Not so superficial after all
Transparent, antistatic or metallised: Modern panels and sheets in exhibition stand construction are functional yet design-focused.
Decorative flat laminates are extremely robust and can be put to a wide variety of uses. The European quality standard EN438 revised this year classifies a host of physical properties such as impact, abrasion and scratch resistance, resistance to UV light and household cleaners and resistance to high temperatures up to 180°C. Laminates must also be antistatic, approved for contact with food, resistant to many chemicals and moisture-resistant. Because of their special properties, decorative laminates can stand up to exceptional strains with no difficulty, which is why they are put to a whole range of uses for furniture and interior finishing work.
Correspondingly versatile is the range of panels and sheets available on the market. Technical developments lead to innovative products. To demonstrate what can be realised with these, their manufacturers support a variety of design-based projects - as with a commission for the young product design and manufacturing company Bright at the 10th 100% Design exhibition in London. There, Europe's foremost manufacturer of extruded sheet, Quinn Plastics, Geel/Belgium produced exclusive Spectar sheets to form various origami style, flat-packed geodetic "buildings" based on an exceptional concept in semi-permanent room design. Nick Gant, a member of the development team: "Bright is a flexible and versatile construction method based on nothing other than folded sheets used to make an attractive architectural structure that can be constructed swiftly and simply. It is incredibly stable and does not require a complex or expensive framework or supporting construction. The product is geared to people or companies requiring an interior or exterior area, for example as an advertising or exhibition space or somewhere for parties or human relations. The "building" can be made of transparent, translucent and non-see-through sheets or a mixture of various surface treatments, with a choice of robust Spectar sheets for permanent use or other materials such as cardboard for one-off use." Spectar sheets are transparent copolyester sheets highly resistant to impact that can be used for many interior and exterior applications. The plastic is produced by Eastman Speciality Chemicals.
"Zukunft Design" (Future Design) was the motto of the Coburg Designtage, sponsored for the third time this year by Thermopal in Leutkirch. The traditional company from the Allgäu region supported young aspirants with its new "Individual" production technology. With the aid of modern digital printing, this enables every conceivable motif to be printed into laminate, irrespective of the lot size. "Individual" thus turns architects into artists able to design laminates individually. The result of the students work was a 27 x 10 m collection of black-and-white portraits. This considerable work of photographic art decorated the façade of Coburg's Hofbrauhaus brewery and was even resistant to light thanks to Thermopal's special printing quality.
Specially with lightweight construction requirements in mind, Thermopal has developed four new carrier materials combining properties such as high pressure resistance, design and light weight. Satisfying the demands of exhibition construction in terms of mobility and ambiance, they are highly suitable for exhibition panels or stands. The Brillant aluminium honeycomb featuring fire-resistant aluminium carriers in the building material category B1 is water-resistant, temperature-resistant and exceptionally lightweight. The sandwich sheet comes with HPL veneering on one or both sides and also in a high-gloss finish. A new decorative lightweight construction sheet in building material category B2 is the plastic honeycomb Brillant suitable for furniture, worktops and partition walls - even in damp and vaporous areas. Also vapour-resistant is the Brillant PU hard foam sheet, a decorative lightweight construction sheet in building material category B3. Being particularly light, the paper honeycomb sheet is especially suitable for lightweight constructions. This decorative, waler-free honeycomb core sheet with a Wellsteg honeycomb construction features an HDF deck on both sides, making it ideal for fitting and connecting systems.
The trade fair construction programme from wodego, Neumarkt helps customers decide on the right combination of décors and surfaces. The collection combines the industry-specific requirements of appearance, structure and execution with current design trends. Distinctly cool colours in metallic shades of blue are complemented by shale, stone and shimmering plain décors. Effective contrasts are created in combination with fine woods in particular, such as the chocolate-shade walnut version or powerful plain colours.
With their functional yet decorative properties, MDF sheet products round off the range of materials for exhibition construction. In addition to blank MDF, with the flex and black MDF versions different design configurations are possible in terms of colour, appearance and surface structure. Being fully impregnated with dye, the material is suitable for countersinking. Circular, arch-shaped and wavy design constructions are possible with the special product version MDF flex - a successful option for exhibition stand counters. Narrow radiuses can also be produced without chipping or tearout during machining.
