Neo Neon: EL Partition Methodology Report

NEO-NEON: Electroluminescent Partitions

Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

1

Objective: Through the use of electroluminescent wire and a variation on the traditional tufted typology seen throughout buildings in furniture, we sought to create a partition that employed an innovative take on an overlooked, but ever-present design. The inversion of this pattern was amplified and threaded through acrylite panels to create a solid bar top, with moments of electroluminescent intervention revealing themselves differently dependent on the viewer’s position relative to the object.

2

Material Methodology Report - Material

Researchers: Course: Instructor: Semester:

Layla Salameh + Annely Alaniz Materials Lab Jennifer Wong Spring 2017

Tools used CNC Router Soldering Iron Basic woodshop tools

Program utilized Rhino AutoCAD Vcarve Pro

Materials - plastic panels

Source

Cost info

1/8” Plaskolite Panels Pattern 12 1/8” Clear Acrylic Panels Weld-On 4 Acrylic Adhesive SCIGRIP 16 Acrylic Cement EL Wire (5 mm) Inverter 1-100 feet Power Supply (12 V DC 600mAh) Birch Ply 2” Casters

Allied Plastics Allied Plastics Allied Plastics Allied Plastics That’s Cool Wire That’s Cool Wire Amazon Home Depot Home Depot

$95/sheet $25/panel $0.65/foot $32.48/inverter $29.99/battery $40/sheet $3/caster

Material determinant:

Electroluminescent wire was chosen specifically for its neon color range.

As an emerging consumer product, the EL wire allowed for experimentation and innovative design. When combined with Plaskolite acrylic panels, the EL wire exuded glowing qualities that adequately reflected the Neo-Neon theme and enhanced the lighting effect of the wire. The physical parameters of the materials stemmed from the necessary rigidity needed to keep the Plaskolite panels from bowing and giving in to the forces of the EL wire as it was pulled taut throughout the assembly process. The wire itself needed to be thick enough to maintain its shape, while not showing imperfections, in order for the completed partition to remain cohesive.

Innovation:

The design sought to rework tufting and celebrate the depth of the pattern. Key elements essential to the traditional tufting pattern were highlighted by isolating their pieces, while still allowing for the composite of the pattern to come together when viewing the face of the object.

Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

3

Design Development • Explore sizing and variations of tufted pattern types • Determine what portion of pattern will be exteriorized and interiorized • Work through framing methods that allow for maximum accessibility and flexibility, while still keeping panels in a rigid state • Explore methods of continuous threading using two, differently colored, single wires for the entirety of each partition.

Note: Wire length parameters were driven by the constraints of the inverters.

4

Material Methodology Report - Material

Full Scale Protoype

Physical Model detailing the threading pattern

Prototyping

Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

5

Production: Panel CNC Routing • CNC 12 35”x47” acrylite panels and 12 corresponding clear acrylic panels • CNC drill holes first, then apply wooden frame to reinforce acrylite and prevent chipping of material edges and cut border Note: Due to the unanticipatied lack of rigidity in the original acrylite panel, clear 1/8” acrylic panels were cut in the same manner and laminated onto the acrylite panels [outlined later].

6

Material Methodology Report - Material

Production: Panel Lamination • Thoroughly clean and align acrylite and acrylic panels • Apply SCIGRIP 16 Acrylic Cement to the inner etched areas of panel and apply pressure for five minutes • Fill syringe bottle with Weld-On 4 water thin cement and apply by pressing needle between the two panels and gluing each edge until all four are bonded

Note: In daylight, Weld-On 4 leaves a noticeable clear residue behind. For the purposes of this project, this visibility was not an issue.

Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

7

Production: Partition Base • Construct base from birch plywood sheets • Predrill holes in both baseboards and base for bolting the panel between the board and the base • Paint bases

8

Material Methodology Report - Material

Production: Partition Assembly • Acrylic rods added to provide extra rigidity and stability to partitions • Use Weld-On 4 water thin cement in syringe bottle to laminate acrylic rods between the two acrylic panels • Secure acrylic rods between panels then press needle between the panel and the end of rod and glue • Clamp until secure Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

9

Production: EL Wire • Strip wire and solder male connections using flux, soldering iron, heat gun, and plastic • Once soldered, male EL wire connections plug directly into an inverter to convert from AC to DC power compatible with battery packs Step-by-step soldering guide: https://www.thatscoolwire.com/articleDetail.asp?articleID=17 Tip: Stripping the wire while keeping the two angel wires intact is difficult. Instead, use a heat gun or lighter to melt the outer plastic, then carefully remove the melted plastic to expose all three wires.

10

Material Methodology Report - Material

Production: Final Assembly • Using two seperate 40’ lengths of EL wire, panels were threaded starting from the bottom and moving upward • Wire was threaded back and forth between the two panels until all joints had been created • Bar top acrylic pieces were then laminated and glued on

Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

11

12

Material Methodology Report - Material

Unresolved issues: The challenges of the EL wire stemmed from the fragility of its connections when soldered, as well as the lack of uniformity of the wire between the panels. The uniformity of the panels could have benefitted from a locking mechanism at each EL wire joint, where the two wires criss-crossed, as well as a better threading system, to ensure that the wires were equally taut throughout each partition. The greatest issue in the end stemmed from the bowing of the panels after assembly. Because the EL wire needed to be in tension quite heavily, the panels, despite attempts to reinforce them with acrylic rods, still had a tendency to bow inward. Going forward, more acrylic rods secured towards the outer edges of the panels might have mitigated this problem. Beginning with a thicker acrylic panel material may have also helped. Lastly, the connection of the EL wires to their inverters should have been more carefully secured, with plenty of extra EL wire, to avoid damage and prevention of the partition from proper illumination.

Conclusions: The partitions were used in the way they were functionally intended and attributed a resoundingly electric quality to the Neo-Neon theme. In retrospect, the success of the project could have been heightened by increasing the number of panels produced and creating panels with more sizing variations, resulting in a more dramatic effect.

Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

13

14

Material Methodology Report - Material

Neo-Neon: Electroluminescent Partitions

15