Modern interior design based on the lightness provided by comprehensive use of glass as a building material, is constantly on the lookout for new interesting and functional ways of sectioning off spaces which require clear visual separation from the surrounding environment. Satin glass has come in perfectly useful for this purpose. But what if fire-resistant glass partitions are required? They are available from now on too!
The new product engineered by POLFLAM’s R&D department has just completed a cycle of thorough testing and has become commercially available on the market. It will be a unique proposition. Why?
Let us start with its functionality. Satin glass is characterised by its delicate matte finish producing a translucent effect. It is used to create effective visual barriers, that is to clearly section off functional spaces without compromising access to daylight.
It is technically simple to provide a satin finish to standard architectural glass, but the process is much more complex in the case of fire-resistant glass. The simplest and most popular method of achieving a similar effect involves applying a matte but light-permeable film to the glass pane surface. However, there is a major drawback in this method as the film coated side is never ideally smooth and hence prone to soiling, which makes its maintenance troublesome as special cleaning agents are required and great care needs to be exercised while cleaning to avoid damage to the film coating. Another method involves adding an extra pane of satinated glass to the unit. This, however, results in a significant increase in the weight and thickness of the glass.
Developing our new POLFLAM product, we have successfully implemented new solutions to overcome technological barriers. First of all – the satinated side of the glass panel faces the inside of the glazing unit and is in contact with the fire-resistant hydrogel interlayer. Therefore, it is not exposed to dirt or to potential scratching. The satin finish of the external surfaces of the POLFLAM fire- -resistant glazing units is ideally smooth, which makes it very easy to maintain their cleanliness with no need for any specialised cleaning agents.
Satin fire-resistant glass will undoubtedly find a primary application in projects including spaces in which glass partitions are used to ensure privacy from others, such as healthcare centres, surgeries, treatment rooms, but also in conference rooms, law firm offices, etc.
It is available in fire-resistance classes: E/EW/EI: 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 – in thickness as appropriate for the base glass of a given class, also in large size.
Very high values of the key parameters of our satin fire glass have been confirmed in testing; e.g. 20 mm EI 30 glass panes have the light transmittance factor of 89% and the sound insulation index Rw = 42 dB. The glass safety class is 1/B/1.
The POLFLAM R&D department continue to test our next products – which we will proudly present to you soon! Should you have any questions about the products already on offer please do not hesitate to contact our Sales Department experts.