Hello everybody,
for those of you looking for the best projection screen available, have a look at PLEXIGLAS 7D006. It’s the projection screen Microsoft Surface uses. I wanted to use this projection screen to build my multi-touch table, but there’s no supplier for cut-to-size panels because 7D006 is intended for high-end solutions and is only available from Evonik Röhm in whole sheets. I have attached a PDF file with the optical characteristics for 7D006. To summarize:
- Thickness: 5 mm
- Intended Resolution: High definition
- Gain: 1.3
- Half-gain angle: 38° (extremely large viewing angle)
- Light transmission: 45%
- Color: grey
- Surface finish: both sides matte
- No hotspot, high brightness uniformity
I have compared this kind of Plexiglas to all other rear projection Plexiglas materials available from Evonik Röhm (RP 99561, RP 99562, RP 0D002, RP 7D006, RP 7D009) and found that 7D006 is the best choice regarding brightness uniformity, viewing angle and DI effect. You can download a video of a test >>here<< (it uses the DivX codec, to view it you might have to install it: http://www.divx.com). The top material is 7D009 and the bottom material is 7D006. Because of the very nice DI effect, 7D006 is also a good choice for DSI setups. It can be used as the top layer because it’s very robust.
Considering all those advantages, I went ahead and bought a whole sheet of 7D006 directly from Evonik Röhm. Because I don’t need all of it, I thought I could offer the material to the NUI community. Just ask for a piece and I’ll see if I can cut it for you.
Edit: Here’s a website of a guy who’s tested 7D009 so you get an impression of how the material looks: http://www.ledstorm.net/?p=11
He’s testing 7D009, but 7D006 looks exactly the same as 7D009, except that 7D009 has one glossy and one matte side, and 7D006 has both sides matte.
This sounds great! Certainly interested in buying and NUI should definatly look into wholesale distribution to minimise cost and get the best quality. I would be looking at buying 2 sheets at around coffee table size (or 1 that i can cut in half if cutting is possible without cracking or damage). Dont know exact sizes yet but hopefully this is a good indication. would this work well as the top protective layer in a DSI setup ontop of Endlighten? Email or PM if you want more info.
Plexiglas 7D006 works well as a top layer in any kind of DI, DSI or LLP setup. Of course it’s not as robust as real glass, but it is very smooth and very nice to touch, and the projection surface is right at the top, so you don’t have a gap between your finger and the projection surface as you would have with projection film + transparent protective acrylic.
Hey Ancalagon, just a quick question: why is the 7D006 better than the 7D009? Isn’t it better to have a clearer bottom side?
Sorry if this is a stupid question…
In DI and DSI setups, you want to minimize reflections on the underside of the table surface. A matte finish helps to reduce those reflections. In the case of 7D006, the matte side doesn’t degrade image quality.
Right, I thought so. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of the LLP setup I’m planning.
But then I did a little more research and found out that there are quite a few more differences between the two materials. The 7D006 is more suitable for indoor use, whereas the 7D009 is better for daylight. The latter has a darker color, and much lower gain and light transmission. Thus, it should provide an image with better contrast but lower brightness.
Right, I thought so. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of the LLP setup I’m planning.
But then I did a little more research and found out that there are quite a few more differences between the two materials. The 7D006 is more suitable for indoor use, whereas the 7D009 is better for daylight. The latter has a darker color, and much lower gain and light transmission. Thus, it should provide an image with better contrast but lower brightness.
I have both materials here. 7D009 is not much darker than 7D006. In fact, I don’t see any difference between the two. Yes, 7D009 has lower gain than 7D006, but in projection tests I found that the differences to the human eye are almost unnoticeable. I will try to upload photos of the two materials this weekend so you can compare them.
is there the possibillity to get a sample of that material from degussa/evonik roehm? i would mind buying it before i test it… i live in Germany.
Just call them or write them an e-mail, maybe they’ll send you a sample. I don’t think they will send everyone samples of every material, but if you ask politely there’s a good chance you’ll get a sample.
I have one piece of 7D006 left: it’s a 46x46 cm sheet. I can cut it to any size below these dimensions. Because this is the last sheet, I will offer a 10% discount.
If you want to have a larger cut-to-size piece of 7D006, please post in this thread. If there are enough people, I will buy another 7D006 sheet and cut it for you.
Hi there, sorry for asking a stupid question but how do you tell this 7D006 is good for DSI setup?
DSI setups are like DI setups in the way they work. So you need a light source (either direct illumination or illumination through edge-lit Plexiglas Endlighten) and a diffuser on top. So the question is, what material do you use as a diffuser / projection surface? You can use projection films, such as Gerriets Optitrans or Rosco Grey (maybe with a glass top, but that makes dragging uncomfortable), or you can use solid Plexiglas projection screens like 7D006.
Hi I may be interested although 48x48cm would be too small.
What would be the cost of a screen 60x45 cm? Would you be able to mail it to the US? How much would shipping cost?
Hi I may be interested although 48x48cm would be too small.
What would be the cost of a screen 60x45 cm? Would you be able to mail it to the US? How much would shipping cost?
Yes, I ship worldwide. As a rule of thumb for the US: a sheet smaller than 118x58 cm will cost around 45€ in shipping. Because all but one pieces have already been sold, I can’t sell you the size you request. But if you wait a little, I will buy another full sheet if enough people want a piece. If you are interested and don’t mind a little wait, I can add you to the number of interested buyers in my first post in this thread.
Is there a way to use the 7006 plexiglas in an FTIR setup? The thing is that i’d like to prevent ir light shining out of the surface.
Best regards,
Chris
Ideally, you would have a compliant layer and a soft diffuser on top of the compliant layer (for example projection film).
You could make a FTIR setup with a sheet of 7D006 and a clear acrylic sheet on top of the 7D006. However, this way you would have to touch the clear acrylic directly, which makes dragging uncomfortable. So, for an FTIR setup, I’d recommend a compliant layer and projection film like Gerriets Optitrans.
For those of you who are interested in buying 7D006 but don’t want to risk buying a large piece of it without having seen the material, I’m sending out free samples (4” x 4.5"). Send me a PM if you want a sample.
