PANELITE PANELS ARE MADE OF 80% AIR: WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
HOW WE MAKE A PANEL USING 80% AIR:
Panelite Bonded Series panels consist of a lightweight cellular network – a honeycomb core – in which each cell acts like the web of an I-beam when bonded to thin, translucent facings. Before bonding, both core and facing are pliable. Afterwards, the bonded material is extremely stiff.
- The resulting sandwich panel is nearly 1” thick, but roughly 80% of that thickness consists of air in the honeycomb cells. A Bonded Series panel weighs approximately 42 pounds and is self-structural; it has almost no flex. In contrast, a glass or resin panel is solid throughout, far heavier and cumbersome to handle. Honeycomb core provides strength and exceptional stiffness.
- Honeycomb produces the most efficient strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight structures attainable.
WHY IT MATTERS:
- No additional structural support is required for the panels – enabling frameless, translucent joints.
- Resistance to deflection allows much larger spans.
- Installation is simple and saves labor. Because of their light weight and stiffness, panels can be handled by a single installer.
- Design Possibilities: Panelite’s lightweight, self-structural, translucent panels offer many options for design innovation in interior architectural applications including partition walls, doors, backlit applications, ceilings, conference rooms, trade show booths, etc.
- A panel that is 80% air uses far less raw materials than other translucent alternatives, making it more resource-efficient and sustainable. The Bonded Series product line also includes recycled facing and honeycomb options.
STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY OF HONEYCOMB
Honeycomb core consists of a lightweight cellular network in which each cell wall acts like the web of an I-beam, when the honeycomb is bonded to thin facings. The resulting sandwich panel has the exceptional stiffness and strength of a network of small I-beams while maintaining a very low weight. With this exceptional strength-to weight ratio, honeycomb is an inherently resource-efficient material.
Bonded Series panels are easy to fabricate on site, further making the installation process more efficient. View videos from the Bonded Series installation at Westfield headquarters, Los Angeles.
> PANELITE BONDED SERIES OVERVIEW
> PANELITE BONDED SERIES: TRANSLUCENT PARTITIONS
> 6 THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH PANELITE THAT YOU CAN’T DO WITH GLASS