QUARTERLY NEWS EDITED BY CATAS
YEAR 19 / N. 02 JUNE 2014
Management, Editing and Administration CATAS spa Via Antica, 24/3 33048 San Giovanni al Natisone Udine / Italy Tel. 0432 747211 Fax 0432 747250 www.catas.com President Bernardino Ceccarelli Managing Director Andrea Giavon Coordination CATAS News Franco Bulian Franco Prete Luca Bertossi
Design Deeper Comunication Udine / Italy Layout and graphics Annamaria Franz
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Reproduction or duplication of the contents of this quarterly on any support is authorized under condition that the source - Š CATAS - San Giovanni al Natisone - Udine - Italy is being cited All rights reserved
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in this issue 04 Revision of the EU Ecolabel furniture and GPP 05 Coatings and Woodworking Industries win major EU funding for sustainable research project 08 Upholstered furniture destined for California - New provisions relating to fire reaction 12 The homologation travels on line 13 A new set of standards for wood-plastic composites has been published 14 Flexible cellular polymeric materials 16 CATAS - FIRA ergonomic certificate 23 Is your playground safe? 24 Design, Safety and Sustainability - 9 October at CATAS 25 GET INSPIRED BY MATERIALS 28 Publications
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Revision of the EU Ecolabel furniture and GPP
Andrea Giavon
2nd Ad-Hoc Working Group (AHWG) meeting for the revision of the EU Ecolabel and Green Public Procurement criteria for Furniture – 15 May 2014 - Brussels
the day’s proceedings were complex and sometimes contradictory. It is not my intention to give a detailed report of the meeting, but only highlight some aspects that I think are important and worth to be informed to The revision work of the furniture Ecolabel began in reflect on this voluntary instrument made available the last year and after a first meeting in Seville and by the European Commission. the circulation of the first draft, there was a second meeting of the AHWG in one of the sites of the Eu- Even if it will not be entered as criteria, we started talking about the second hand and refurbished furropean Commission in Brussels. Many different stakeholders (industry associations, niture. In some EU countries (eg. UK) already such producers of raw materials, labs, government insti- a request comes in to parts of public procurement. tutions etc.) participated to that meeting with a total number of 53 delegates 6 of them coming from Italy Hospital furniture, with its peculiarities (cleanliness, hygiene, fire reaction etc.) Is not excluded from the and in particular also from CATAS. The points in discussion were many dealt at a high document even though deserves a detailed discussion. speed so that all of them were addressed. Some delegations asked for a third meetingt be- Street furniture (benches, and tables) is included in cause the various issues needed more time, but the the document. tight schedule imposed by the Commission on such The term “panel walls” will be changed to “cladwork does not allow for any delays of deadlines. ding” to avoid confusion with what is now a conWe want to remind that an important fact of this re- struction product. vision is that now the scheme is applicable to furniture made of different materials and not only from The requirements on wood are still under discuswood as that in force (the 90% weight / weight of sion, including EUTR and voluntary schemes such the product must be made of solid wood or of wood as FSC and PEFC. based materials). The points discussed were those related to the fol- The requirement for formaldehyde emission is E1 as the proposal to limit to 50% of that proposed lowing criteria: seems too ambitious. The question of the inclusion or exclusion of PVC is • traceability of wood and sustainable wood also still under discussion. • formaldehyde emissions • plastics For the moment the lead glass seems to be exclu• metals ded since the presence of this heavy metal. • leather, • textiles Discussion is still open on the durability require• padding materials ments of the finished product and the subject of the • hazardous substances emission of VOCs (chamber type, sampling , limit • surface treatment and adhesives values). • glass • packaging • product description criteria and Consumer in- The deadline for the submission of written comments has been scheduled for July 4. In autumn it formation is expected the circulation of the next draft of the • final product document. When it will be circulated we will inform As it can be noticed from the list and consequently and we will give an extensive explanation on these pages. 4
Coatings and Woodworking Industries win major EU funding for sustainable research project Franco Bulian
A consortium of 15 partners from the coatings and joinery industries have been successful in receiving EU funding of € 2.7m towards Servowood, a FP7 project whose goal is to develop and establish European standards that will facilitate the prediction of service life for exterior wood coatings. The consortium is made up of CEPE (representing the European paint manufacturers) and trade associations and consultancies from Denmark, Germany, Spain and the UK representing both paint manufacturers and the wood supply chain, together with research institutions and two SME coatings and joinery manufacturers. Commenting on the success, Jan van der Meulen, Director General of CEPE (the European Coatings Federation) and Servowood’s project co-ordinator said “It is fantastic news that the Coatings Industry has secured this funding towards a project that will help shine the light on the contribution made by coatings towards