PLEXIGLAS® by Röhm Empowers Zumtobel's New Generation Lighting System, Enhancing Optical Performance

• The lighting solutions expert uses Röhm's PMMA to manufacture lenses with various light distributions.
• PLEXIGLAS® molding compound, with its excellent optical purity, simultaneously achieves outstanding luminous efficacy and color rendering.
• The material is durable, recyclable, and aligns with circular product design principles.

In the newly launched second generation of the TECTON lighting system by international lighting expert Zumtobel, PLEXIGLAS® molding compound has once again been chosen to manufacture precision optical components, upgrading numerous features and aesthetics while retaining classic design elements.

For over two decades, the TECTON continuous-row lighting system has been widely popular, consistently providing ideal illumination for supermarkets, high-bay warehouses, production halls, data centers, offices, and educational facilities. According to the company headquartered in Dornbirn, Austria, the total installed length of TECTON systems worldwide exceeds 39,000 kilometers.

Excellent Optical Purity Enables Superior Luminous Efficacy and Color
Maximilian Macha, Global Product Manager for Line Voltage Systems & Protected Luminaires at Zumtobel, explained the choice of Röhm's PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate): "PLEXIGLAS® offers outstanding optical purity and precise surface replication capability during injection molding. Both are crucial for achieving uniform light distribution and excellent color rendering, which are key for our TECTON II dual-segment lens."

PMMA is one of the materials with the best light transmittance. The crystal-clear PLEXIGLAS® molding compound boasts a light transmittance of up to 92%, providing excellent transparency and light-guiding properties, making it an ideal choice for high-standard optical applications like Zumtobel's lighting solutions.

Macha explained: "In the linear luminaires of the TECTON II system, we have integrated top-market LED drivers with PLEXIGLAS® lenses, achieving a system efficacy of up to 210 lumens per watt and an excellent luminous flux of 10,000 lumens per meter."

Exceptional Surface Replication Precision Creates Lenses with Multiple Beam Angles
To meet the highest standards for comfortable lighting in various application scenarios, TECTON II also offers a wide range of optical configuration options. For example, wide beam distribution is suitable for open areas, shelves, and broad aisles, while narrow beam distribution is ideal for vertical shelf fronts in logistics centers or data centers. Zumtobel's dual-segment lens design is key to achieving this uniform illumination with minimal glare.

The characteristic differences among optical elements like "wide beam," "extra-wide beam," "narrow beam," and "narrow shelf beam" stem directly from the precise micro-structures on their lenses. Realizing these structures relies on both Zumtobel's profound expertise in precision mold manufacturing and the exceptional ability of PLEXIGLAS® molding compound to replicate mold details during injection molding. Heinz Schubkegel, Senior Business Manager for Molding Compounds at Röhm, explained: "Thanks to the excellent flow properties of our material, lighting manufacturers can produce lenses with the finest structures in consistent quality, enabling precise light control."

Using PLEXIGLAS® molding compound allows for the precise manufacture and dimensional stability of even large optical components, which is another significant advantage for the optical elements up to 50 centimeters long in the TECTON II continuous-row lighting system.

Shatter and Corrosion Resistant, Robust and Durable
Zumtobel states that the TECTON II lighting system has a service life of up to 100,000 hours and maintains an extremely high luminous flux maintenance of 95% throughout its lifecycle. The core lens material, PLEXIGLAS®, contributes significantly to this. This Röhm-brand PMMA provides lasting support for lighting performance with its stable, excellent light transmittance over decades.

As a universal continuous-row lighting system, TECTON II is widely used in various industrial settings like production halls, withstanding harsh environmental challenges such as humidity, cleaning agents, temperature fluctuations, and dust. PLEXIGLAS® material offers far superior impact resistance and chemical resistance compared to glass, ensuring an ultra-long service life for the optical components and the entire system.

The Need for Circular Economy, The Choice for Sustainable Design
Zumtobel developed the TECTON II system following its Circular Design Rules based on the "cradle-to-cradle" philosophy. The core principle is to ensure all materials and components are used optimally and continue to circulate within a closed technical cycle.

Through forward-thinking design for easy assembly and disassembly, the company implements circular principles from the outset: on one hand, prioritizing the use of recyclable materials to manufacture high-quality components; on the other hand, ensuring effective sorting and recycling of components at the product's end-of-life, forming a complete "production-use-recycling" closed loop.

Schubkegel stated: "Our PLEXIGLAS® material is recyclable and has a long service life, perfectly aligning with Zumtobel's stringent circular economy requirements for lighting products." To practice the circular economy, Zumtobel collects luminaires at their end-of-life and sorts the components. Through various recycling processes, both production waste and PLEXIGLAS® components that have reached the end of their service life can be recycled into PMMA raw material and reintroduced into production.

Classic continuous-row lighting system launches second generation: In developing TECTON II, Zumtobel once again chose PLEXIGLAS® molding compound to manufacture precision optical components, upgrading numerous features and aesthetics while retaining classic design elements.

Maximilian Macha, Global Product Manager for Line Voltage Systems & Protected Luminaires at Zumtobel, said: "PLEXIGLAS® offers outstanding optical purity and precise surface replication capability during injection molding. Both are crucial for achieving uniform light distribution and excellent color rendering, which are key for our core optical component, the TECTON II dual-segment lens."

Zumtobel TECTON II continuous-row lighting system: Its core optical component is a dual-segment lens made from Röhm's crystal-clear PLEXIGLAS® molding compound.

The ideal choice for demanding optical applications: PLEXIGLAS® molding compound offers excellent transparency and precise surface replication capability during injection molding.