2. Agenda
Recycling Manufacturing Process
Innovation - Product Performance - Fire Regulations
New Products Acoustics
Q&A
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3. RECYCLING
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4. Recycled materials
Recycled materials used in the manufacture of ceiling tiles and grid systems are:
Waste wools Aluminium
Newspaper Chipboard
Ceiling tiles
Glass Cardboard
Packaging
Steel Plastic
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5. Recycled content and raw materials
The total recycled content will vary depending on the material…
Definition of recycled Wet felt (‘hard’) material bonded
1) Pre-consumer Resin Metal tiles
content (EN ISO mineral fibre tiles (‘soft’) mineral fibre ≈ 25%
14021:2001) Material diverted from the tiles stream during a manufacturing process.
≈ 19 - 70% waste
Excluded is such as rework, 15 - 25% (rock wool)
≈ regrind or scrap generated in a process and
The proportion, by mass, of capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it.
≈ 40 - 70% (glass wool)
recycled material in a
product or packaging. Only Wood tiles Suspension
pre-consumer and post-
2)Post Consumer material
≈ 20 - 68% systems
consumer materials shall be Material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and
considered as recycled ≈ 30% (steel)
institutional facilities in their role as end users of the product which can no
content, consistent with the longer be used for it’s intended - 85% (aluminium)
≈ 50 purpose. This includes return of materials
following usage of the terms. from the distribution chain.
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6. Recycled content and raw materials
Changes to raw materials have had an effect on environmental performance…
Chipboard Bio-soluble wool Perlite
Wood tiles Wet felt (‘hard’) mineral Wet felt (‘hard’) mineral
fibre tiles fibre tiles
Resin bonded (‘soft’)
mineral fibre tiles
Acoustic Fleece Gauge Reduction
Metal tiles Suspension systems
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7. Armstrong Recycling Programmes –
End-of-Life and Off-Cut-Recycling
End of Life (EOL) Recycling Programme End of Life Projects:
Armstrong offers a free
collection for refurbishment Grays Inn Road
/ strip out projects of Farnborough Air show
2000m2+, anywhere in the
UK. Ceiling tiles are 100% Lancaster Court
recycled into the mix and
are processed into new
ceiling tiles
Off Cut Recycling Programme (OCR) Off Cut Projects:
Off-cut ceiling tiles from University Hospital
new ceiling installations are Birmingham
stored on site in specially
supplied bags and collected Peterborough Hospital
by Armstrong to be recycled Tameside Hospital
into new ceiling tiles
Salford Hospital
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8. MANUFACTURING
PROCESS
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9. Manufacturing Process
Wet-Felt Mineral Fibre Tiles
The wet felt pulp is deposited on a ‘conveyor belt’ where water is removed by a variety of techniques:- free drainage
(gravity), pressing, vacuum & steam before being rolled to a level sheet at the required thickness.
This pulp then goes into the gas fired drying ovens (approx 50-65% moisture content). The temperature of and time spent in the
oven will depend on the formulation (starch especially affects the drying rate) and the thickness of the board.
At the end of the drying ovens the board has any fissures or perforations rolled or punched into the board, gets sawn into
the correct board size and with the appropriate edge detail as necessary.
Tiles typically have a primer coat, one or two intermediate coats and a finishing coat. Calcite gets applied to tiles on the
paint line as necessary. The number and application rate will vary depending on the finish (fissured, perforated or calcite).
Product is packed face-to-face / back-to-back with cardboard dunnage, then shrink-wrapped and put into DC stock.
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10. Manufacturing Process
Soft Fibre Mineral Fibre Tiles
Slag and basalt (rock wool) or sand, limestone, soda ash and
recycled glass (glass wool) heated in furnace (approximately 1300-
1500ºC), droplets fall onto spinners creating fibres.
A binding agent is then added to the fibres and then cured in an
oven at approximately 200ºC.
The thickness and density is controlled by the speed of
conveyor belts and the amount of compression.
The wool slabs are cut into boards and a rebated edge detail
cut as necessary.
Decorative and reverse scrims are glued to the board.
Edges are painted as required.
Product is packed face-to-face / back-to-back with cardboard
dunnage, then shrink-wrapped and put into DC stock.
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11. Manufacturing Process
Metal Tiles
The coil of the appropriate width for the
type and size of tile to be manufactured is
selected, and if required, the coil is fed
into the perforating booth for perforating.
The coil is then cut to the appropriate length and notched (depending on whether tile being made can be ‘notched on tool’) to create
‘blanks’. If perforated, the blanks need rolling to flatten out the curve induced during the perforating process.
The blanks are then formed into tiles by either a power press, an automated folding machine, roll forming or hand formed
using a brake press. The formed tiles are then washed and degreased before being painted.
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12. Manufacturing Process
Metal Tiles
The tiles are hung on the paint line ‘conveyor belt’ and painted by
electrostatically applying the polyester paint powder to the tiles
and curing in an ‘oven’. The temperature in the ‘oven’ is just
sufficient to cause the paint to melt/soften and fuse together
forming a hard durable finish.
