Press Release
Mainz, Germany, April 2017
Product Design Rethought – with Glass-Ceramic
(Hall 6 / Stand B16)
When designers develop new concepts, a lot depends on the right material. At the Hanover Fair, SCHOTT AG will be showing a broad range of possible applications for the glass-ceramic material platform NEXTREMA®. These range from chic small electrical devices to multifunctional whiteboards for the office.
Our work environment has never been more flexible and modern offices and meeting rooms are now being redesigned. Their walls should be writable and at the same time offer projection surfaces. And ideally something can also be attached to them. Here, SCHOTT has developed a new concept for whiteboards that is based on an opaque white glass-ceramic. It acts as an interactive screen on which employees can write as well as project images, presentations or movies. The surface is easy to clean – even when a colleague accidentally writes on it using water-proof markers. Thanks to a back side made of metal, the board is also magnetic. The glass-ceramic panel itself is available in sizes up to 1,9 m x 1,05 m and can be extended modularly.
A high-tech glass-ceramic called SCHOTT NEXTREMA® makes this possible. With it, product developers can turn appliances into true design objects. The material combines a number of sophisticated technical characteristics and offers special design freedom. “Our ‘Next Extreme Material’ NEXTREMA® is very strong, has a smooth, non-porous surface and can be used in the infrared range. At the same time, it withstands very high temperatures of up to 950° C and defies rapid temperature changes,” explains Roberto Perez-Castro, Product Manager for SCHOTT NEXTREMA®. NEXTREMA® is available in six different color variations. The variety ranges from transparent or translucent white to blue grey, black and opaque white, grey and blue grey versions.
The designers and product developers who work for the British appliance manufacturer Morphy Richards have made their own use of these properties: The company recently introduced a transparent toaster and an iron with a transparent sole to the market – both were made possible by this material from SCHOTT. Manufacturers of infrared radiant heaters for outdoor use are also convinced of the possibilities NEXTREMA® glass-ceramic offers. When covered by this versatile material, the glare of the radiant heater is reduced quite significantly. At the same time, it still has very high heating power and therefore fits in elegantly with the concepts for chic cafes or terraces. Another application example is its use as a transparent viewing window for gas grills or cover for gas burners used with them. NEXTREMA® glass-ceramic is well suited for this because it is a very safe material. Due to its high resistance to differences in temperature, it withstands temperature differences that occur with hot embers compared to the cooler ambient temperature. Theglass-ceramic even stands up to rain and snow that lands on the hot glass-ceramic panel. The deformability in aesthetically curved versions offers a design upgrade.
SCHOTT and NEXTREMA® are registered trademarks of SCHOTT AG.
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Figure captions
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Whiteboard made ofNEXTREMA® opaque white – magnetic by metallic back wall
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Whiteboard made of NEXTREMA® opaque white – easy to clean
Press contact
SCHOTT AG, Christina Rettig,
CERAMIC APPLICATIONS, Karin Scharrer,
Hannover Messe, Hall 6, Stand B16