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Elektro-Isola develops greener alternative for the signage industry

With more than 55 years of experience in professional signage solutions under their belts, Modulex Billund were looking to identify a more sustainable alternative to the materials traditionally used in the signage industry, such as acrylic and ACM sheets.

The material needed not only to have a significantly lower CO2 footprint than the traditionally used materials but also all the key properties – such as strength, durability, planeness, machinability and thermal stability – essential to the production of high-quality signs.

Focus areas

  • Product development
  • Innovation
  • Materials
Elektro-Isola develops greener alternative for the signage industry

An effective cooperation

To identify the exact material capable of meeting both their environmental and production requirements, Modulex Billund explored the properties of several materials over a longer period. Only upon discovering the FSC- and PEFC-certified paper contents in Etronit did Modulex Billund get closer to solving their challenge, and from that point it did not take long until they had the solution they had been seeking for so long:

"Elektro-Isola adapted an existing type of Etronit to our specific requirements, and it did not take long before Elektro-Isola had developed, produced and tested the material for us, enabling us to quickly build prototypes from the new material in our own production. We ended up with two different Etronit qualities, which can be printed and coated, respectively."

Kim Pedersen

Managing Director, Modulex Billund
Elektro-Isola develops greener alternative for the signage industry

Kim Pedersen also explains how Modulex Billund quickly realised that the two types of Etronit meet all their requirements for producing high-quality signs with an outstanding finish:

"Etronit can do just about everything aluminium can, but only weighs about half. We coat and print Etronit after having milled it. We can mill and machine it almost the same way as aluminium, and the coating hardens at high temperatures, which means that temperature stability is important in order to prevent the material from contracting or expanding. Etronit is also strong and durable, which is important for our production of signs for both indoor and outdoor use in many different environments. The final surface finish is naturally just as important as the durability of the material, as our products also perform an aesthetic function, and with Etronit, a great surface uniformity is achieved."

Kim Pedersen

Managing Director, Modulex Billund
Elektro-Isola develops greener alternative for the signage industry

A CO2 footprint up to 50% smaller than with traditional materials

To ensure that the two types of Etronit really were the green alternative that Modulex Billund had been seeking for so long, the CO2 footprints of the materials were meticulously analysed and compared to those of the traditionally used materials:

"Once Etronit has been coated, you cannot see any difference between Etronit, aluminium and acrylic, but analyses show that the CO2 footprint of Etronit is 40–50% below that of acrylic and European-produced ACM sheets. The aesthetic results are therefore fairly uniform, while their carbon footprints vary significantly."

Kim Pedersen

Managing Director, Modulex Billund

Types

The two Etronit types in question are the dark-brown Etronit IIQ and the white Etronit P, known as Etronit and GreenBond™, respectively, at Modulex Billund.

Analyses show that the CO2 footprint from the brown Etronit IIQ is 41% lower than from ACM sheets and at least 53% lower than from acrylic sheets. This quality is being coated at Modulex Billund.

The CO2 footprint from Etronit P/GreenBond™ is 41% lower than from ACM sheets. This quality is printable and also extremely shock resistant, which minimises the risk of transport and handling damage.

Elektro-Isola develops greener alternative for the signage industry

About Modulex Billund

Modulex Billund are specialists in implementing wayfinding and signage solutions, having delivered more than a million signs to companies in all sorts of industries throughout the world.

In 2019, for the 9th time, Modulex Billund was awarded the Green Network diploma for demonstrating environmental corporate social responsibility.

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