What is Polylight Technology?
About technology:
"Polylight" is our own developed design and fabrication technology that enables us to create any shape polygonal smart devices(lights, sculptures, installations).
Main principle of the technology is customization.
Adaptiveness and different shapes are achieved by using special software and 3D printing for fabrication.
With use of our own software we significantly speeded up process of design/prefabrication.
With use of 3D printing, we lowered amount of human labor for 70% and in the same time achieved full customization at the same cost per item.
We call it joints and wires approach. For every sculpture we use specially designed by our software set of plastic joints and self-produced different length LED tubes.
Set of unique joints for Polylight
Example of LED tubes connected with a joint:
Adherence to several principles during design and fabrication stages leads whole system to those advantages:
Fully freeform
We use 3D printing for fabrication, that allows us to create any shapes on the same cost. This is real customization and adaptive technology.
Reusability
All constructions are ready to multiple use. They can be assembled/disassembled various times with out any degradation.
It's ease transportation, repair and storage of objects.
Compact storage
In disassembled state our constructions provides significantly smaller size than in assembled state. Our usual assemble/to disassemble size ratio is 1/70, this means that packed sculpture uses less than 70% space than assembled.
High level automated fabrication process
With use of 3D printing we spent most of time to automated machine works, and only 30% of work done by the human. This secure whole fabrication process from mistakes, collisions and bad quality of finished object.
Durability
For 3D printing of joints we use highly durable and most inlayer adhesive plastic PET-G. It suitable for use in range -40°C ― +80°C temperatures.
Low Weight
Sculptures is ultra-lightweight, so this is leveling up the strength of overall object, lowering down the loads to the whole construction. Also those option creates possibility to suspend objects.
Waterproofness
As well as LED strip is putted inside polycarbonate tube, that makes it already water shielded, we also use on permanent basis IP67 class LED strips, covered in silicone. That gives us doubled level of water protection.
Windtransparent
Due to ultra-lightweight and very small surface amount the whole structure undergo negligible loads and wind impact. Installation is almost wind unaffected, so minor movements could occur but without any damage or changes to structure.
Assembly:
Polylight is professionally designed, high standard LED assemble kit. It offers special indesign implemented navigation system with use of those anyone can assemble and disassemble object in few hours without any user manual or other documentation. For the first time operation we still provide user manual and as additional option we can provide assembly lessons to the maintenance and assembly staff/crew.
This indesign navigation based on special numbering system.
For more convenient and seamless assemble experience this numbering system includes automatically assigned numbers on tubes, joints and slots.
Every tube has unique number that shows start and end points and automatically includes direction of the tube.
Every joint has it's own number.
Every slot has it's own number based on two numbers of interconnected joints, that is the same as on tube number and on the other side slot.
With such an optimized system any person can easily understand what and where tube needs to be fit, as well as what is correct orientation of the joint and tube.
Last part of this system is special LED male/female connectors with the lock mechanism that prevents spontaneous disconnects. Also those connectors orientation system eliminates any mistakes and wrong polarity connections.
Maintenance and repair:
Typically it's no need of any additional works or repairs to the object. But in case something went wrong, our system provides a very high level of repairability.
We use standard parts for fabrication, those also available in the US and EU.
These parts is:
Polycarbonate tubes
Addressable LED strips
Custom made 3D printed joints and tube caps.
For repair we can provide already fabricated 3D printed parts, as well as files and settings for 3D print, so maintenance staff can be able to 3D print required parts on site.
We also can provide specification of LED strip and polycarbonate tubes, so no need to order it outside from EU.
As we are facing up real customization approach, the costs are varying from piece to piece. The use of our software also eliminates any cost uncertainties at the end of the design stage, as we have the whole information about object:
How much and what size joints will be used?
How much tubes will be used?
How much LED strip will be used?
Those information makes us able to precisely calculate the whole cost and fabrication times of the piece.
But we still has some factors that makes it real to estimate the cost of the object:
Technical information:
Addressable waterproof LED strips (WS2812, TM1804)
Polycarbonate tubes: 25mm diameter
Joints: 3D printed PET-G
Power in: 100-220v
Power out: 12v-24v
Weight: depends on the size of the object
Connectivity:
Wi-Fi/Mesh/BLE or 5G enabled
Web/App controlled
Firmware updates over internet