Thermoformed panels also nest compactly and several panels can be cut simultaneously with aviation snips.Īs an example, an independent construction consultant prepared a detailed construction cost estimate comparing thermoformed and mineral-fiber ceiling panels for a 110,000-sq-ft office building in Oklahoma City.
However, waste will be reduced because thermoformed panels do not break easily during handling, as is common with mineral fiber panels.
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While labor to install panels is similar regardless of material, cutting individual thermoformed panels for perimeter units may cost slightly more than scoring and breaking square-edged mineral fiber tiles and about the same as trimming tegular panels. Thermoplastic panels, for example, are more affordable than high-performance and decorative mineral fiber panels and competitively priced with ordinary mineral fiber products. The affordability of any installation depends on the project conditions, products, and performance levels required. And sprinkler installers do not have to return to the project to adjust sprinkler locations after ceiling installation. Ceiling installers do not have to cut holes for sprinklers. Economical sprinklers styles can be used and decorative finishes, trim rings, and escutcheons can be eliminated. It becomes unnecessary to position sprinklers at panel centers this means the layout of sprinklers can be optimized, shop drawings to coordinate sprinklers and ceiling installation can be eliminated, and less piping is required. For example, drop-out ceilings eliminate the need to extend pipes from sprinkler mains to ceiling elevation. Installing drop-out panels beneath sprinklers can be significantly less expensive than using mineral fiber panels with penetrating sprinklers. The panels harden when they reach the relatively cooler floor and do not add meaningfully to the fuel load. This exposes above-ceiling sprinklers to rising heat and allows sprinklers to activate without interference. When exposed to sufficient heat, the vinyl panels soften, sag, and fall out of a standard metal ceiling grid. They are made from thermoformed vinyl just 0.013- or 0.030-in. TFCs overcome these limitations, justifying a re-examination of drop-out ceilings. EPS ceilings have many limitations, however, that have discouraged specifiers from considering drop-out ceilings in the past. The thermal insulation properties of EPS make it useful in cold-storage facilities where they enable wet pipe fire sprinkler systems to be installed above rooms with freezing temperatures.
Most drop-out ceilings are made from either expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam or are thermoformed ceiling (TFC) panels. A suspended ceiling system, which is installed below the sprinklers, with listed translucent or opaque panels that are heat-sensitive and fall from their setting when exposed to heat.ĭrop-out ceiling systems have been in use since the development in the mid-20th century of modern suspended ceiling systems and suitable plastics.
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