failed within months, the Snapper HT has held up ever since.
Are you working on a lighting project for a paper mill, a paper machine, or another environment where heat, steam, and moisture come together? Our engineering team is happy to brainstorm with you.
| Response | within 1 working day, by an engineer |
| Lighting calculation | free of charge, per zone |
| Trial luminaire | at your own site, on request |
| Warranty | 5 years full, 10 years on the housing with a maintenance contract |
Rather call directly: 033 785 9809
