How Has ETFE Become So Popular In The Construction Industry - Tuflite Polymers

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More and more transparent structures are being
used in constructing all sorts of commercial and
residential buildings today. Traditionally, glass
was used, but newer materials have been coming
up lately. But, one drawback that has been seen
with such transparent materials is that they are
delicate or breakable, which is why they lack
load capacity. But, with the advent of ETFE,
this issue is seen to be resolved.
How has ETFE evolved over the years? Since the
development of ETFE in the 1970s by DuPont, its
mainstream use in construction projects has been
rising. Earlier, it was only restricted to
Europe, but with the efforts of German-based
mechanical engineer, Stefan Lehnert, the use of
this material expanded widely across the globe.
Realizing the amazing property of the resin of
the material to be spun into a durable thin film
with the ability to expand and contract, Lehnert
began experimenting with ETFE and soon realized
the great potential of the material. Later in
1982, Lehnert founded Bremen, Germany-based
Vector Foiltec, as he sought to bring this
material into the construction industry arena.
With this thought, ETFE was first put to use in
a pavilion roof of a Holland zoo. It then started
being used in various roofing applications
throughout Germany and England. Eventually, by
the year 2000, ETFE started being used in
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various constructions, and became the limelight
for engineers. Today, Foiltec has offices in 12
different locations in the world, and is working
on more than 100 ETFE projects including gable
roofs in aquatic places, indoor rain forests,
indoor water parks, tennis facilities, etc.
Tuflite Polymers is one of the reputed and
reliable ETFE suppliers in India who has
partnered with the renowned Vector Foiltec to
provide superior quality ETFE sheets and cushions
across the entire sub-continent today. The
worlds largest ETFE structure Water Cube, the
7,50,000 square foot National Aquatic Center in
Beijing showcases the materials ability to
bridge the gap between reality and futuristic
design. It gives the appearance of a box made of
bubbles by utilizing blue-tinted ETFE cushions
in the roof as well as the four walls. With such
constructions, traditional transparent materials
like glass are seeing serious competition for
projects where natural light considerations are
an important design component. Which unique
properties does ETFE possess? ETFE is
transparent, cost-effective, energy efficient,
durable, self-cleaning, and visually appealing.
It can be manufactured into a thin film or stored
as rolls, to be used a sheet or inflated into
pillow-like units of varying size, shape, and
colour. Also, it is so light in weight that it
weighs only 1 the weight of glass, but it
requires no such structural support as glass
does. Glass if used longer than 10 feet would
require structural support at every 8-10 feet
gap. But, in the case of ETFE, 50 feet long
panels can be used with no structural support
required anywhere throughout its length! To add
to this, ETFE can be stretched up to 3 times its
original length, and is also puncture-resistant.
Moreover, when exposed to fire, ETFE doesn't
burn. It only melts and pulls away in sports
where the flame is in direct contact with the
material thus reducing spread of fire and
related hazards. Last but not the least, ETFE is
recyclable as the material can be melted and
re-used thus one of the best options for
environment lovers.
For more information visit Tuflite Polymers