protecting scarce natural resources, such as wood used as a substrate in the construction industry. Given that only one in twenty bids are successful, this is a real achievement”. The project started on the 1st January 2014 and will run for three years. During this period the project will expose a wide range of panels to natural weathering and a range of accelerated tests, some of which will be novel, to determine which tests best predict natural degradation. It is hoped that from these results an improved European Standard can be developed for the benefit of all those involved in timber construction. The specific role of CATAS is to investigate the physical and chemical changes affecting wood coatings during weathering. Such parameters (like the glass transition temperature, elasticity modulus, oxidation and others) can be considered as the real indicators of the overall effects of weathering on wood coatings. 5
Coatings and Woodworking Industries win major EU funding for sustainable research project Franco Bulian The final goal is to consider the connections of such modifications with the macroscopic evidences normally assessed after a weathering trial like, for example: cracking, flaking and chalking. For further information visit the Servowood website www.servowood.eu. THE CONSORTIUM ASSOCIATIONS European Federation of Coating Producers
COORDINATOR OF THE PROJECTS EU
Denmark Association of Coating producers
Denmark
Federation of the European Building Joinery Associations Cluster Construcci贸n Sostenible
EU
Spain
British Coating Federation
United Kingdom
British WoodWorking Federation
United Kingdom
Window manufacturer
United Kingdom
Coating Producer
The Nederlands
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS
Weathering instruments 6
Germany
Franco Bulian RESEARCH INSTITUTES Overfladeteknik Maleteknisk Rådgivning ApS
Denmark
Institut Technologique Forêt Cellulose Bois-construction Ameublement
France
Holzforschung Austria
Austria
Paint Research Association
United Kingdom
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology - EMPA
Switzerland
CATAS
Italy
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Upholstered furniture destined for California Franco Prete
New provisions relating to fire reaction
After almost 40 years Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) has been updated) whose edition “June 2013” came into force on 1st January 2014. There will be one year of time to conform the production then during 2014 it will be possible to trade either according to the old and the new edition of TB 117. Since 1st January 2015, manufacturers will only produce upholstered furniture complying with the new edition. TB 117 shall apply to upholstered furniture sold in California for the domestic sector, not for bedding products as mattresses, pillows and decorative pillows for which there are other provisions. For the contract sector (non-domestic), the standard reference continues to be Technical Bulletin 133. Returning to TB 117, the substantial difference concerns the test method that is based on the application of a smouldering cigarette on assemblies of materials and no longer on the gas flame applied to the single components. The tests are performed on particular assemblies of materials that are mounted in a plywood equipment reproducing a seat and a back in a L-shape (see photo). For the construction of the specimen, the sample is combined with standard test materials defined by the single test method. The following types of materials will be tested: • outer covers of any nature (section 1); • interliners or materials that may be of different nature and that they act as a barrier between the cover and the filling materials (section 2); • resilient filling materials that can be of various types (section 3); • decking materials placed under loose (detached) seat cushions (section 4). If the cover passes the test of section 1, the filling materials must pass the test of section 3. If the filling materials is made up of various components/layers, all components must meet the requirements of section 3, not only the layer placed below the cover. If the requirement is not met by the filling material, a barrier material in accordance with section 2 must be used between the cover and the filling material. Even if the cover fails the test of section 1, a barrier material shall be used in accordance with section 2, regardless of the behaviour of the filling materials. Under TB 117-2013, only outer covers must pass the section 1 test. If the interior cover is not intended as 8
a barrier material, then it will not have to pass the section 2 test. Dust covers that are usually used under the seat, are not subject to section 1 test. The ticking encasing the loose fill, for example feathers and down, must comply with section 1. If it is not or if the filling material does not comply with section 3, a compliant barrier material must be used. If the outer cover is not compliant with section 1 and the ticking material, encasing the loose fill, is in contact with the cover, the ticking may act as a barrier and therefore must comply with section 2. In this case the loose fill may not even meet the standard. If multiple layers of barriers are present, only the upper most layer that lies directly underneath the outer cover will have to pass section 2. The barrier material may also be a wadding that usually is made of polyester fiber. This depends on the use intended for the wadding: if it lies between the cover and the filling components and both cover and filling components meet the corresponding sections of TB 117-2013, then the wadding will not have to pass the section 2 test and it will be considered as another filling component. If the wadding material acts as a barrier, there is no specific requirement or pre-assigned thickness: it must pass the section 2 test. If there are cushions that can be used on both sides (reversible cushions), any barrier material must completely envelop the filling material. For non-reversible
