Smart glass

>I am seeking some advice with regards to SmartGlass technology,
>either in the form of film or glass.  We are currently looking at
>the use of this technology for one of our gallery spaces to remove
>the need for blinds, however continue controlling the level of
>daylight.  I was wondering is anyone has any experience with the use
>of SmartGlass or has conducted any experimentation with regards to
>light reduction during the opaque state.  I am aware that some
>produce offer a 'dimmable' solution and I was wondering if anyone
>has experimented with this?  Any experience or knowledge with
>regards to these products would be very welcome, however great or
>small.

We currently use SmartGlass from Variguard in three exhibit cases in
two different galleries to protect some very sensitive artifacts.
It is film pressed between two pieces of glass that we chose to have
visitor activated using a push button.  We have run a light test
taking a reading every second outside and inside the case over a
month.  What we found was a reduction in exposure by 86% to 92% by
just removing the ambient light when the object was not being viewed
by visitors.  When the glass is fully opaque our light meters read 0
lux.  When activated, the glass is very clear and the object can be
viewed just fine.  We do find that some of the visitors are often
intimidated by the black glass and have to be encouraged to push the
button.

We tested one other brand of smart glass but when opaque had a
constant reading of 1-2 lux, so we have stayed with Variguard.

Rebecca Kennedy
Preservation Specialist
Smithsonian National Postal Museum


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:48
                   Distributed: Tuesday, May 10, 2016
                       Message Id: cdl-29-48-002
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