10.26.04 - The “Soccer-Ball Globe” made with film produced from Dyneon™ ETFE
Oakdale, Minnesota (October 26, 2004) – Technology and sport unite in a 66-foot (20 meter) soccer ball known officially as the “Fussball Globus FIFA WM 2006™.” The giant ball, created by multimedia artist André Heller, serves as part of the artistic and cultural program being offered by the German government and organization committee as a prelude to the 2006 FIFA World Cup games.
Currently on tour of the German host cities where the games will be played, the globe is sheathed in Dyneon™ ETFE, a high-performance plastic often used for modern, lightweight roof structures.
Like the real thing, this soccer-ball globe consists of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. The individual panels are film made of Dyneon™ ETFE, shaped by air pressure to form thermally insulating cushions held together in a steel grid. Extruded by the Bavarian company NOWOFOL Kunststoffprodukte GmbH & Co. KG of Siegsdorf, the ETFE film is not only highly weatherproof, but also resistant to virtually all chemicals.
Due to the low surface tension of the fluoropolymer-based plastic, the film is also virtually self-cleaning, needing only rain to wash away accumulated dirt. At the same time, the material combines outstanding UV stability with good mechanical properties. Films made with Dyneon™ ETFE have very good tear and puncture strength and good hail resistance. In addition, the material does not support combustion (Fire classification B1 according to DIN 4102, flame retardant non-burning drip).
Usually made in thickness of 100 to 250 µm, the films can be readily conjoined by heat-sealing. They have been used in roof structures for sports stadiums, swimming pools and botanical gardens.
Custom-made by Covertex GmbH of Obing for the Würzburg steel-construction specialists Mero, the 32 film-covered panels are light enough so that the globe can easily be dismantled and reassembled. The highly transparent films allow up to 95 percent of the light to pass through. They are also designed to permit colored-lighting effects so that in the daytime the structure looks like a soccer ball while at dusk it assumes the appearance of a globe.
Inside the soccer ball, the visitor will find an artistic and technically sophisticated program that highlights various aspects of the sport of soccer – in large-screen projections, virtual scenarios and interactive games. Twenty video beams, 15,738 feet (4,800 meters) of multimedia cable and 40 speaker systems inside the structure make it all possible. When nighttime falls, 20,000 power LEDs produce impressive projections and optical effects that can be seen far and wide.
For more information on Dyneon architectural applications click here.
Dyneon, a 3M company, is one of the world’s leading fluoropolymer producers with operations or representation in more than 50 countries. Headquartered in Oakdale, Minnesota, Dyneon employs more than 800 people globally who are dedicated to customer service, technical and sales support, marketing, research, application development and production.
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