LED-Backlit PETG Wall Panels

The starting requirement was to develop, from the architect's concept, a plastic wall element with decorative three-dimensional geometry that would also allow backlighting to pass through it.

The individual panels needed to repeat and connect through their arrangement to form a larger wall surface.

Colour-changing LED lighting was planned behind the panels so that the overall wall surface could change its visual character depending on the selected lighting mode.

For that reason, material selection was important alongside product geometry: the material needed to be suitable for thermoforming and for use as a light-diffusing surface.

The architectural concept defined the visual character of the wall surface, while the geometry of the individual plastic element needed to be adapted to the manufacturing process.

A shape with repeating raised segments and rounded transitions was developed so that multiple panels form a continuous relief surface when assembled.

During development, it was important that the same element could be repeated reliably across the complete production run and that adjacent panels together formed a consistent wall composition.

Once the geometry had been defined, dedicated thermoforming tooling was designed.

The tool needed to reproduce the repeating three-dimensional form, radii and transitions that define the appearance of the finished panel.

After the tool had been manufactured, trial forms were produced to check the geometry and the appearance of the material after thermoforming.

The panels were manufactured from 2 mm opal PETG.

The material was thermoformed over the prepared tool so that it took on the defined relief geometry.

The milky-white opal surface allows backlighting to pass through and diffuse, which was important for the intended LED-lighting application.

The individual panel was not intended as a stand-alone decorative element, but as one part of a larger wall composition.

A continuous relief surface is created by arranging multiple identical panels, with LED lighting positioned behind them.

Changing the lighting colour and mode changes the appearance of the complete surface, while the three-dimensional panel geometry additionally influences how the light is distributed across the wall.

Once the geometry and trial parts had been approved, a production run of 100 thermoformed panels was completed.

Using the defined tooling made it possible to repeat the same geometry throughout the production run, which was important for subsequently arranging the elements into one continuous wall surface.