Brief Introduction & Advantages of LED Panels

Lighting plays a vital role in a successful project and even more so when back lighting materials such as onyx, alabaster and other solid surface materials. Get this wrong and you will have an unhappy client and a project not to be proud of but this can easily be avoided with a little time and effort and that all important mock-up. O.K there are usually costs to be considered for a mock-up but it’s safer and much cheaper in the long run. We know of one project that was installed without first undertaking a mock-up and the result is over 60 square metres of product and lighting being dismantled and with an alternative system installed!

Previously you would be confined to using fluorescent type lighting, uplighters, wall washers or strip applied LED’s but whilst these all have a place still in modern day lighting, well I suppose fluorescent tubes have had their day and will be phased out over the coming years, one of the best inventions in the field of LED technology is the LED panel. They generally consist of an acrylic panel about 8mm thick with LED’s embedded into the edge. The Acrylic panel is etched, which enables the light to travel evenly over a given area and therefore eliminates hi & lo spots that are associated with other forms of lighting. This method has superseded the forerunner which was developed by ‘Prismex’ and the disadvantage with this was that the LED’s were bolt on rather than part of the panel.

 

Sometimes these Led panels appear expensive when compared to the more traditional forms of lighting but their benefits far outweigh the initial cost as they are extremely easy to install, can fit into the tightest of spaces, have a very low energy consumption level and are very reliable. They also have the advantages of being dimmable and available in cool & warm white as well as RGB colour changing varieties. Most systems are now supplied as ready to install and with cables and low voltage transformers ready to hard wire into mains electricity supplies. The other advantage with LED lighting panels is that they can be connected to master controllers such as Lutron or DMX systems and can be supplied with drivers for compatability.

With the flexibility that Edge2Edge Led panels provides such as large 3 x 2 metre sizes, lightweight, zero maintenance, 8mm thickness, even illumination, plug & play technology, ease of installation, low running costs it is easy to see why their popularity is increasing.

Translucent Creations - Supplier of Backlit granite, Ultra slim LED panel, Backlit marble, Large LED panels, Backlit onyx, Bar tops, Translucent stone, LED panels , Decorative glass, Backlit stone & many more.

Brief Introduction to Backlit Onyx

Onyx is a form of quartz and which is found in many countries around the World from Brazil, Mexico, India and Iran to name but a few. Onyx is a highly variable material that can demonstrate wild changes in colours and markings over a relatively short distance, so onyx is not a material for the faint hearted and they range in colour from white, through to yellows, reds and even black and they have exceptional translucent qualities when backlit. However onyx is also a very soft material that will easily scratch and stain as it is a highly porous material that can prove difficult to maintain. However this issue can be overcome by laminating onyx to tempered glass. Using this principle the tempered glass adds considerable strength, whilst still allowing translucency to the onyx and this means this otherwise fragile material can be used even in the most hostile commercial situations. Tempered glass is used in preference to standard float glass due to its immense strength and also for safety reasons.

Once processed onto glass the thickness of the onyx is reduced from 2cm usually to a 5mm veneer, but this can be further reduced to allow even some of the darker onyx colours to achieve their maximum potential for translucent applications. Backlighting onyx with either natural or artificial light,demonstrates a three dimensional appearance with both movement and depth. The addition of glass also allows onyx to be used in situations that before now would have been considered impossible, such as exterior cladding. This is achieved as the glass, which afterall has been used for external facades for many years, is the protective layer that can also assist in eliminating harmful Ultra Violet light as well as protecting the onyx from the harmful effects of acid erosion and traffic pollutions. Thereby offering the visual benefits that only real onyx can provide but with no maintenance and their associated on costs to consider.

Imagine how such a beautiful natural material that was formed millions of years ago can now be processed with state of the art machinery and technology allowing one of the World’s most beautiful and exotic materials to be used in applications that would have previously been considered impossible but not now. Consider backlit onyx for a wide range of commercial applications such as bar counters, tables, furniture,water features, walls, and point of sale displays units, flooring, ceilings and many more.

Translucent Creations - Supplier of, Backlit granite, Backlit marble, Backlit onyx, Translucent stone, Decorative glass, Backlit stone & many more.

Brief Introduction & Benefits of Backlit Granite

Granite is generally considered as a functional building material that is usually associated with exterior cladding, work surfaces and flooring. The thought of being able to back light such a dense material would have previously been considered impossible, that is until now! Backlit granite is a relatively new concept that allows light, either natural or artificial, to pass through this otherwise dense material. This is achieved by laminating granite slabs to glass and then reducing the granite to an engineered thickness of only 3mm and this is referred to as stone veneering and at this thickness it is possible for light to pass through the granite veneer. As a stone veneer the granite is purely decorative and provides no strength to what is now a composite panel as it is the glass that provides the strength and stability. Often granite is misunderstood and thought of as a purely functional and to some extent limited colour material used for building exteriors, floors and work surfaces but once processed as a thin veneer and backlit it offers itself as an amazing 3 dimensional material that can be used in a wide variety of unusual and innovative applications.

The general perception of granite as a uniform and functional material can now be challenged by using some of the World’s more exotic granites from South America such as ‘Nacardo Gold’,’ Purple Dunes’, ‘Palamino’,’Tropical Bronze’, to name but a few, and processing them as a thin veneer onto glass the result of which would challenge this misconception and bringing to life the true beauty and magnificence of theseamazing granites once they are backlit. All the beauty that only real natural stone can provide but in a three dimensional format with depth and colour that simply cannot be replicated by any man-made material. Imagine a translucent façade that during the day is illuminated by natural light providing light to the interior spaces and wonder to the eyes and at night is illuminated from within as a statement to the architecture and an appreciation of this natural material.

Imagine how a material that was formed thousands of years ago and processed with state of the art modern technology to provide a palette of colours, designs and styles and allowing granite to be used in applications that would have previously been considered impossible but not now. Consider backlit granite for a wide range of commercial applications such as water features, walls, and point of sale displays units, flooring, ceilings and many more.

Translucent Creations - Supplier of Backlit onyx, Backlit marble, Backlit granite, Translucent stone, Backlit stone, Decorative glass & many more.