Depending on the area of application, customers can choose between waterproof or water-repellent materials, tearproof or airtight materials, as well as materials in different shades of white, translucent or opaque and flameproof materials.
Digitally imprintable materials can be used in a wide variety of areas: screens, awnings, large advertising displays, canvases for artists and printed blinds for indoor sunscreens. The company has designed the fabrics to be suitable with the wide range of inks which are commonly used for printing purposes, ranging from water-soluble inks for use by artists to solvent, eco-solvent and UV hardening inks.

JM has also developed what it claims to be an entirely new form of interior sun shading. With Galaxis Solartec FR, the company has achieved a combination of heat protection and light transmittance.

The blind fabric is semi-transparent, structured and has been bound to a functional film developed by JM which adds a silky shimmer to the back of the blind. This binding with film results in a multi-functional fabric that permits high light transmittance, offers glare protection and at the same time provides the best possible heat screen.

Conventional roller blinds always provide heat protection at the expense of transparency, colour brilliance and brightness of the room. Galaxis Solartec FR on the other hand ensures high intervisibility with the outside with simultaneous high daylight throughput but without relinquishing any heat protection. This advantage must not be underestimated, particularly in the contract sector: for air-conditioned offices where glare protection as well as daylight is a must, this new material can offer significant energy savings “ particularly in summer.

Any room that requires high levels of natural daylight but which has a tendency to attract excessive heat such as conservatories, attic conversions but also living and office spaces are ideally suited to these new roller blinds. Based on the material's low flammability rating in accordance with DIN 4102 B1, it is also suitable for application in the contract sector.

Galaxis Solartec FR can even be applied in greenhouses where daylight is required to promote the plants' photosynthesis but where too much heat or direct sunrays can inhibit their growth or damage the plants.

A further advantage of the newly developed material is its low maintenance. It is easily washed and rinsed, and dirt does not penetrate the material which makes it highly protected against chemicals and insect excrement.

With regards to heat-intensive infrared radiation (IR), Galaxis Solartec FR measures a 10% reduction in ray permeation for a wavelength range of between 780 “ 1700 nm as compared to a comparative material without the functional film. At the same time, transparency in the visible range (380 “ 780nm) is only reduced by 5%, which ensures maximum possible light throughput and transparency.

At present, JM offers the very delicate and sophisticated-looking material in plain white at a width of 210 cm. Further colours are at the planning stage.

• Junkers & Mullers GmbH , Germany Tel: +49 (0)2166 - 3939-97