At Tendence Lifestyle from August 26 to 30 in Frankfurt Degussa, Düsseldorf, exhibited a full range of highly sophisticated Plexiglas Gallery glazing products. Plexiglas Gallery UV 100 provides practically one hundred percent UV absorption, offering reliable protection against colour-bleaching UV rays. Additionally, the material is about eleven times more shatter-proof than ordinary glass and only half as heavy. It is highly transparent (more than 92 % light transmission) and colour-neutral and comes in formats up to 3050 x 2050 mm. Other versions are Plexiglas Gallery UV 100 AR featuring a reflection-reduced surface, Plexiglas Gallery UV 100 MR with additionally refined scratchproof properties, and Plexiglas Gallery UV 100 AS, whose antistatic finish means it attracts no dust or other fine particles.
International laminate manufacturer Alcan Composites has expanded its product range with Dibond spiegel, an aluminium composite sheet with a reflecting surface. This features practically all the same reflection qualities as a conventional glass mirror, with the big difference that it is unbreakable - an essential criterion when safety considerations are uppermost. That Dibond spiegel weighs only about half as much as a glass mirror of the same thickness is a huge advantage when it comes to handling, transport and mounting, especially in exhibition construction, shop fitting and signage. The new material has a further edge on mirror types made of plastics in that the mirror surface does not flake off when the sheeting is cut to size. It is also less sensitive to pressure than glass, which easily breaks if mounted too tight, or than mirror products of acrylic, which soon become distorted at the mounting points. Higher damage tolerance and insensitivity to pressure are especially important to manufacturers of displays and signs. Alcan has identified greater demand for reflecting, light-creating surfaces in a range of POS/POP, display and exhibition stand construction applications. The new surface has been designed to satisfy this need for more light and transparency in interiors.
Perspex Fluorescent by Lucite International, Obertshausen, permits innovative design solutions with a series of exciting colours and a fluorescent live edge effect. The colours were inspired "by the most extreme shades found in nature and the entire solar system", the company states. Simple to shape and form, the material is perfect in combination with other Perspex products such as Perspex Frost and Perspex Pearlescent. The colourfully expressive material was recently put to effective use for a client to signpost the transition to the children's department for a big textiles department store. In the colours Lava, Mars, Acid and Neptune big letters were shaped from the material to form the word "Kids". At the EuroShop 2005 in Düsseldorf an Anti-Reflective version was also launched.
The PVC composite sheets in the Vekaplan DecorS series by VEKA, Sendenhorst, are suited equally well to the manufacture of wall panelling and partition walls or the construction of furnishings in interiors. The PVC properties of the composite sheets, such as their vapour- and moisture-resistance and their stability, in combination with their impact resistance, good mechanical qualities and low weight, make them ideal for all manner of interior design. They are available, as required, with decorative veneers on one or both sides and come in the thicknesses 8, 10, 13, 17, 19, 24 und 30 mm, in each case measuring 3,000 x 1,250 mm. The décor colour range comprises a variety of plan colours as well as wood, stone and fantasy décors with four different surfaces.
As specialists in self-adhesive surface coverings, MBA, Reutlingen, are constantly developing new surface designs and effect prints. The extensive overall programme comprises more than 160 colour and metallic shades and wood décors, textile surfaces and PVC-free coverings. The latest surface developments are milament Serie 2600 Structur Design and Patina Kupfer. The new series of coverings with rough surface structures in elegant metal design is available in silver metallic and with rough peak effect print in black, gold, green or blue metallic. Different optical effects are created, depending on the light, shade and distance. Patina Kupfer is a new MBA metallic covering whose surface resembles oxidised copper. The coverings are 1,020 mm wide, 0.2 mm thick and have a self-adhesive backing that can be removed again.
Recently the company Simona, Kirn, added satined surfaces to their Simolux programme. Featuring a co-extruded glass-clear surface, these create interesting light effects when illuminated from behind. Modern in style, they possess good processing properties: they are easy to machine and punch, and their special deep drawing properties open up new design perspectives. Measuring 3,050 x 1,500 mm, the sheets are 3, 4, 5 or 6 mm thick and fire-retarded in accordance with DIN 4102 B1.
m+a report Nr.6 / 2005 vom 23.09.2005
m+a report vom 23. September 2005