Lighting effects without electricity

Even when the weather outside is bleak and the first snow fall has hit the ground, the sun spirals made of fluorescent PLEXIGLAS® transform even the slightest ray of sunshine into a lighting effect.

PLEXIGLAS® is particularly impressive when used in large-scale applications, such as on façades. But Evonik’s brand acrylic glass also serves as an eye-catcher in smaller applications. With the SunSpiro sun spirals made of fluorescent PLEXIGLAS®, you can have a colorful eye-catcher in your garden long after the flowers have withered and the leaves have fallen from the trees. Thanks to the special properties of the material, the spirals continue to glow after the sun has set – and all without the use of electricity.

A product of chance

“The SunSpiro sun spirals actually came about from a small accident,” explains Andreas Szak, Managing Director of Acrysign Kunststofftechnik GmbH, the company behind the sun spirals. “We ordered the wrong PLEXIGLAS® GS from Evonik. As we were trying to figure out what to do with the material, the sun spiral idea popped into our heads.” Since then, the SunSpiro sun spirals have been registered as an industrial design and are marketed by a partner of Acrysign.

Lasered material

Each sun spiral is made of a circular cut-out from a 3 mm thick sheet of fluorescent PLEXIGLAS® GS. The plastic specialists then laser a spiral shape into the material. Suspended or attached to a pole, gravity then takes over and expands the spiral.

Powerful lighting

The result is a colorful, bright eye-catcher, since the PLEXIGLAS® GS absorbs light on the surface and convects this over the edges. This is how the powerful lighting effect is created. “The lighting from the SunSpiro sun spirals is so powerful, it’s as if it runs off electricity. But it doesn’t! It is quite simply the fluorescent PLEXIGLAS®,” explains Szak. This effect even continues long after the sun has disappeared from the horizon. “The SunSpiro sun spirals create particularly beautiful lighting in the twilight hours,” gushes Szak. “Even in winter when there is snow on the ground, the sun spirals provide a special splash of color, since the colors are brought out even more by the snow.”

Plus, snow and ice cannot damage the sun spirals. “PLEXIGLAS® offers excellent weather resistance,” says Szak. “Evonik has succeeded in being the only manufacturer to ensure that the material does not fade over the years.” This is highly important – after all, the sun spirals are mainly for use in the garden or on the balcony and thus are permanently exposed to the elements.