Once painted, the tiles may have different types of acoustic infill
applied…
• A black non-woven fleece impregnated with a hot-melt glue
can be heat sealed onto the back face of the tile.
• For B15 acoustic infill, 15mm mineral fibre board is cut to
size and glued to the back of the acoustic fleece.
• Aluminium foil wrapped, black tissue faced pads are either
supplied separately or loose laid into the back of the tile. It
is possible for the pads to be ‘cassetted’ but this is not a
standard Armstrong solution.
Product is packed face-to-face / back-to-back with cardboard sheets between tiles and packed in a full cardboard
carton, sealed and put into DC stock.
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13. INNOVATION -
NEW PRODUCTS
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14. Innovation - CoolZone
How do PCM cassettes actually function
Partnership with BASF using Micronal encapsulated in the
core of the cassette to be used in a suspended ceiling
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15. Innovation - CoolZone
26oC 22oC
A cooler surface temp. Also improves the thermal comfort of the space
26oC +/- 2.0oC Standard ceiling
Surface 1 22oC +/- 1.0oC PCM ceiling
Ch11 [C]
Hour of the day
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16. Innovation – CoolZone
In the hot afternoon, the PCM cassettes
suck up the heat and keep the room pleasantly cool.
IN IN OUT
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17. Overnight, they release the energy throughout the room while using the cool night ventilation
to change back to their solid state. the PCM cassettes are now fully reset and ready
for the next day.
IN IN OUT
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19. Acoustic comfort
Benefits to users
Offices Healthcare Education
Provides Aids Helps meet
confidentiality confidentiality BB93 regulation
requirements
Reduces fatigue Aids speedier Reduces
and stress recovery vocal stress
Improved Reduces fatigue Improves
productivity and stress attentiveness
& performance
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20. Acoustic comfort
The intelligibility, concentration and confidentiality balance
Intelligibility
Concentration
Confidentiality
MEETING ROOMS
CONFERENCE ROOMS Combination of sound absorption and sound attenuation
CLASSROOMS Medium density ceiling tiles
LECTURE THEATRES
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21. Acoustic comfort
The intelligibility, concentration and confidentiality balance
Concentration
Confidentiality
INDIVIDUAL CLOSED OFFICE
Higher levels of sound attenuation
CONSULTING ROOM
Higher density ceiling tiles
INDIVIDUAL BEDROOM
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22. Acoustic comfort
The intelligibility, concentration and confidentiality balance
A WORD OF CAUTION: Concentration
The same ceiling may
have one type of room on Confidentiality
one side of a partition, and
another type on the other
side.
However, they may both
(LARGE) OPEN PLAN AREA –
have conflicting acoustic Higher levels of sound absorption
ASSEMBLY / DINING / SPORTS
requirements.
HALL – 4+ BED WARD Lower density ceiling tiles
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23. Acoustic comfort
The intelligibility, concentration and confidentiality balance
Intelligibility
Concentration
Confidentiality
ACTIVE ACOUSTICS : Control background noise : overcome “occupational factor”
FOR RETAIL BANKING, with sound masking
HEALTHCARE, OFFICE Active acoustics take into account all sound and noise
ENVIRONMENTS
sources on-site to guarantee levels of intelligibility, privacy
AND SCHOOLS
and concentration.
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24. FIRE
REGULATIONS
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25. Fire safety
Fire
Provide Euroclasses
Resistance
passive fire EN13501-1:
Tests
protection 2007
(BS/EN)
“Designers are required to avoid foreseeable risks
as far as is reasonably practicable, taking due
account of other relevant design considerations.
The greater the risk the greater the weight that
must be given to eliminating or reducing it”
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26. Fire reaction
Legislation & regulations
Table 10 in Approved Document B (volume 2) specifies the minimum performance
requirement for these categories...
For non-residential buildings these are…
EuroClass (old) National
rating classification
Increasing performance
Escape routes or corridors B-s3,d2 Class 0
Larger rooms a greater
distance to exit the room C-s3,d2 Class 1
Small rooms (≤ 30m2) D-s3,d2 Class 3
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27. Fire safety
Fire Reaction Fire Resistance
UK EUROCLASSES
Class 0 B – s3, d2 Stability (R)
Class 1 C – s3, d2 Integrity (E)
Class 3 D – s3, d2 Insulation (I)
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28. Fire reaction
Classification
Why is the ‘EuroClass’ rating?
The EuroClass is a fire reaction rating to EN 13501-1
What is Class 0 / Class 1 / Class 3?
Class 0 is defined in the Building Regulations whilst Class 1 and Class 3 are performances
determined by British Standard test BS 476:part 7
Why is Class 0 / Class 1 / Class 3 an old requirement?
European harmonisation of testing for fire reaction of suspended ceilings requires Euroclass ratings
to meet the Construction Products Directive
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