Characteristics and detailed analysis of some materials used in lighting fixtures 1 Quartz Crystal:
Crystal lamp
Authentic crystal lamps should be made of K9 crystal material. Due to the high value and numerous defects of natural crystals, which are not suitable for mass use, and the severe shortage of resources, the crystals on crystal lamps now belong to artificially synthesized products, regardless of their value, whether imported or domestically produced. In terms of chemical composition, crystal is composed of glass and some metallic lead. When the lead content in glass reaches 24%, it can be called crystal in the sense that lead is used to improve the transparency of glass. After natural light passes through, the refracted rainbow light is also the strongest.
The texture of crystal lamps is generally divided into natural crystal, heavy lead crystal, low lead crystal, crystal glass, etc. Currently, more than 95% of crystal lamps on the market are made of crystal glass,
Even plastic ones have a much lower price than natural and lead containing crystals. The main metal materials for crystal lamps are copper and iron, with copper being about 4-5 times more expensive than iron. Iron, first of all, is cheap and significantly better than copper in terms of strength and deformation resistance. Therefore, the middle and square tube parts of each lamp are made of iron material, even for all copper lamps. The disadvantage is that if not fully covered by electroplating, the possibility of rusting is 100%. Copper is expensive, soft in material, and better in surface treatment than iron. Under normal circumstances, its chance of rusting is very small. The cost of using copper and iron for the same lamp stand will differ by 4-5 times.
If making a thick transparent lampshade, using crystal has the best effect and the unit price is relatively high. If the glass is thick, there will be bubbles.
2. Polymer Clay:
Soft ceramic lamp
Soft pottery is an artificial low-temperature polymerized clay. Also known as "painted pottery" or "barbecue clay". From the appearance, the small packaging of this clay is extremely similar to plasticine, and there are also many similarities between the gameplay before baking and plasticine. Soil of different colors can aggregate and shape into various ever-changing patterns and shapes. Some predict that soft pottery will be the most fascinating craft material of the 21st century.
3. Parchment
Sheepskin lamp
At present, the sheepskin lamps sold in the market are all made of imitation sheepskin (known as parchment paper in the industry), which means that a thin film is coated on a polymer material to create an effect. Moreover, in terms of lighting fixtures, due to their relatively simple manufacturing process and basic homogenization, the only differences are in shape and brand. This is also the reason why the styles are the same but the brands are different, but the differences are significant.
Due to the distinction between imported and domestically produced sheepskin paper, most of the better branded sheepskin lamps use imported sheepskin paper, which has better quality than domestically produced ones and naturally higher prices.
It is best to use energy-saving lamps as light sources for sheepskin lamps. If the surface heat of the bulb is relatively high, it will cause the sheepskin paper to age and deform over time, and it is easy to produce odors and pollute the environment.
Five key points for choosing sheepskin lamps: ① Check the feel: Two types of sheepskin paper have different tactile sensations. The good ones feel smoother, while the poor ones feel rougher. ② Check the flexibility of the material: Poor quality parchment paper is very brittle and can break easily when bent, while good quality parchment paper is flexible and not easy to tear or break Judging the scrub resistance by looking at the film coating: Poor parchment paper can easily peel off the film coating, and such lamps are not scrub resistant. And many sheepskin paper films are more firmly laminated, with the film and the main body basically integrated, making it difficult to peel off,
Therefore, it can be washed with water Flammability: Sheepskin can be ignited with a lighter, but once it leaves the source of fire, some parchment will still burn and emit black smoke, while others will immediately extinguish. In addition, inferior parchment paper will smell a slight plastic odor after burning, while better ones can hardly be smelled, reflecting their environmental differences, which is a very important point High temperature resistance and aging resistance: because the sheepskin lamp with good quality has good flame retardancy, it is not easy to burn without open fire, so it has good aging resistance, which is exactly the characteristic of long-term novelty preservation.
4. Glass:
glazed lamp
In ancient China, the term "glass" was a narrow definition of glass. Nowadays, "glass" generally refers to colored glass works made by adding various oxides and firing them. Nowadays, works made of materials such as optical glass, flat glass, crystal glass, or borax glass are collectively referred to as glass artworks. This shows that "glass" is only a type of glass, and its scope is much smaller than that of "glass". The material of glass is artificial crystal glass. Its characteristic is a high refractive index of light, which can present a crystal clear effect. With the coordination of light, it can fully express its artistic characteristics.
5. Stainless Steel:
stainless steel lamp
Steel that is resistant to weak corrosive media such as air, steam, water, and chemical corrosive media such as acid, alkali, and salt, also known as stainless acid resistant steel. In practical applications, steel that is resistant to weak corrosive media is often referred to as stainless steel, while steel that is resistant to chemical media is referred to as acid resistant steel. Due to the difference in chemical composition between the two, the former may not be resistant to chemical corrosion, while the latter generally has non rusting properties. The corrosion resistance of stainless steel depends on the alloy elements contained in the steel.
6. Aluminum alloy
Aluminum alloy lamp
Aluminum alloy still maintains its lightweight characteristics, but its mechanical properties have significantly improved. By utilizing the coloring property of aluminum alloy after anodizing treatment, various decorative items can be made. Aluminum alloy sheets and profiles can undergo secondary processing such as anti-corrosion, embossing, painting, and printing on their surfaces to produce various decorative sheets and profiles as decorative materials. One of his characteristics is low cost and the ability to produce the same components in large quantities using a single processing technique. Its material characteristics are light, easy to process, and unlike carbon fiber, it does not have a maximum stress range in terms of durability. That is to say, carbon fiber has the characteristics of fibers, so it is oriented in a certain fiber direction
Strong force bearing ability, but poor force bearing in other directions. When manufacturing a relatively large component, several layers of carbon fiber may be used, and when the load-bearing capacity is exceeded, the component will become layered like a pastry. After being subjected to a certain amount of force, aluminum alloy will gradually deform and then be damaged.
7. Acrylic (PMMA)
Acrylic lamp
Hong Kong people often refer to it as Yajiali, which is an important thermoplastic developed earlier. It has good transparency, chemical stability, and weather resistance, is easy to dye, process, and has a beautiful appearance.