Philips Infraphil Blown Reflector 150W R95E
The first Infraphil therapeutic lamps were introduced in 1946, having an unusually hot filament burning at 2900K to shift the peak wavelength to around 1000nm. Human skin is most transparent to this wavelength, and the Infraphil lamps are more effective than ordinary infrared types in bringing heat deep into the muscle tissue while limiting surface heating of the skin below 44°C, thereby avoiding pain. The presence of a ruby coating blocks light below 600nm which would otherwise be absorbed by haemoglobin in the blood, thereby avoiding haemolysis at the high heat loading.

The original Infraphil lamp had a traditional blown glass reflector, and in 1960 it was joined by superior pressed glass Infraphi. The high cost of that lamp was accepted by professionals, but deterred many home consumers.

To revitalise the retail infrared business Philips introduced a lower cost unit in 1985, based on the smaller R95 bulb. It was initially offered only in the reduced power of 100W, but later joined by the 150W lamp on this page. The optical performance of this small blown reflector is rather inferior to the pressed glass version, nevertheless it still achieved considerable market success. Incidentally the ruby coating of this lamp is applied by a novel technique introduced by Philips in the 1960s, in which a pill of cadmium sulpho-selenide is vaporised inside the glass, producing a beautiful rich ruby coating at much lower cost than the former high temperature external staining process. Note the iridescent colour rings produced by optical interference effects in this thin-film coating. This process was widely used until around 2000, when restrictions on the use of cadmium forced a change to using natural ruby coloured glass bulbs.
Manufacturer: NV Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken
Lamp Power: 150 Watts
Lamp Voltage: 220-230 Volts
Lamp Current: 0.67 Amperes
Cap Type: E27s/27 Ni plated Brass + vitrite
Bulb Type: R-95 R-30 in eighths/inch
Bulb Finish: CdS0.5Se0.5 coating Soda-lime glass
Filament Type: CC-9/4s Coiled-Coil Wreath
Atmosphere: 88:12 Argon-Nitrogen Red P & ZrAl getters
Luminous Flux: 15 lumens
Luminous Efficacy: 0.1 lm/W
Luminous Intensity: N/A
Beam Distribution: Approx 15° to 50% peak intensity
Colour Temperature & CRI: CCT: 2900K (Filament) Ra 50
Chromaticity Co-ordinates: CCx: 0.650 CCy: 0.330
Lifetime: 300 hours
Burning Position: Universal
Overall Length: 130 mm 51/8 inches
Light Centre Length:
Factory: Weert The Netherlands
Date of Manufacture: 1990 May
Original Value:
References: 1) Philips Catalogue, 1959 Australia, p.F7.
2) Philips Catalogue, 1962 UK, p.A24.
3) Philips Catalogue, 1964 UK, p.A29.
4) Philips Catalogue, 1964 Australia, p.F6.
5) Infraphil.info - The History of Philips Infraphil 1945-2014
6) Philips Research - 100 Years of Key Innovations
7) Philips Lighting Correspondence Course - No.13 IR Radiators & Applications p.17-19, 21-22 (1988).
8) Lamps for Personal Care, Philips Brochure, p.12-15 (1987)
9) Photoelectric measurement.