Interactive Glass Gets Your Attention

Every once in awhile we are asked to produce something that falls into the category of “unusual” and this would be one of those occasions. There are glass manufacturers that produce various tints of colored glass that are incorporated into large fabricated windows for office buildings, motor vehicles, or even eyeglasses… But how about glass that can change into vibrant colors based on temperature? If you’re looking for something unusual for your next project, you should add interactive glass to your list. But wait, what kind of projects could you use this for? Artist, Blane Kivley from Moving Color Studios has developed a line of color-changing laminated glass tiles that JIT Companies produces to his custom specifications. Envision using these in a shower installation and watch the color-changing effects take place from the water. For a laugh, you can even leave an imprint of your butt cheeks (More for the kids entertainment, but I would also give it a try). Visit Blane’s website at http://www.movingcolor.net for more thought-provoking ideas.

Thermochromic Technology Changes Colors of Materials

So how does this material work? This specific thermochromic technology starts with a clear film substrate that has been coated with a liquid crystal, temperature-sensitive pigment. As the temperature increases, the material changes color from reddish-brown to green to blue, producing a rainbow effect with other colors in between. Without getting too technical, because this is all happening at a nanoscale molecular level (which I admit to knowing nothing about), it enables the material to change colors through a specific temperature range. These pigments have a wide ranging color shift based on the temperature of the material is subjected to and can also be enhanced by changing the base color that is applied to the back of the material. Basically what this means is if you placed your hand on the material for several seconds, the image of your hand print would remain until the material reverted back to normal room temperature. Thermochromic pigments come in a wide range of colors and temperature levels so from an artist’s standpoint, this gives you a large pallet of choices. For more information regarding this Temperature, Water & UV Light Activated Color Change material and technology you can reach out to LCR Hallcrest.

Waterjet Process Changes the Color of Materials

For this application today, we laminated this material between glass using our proprietary glass laminating process to protect the coating from damage. After laminating the larger plates, they are precision waterjet cut into smaller tile which will be installed into a decorative wall project that will be subjected to temperature variations. To demonstrate how this material performs, you can see how the waterjet process changes the color of the material during cutting (see video below).

JIT Can help with your Next Unusual Project

Looking for something unique for your next project? Let us know if you want to learn more about waterjet cutting this interactive glass material… Your friends at JIT Companies would love to chat with you by phone at 507-326-5240 or you can reach out via this simple form on our website.