DELO adhesives are used for the new glass/metal assembly system

„BackPlate" connects glass plates for banisters, partition walls or furniture without tensions and in a visually attractive manner.

As of now, a completely new way of fixing glass plates is available on the market - without having to clamp or drill them: With the glass/metal assembly method "BackPlate", the glass plates are fixed by the flat metal surfaces protruding from the glass. Therefore, glass plates for banisters, partition walls and furniture can be aesthetically bonded without any tensions. For this purpose, high-performance adhesives made by company DELO Industrial Adhesives are used.

Besides an attractive appearance, it is especially advantageous that the glass plates are not subject to restraining forces as is the case with point or clamp holders. Furthermore, the fixtures integrated in the composite can be easily cleaned. This assembly system, which is pending for patent application, was developed by lif GmbH, of which Schneider + Fichtel and DÖPPNER Bauelemente are part, in cooperation with SCHOTT.

With the method "BackPlate", stainless steel sheets, which are previously bonded to one of the glass plates, are colaminated into the laminated safety glass. The light-curing acrylates used are transparent and, therefore, suitable for visually demanding bondings. Moreover, this adhesive is characterized by excellent strength and high temperature resistance and can also be used for safety barriers made of glass. Responding to the high safety requirements, the connection was extensively tested for its suitability for interior glass applications in DELO´s laboratories, for example, through experiments in a tensile testing machine and different aging tests. The results of these tests show that "BackPlate" stands out from the crowd due to its extraordinary load bearing capacity.

Due to its superior appearance, this system has already won several design prices like the if material award 2007 which awards the most innovative systems in the field of materials and material connections and is one of the most important design awards worldwide. This award is presented by if International Forum Design - an independent institute acting as interface between design services and business.

Furthermore, the product was awarded the MATERIALICA Award 2007 in the category „Design + Technology" and nominated for the Design Award 2008 offered by the Federal Republic of Germany.