Franco Prete cushions, the presence of the barrier material can be limited to the top and the edges of the cushions. The section 4 test concerns upholstered furniture that have a fixed part of the seat where removable cushions are placed, typical of the armchairs and sofas. For this type of upholstered furniture, the filling materials (no cover, if any), which are placed in the fixed part of the seating, must pass the section 4 test and shall also comply with the requirement of section 3. Ultimately, to produce an upholstered seating in accordance with TB 117-2013, one of these two solutions can be chosen: 1. use a cover material that complies with section 1 and combine it to the filling material/s in accordance with section 3 (in this case a barrier material is not necessary); 2. use a cover and/or filling material/s that does not comply with the corresponding sections, so not “fireproof”, provided that it is interposed a barrier material in accordance with section 2. These solutions concern all upholstered parts of furniture: seat, back, arms, sides, etc. The manufacturers of upholstered furniture are responsible for the compliance of their products with TB 117-2013 and therefore are required to demonstrate that the requirements are satisfied. For this purpose they may use the attestations of conformity issued by the suppliers of single components: covers, waddings, foams, etc. It is usual to group and to classify fabrics that have common characteristics, for example, the composition, the mass per unit area, the treatments, the backcoating, the patterns/drawings and so on, and then to try what is considered the “worst case” that is what is more prone to progressive smoudering. If this fabric passes the test, also the other fabrics belonging to that group can be considered as “passing the test”. Of course, if the fabric is marked as such, need to be sure that it meets the requirement of TB 117. The frequency of carrying out the tests is at the discretion of the manufacturers. The test labs shall not be authorized by the Bureau (Californian Authority) who has prepared a list of laboratories, CATAS included.
If the materials are supplied by the customer to the manufacturer of the furniture or to an upholsterer, two cases may occur: 1. if the customer provides attestations of conformity for their materials, the manufacturer or upholsterer can use them accordingly; 2. if no attestations of conformity are provided by the customer and the manufacturer or upholsterer does not know whether the material meets the standard or not, the use of a barrier material that meets the section 2 test will ensure compliance of the furniture with TB 117-2013. In California there is also the Technical Bulletin 116 but it is not mandatory. By law, all upholstered furniture sold in California, in the domestic sector, shall comply with TB 117 however if a furniture meets the TB 116, it is very likely that it is also in accordance with TB 117-2013. As mentioned, it is up to manufacturers to demonstrate the compliance of their products but also importers, wholesalers and retailers are obliged to ensure that the products they sell meet all applicable requirements. The Authority has not established the requirements for records or for storage of data however the retention of the test reports is recommended for the entire life cycle of the upholstered furniture. The retailers of California can continue to sell the furniture that meet the old standard until stocks are exhausted. From 1st January 2015, retailers will only purchase products that meet the new TB 117. Labeling All upholstered furniture sold in the State of California that are subject to the flammability requirements must have a label, securely attached and in a position where it can be easily read. During 2014 furniture may carry either a label according to the old TB 117 or to TB 117-2013 depending on the standard that it meets. All furniture that will be manufactured after 1st January 2015 must have a TB 117-2013 flammability label attached. There are 9 types of labels that depend on the type of product. The examples that are not reported in this article can be found by downloading the document “Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act and Rules and Regulations”. In section 1126 of the Regulations are also set out the features of size and colour that the labels must comply. In addition, for upholstered furniture in accordan-
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Upholstered furniture destined for California Franco Prete
New provisions relating to fire reaction
ce with TB 117-2013, a label must be attached in a permanent manner and highlight with the following words: NOTICE THIS ARTICLE MEETS THE FLAMMABILITY REQUIREMENTS OF CALIFORNIA BU¬REAU OF ELECTRONIC AND APPLIANCE REPAIR, HOME FURNISHINGS AND THER¬MAL INSULATION TECHNICAL BULLETIN 117-2013. CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED NEAR OPEN FLAME OR WITH BURNING CIGARETTES. License Products can be marketed in California only after obtaining a special license, which is issued by the Responsible Body (BEARHFTI), after filling out a form and sent it. The license has a term of two years
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and is renewable; for a foreign manufacturer or an importer of products manufactured outside the United States of America, the license fee is 650 $. A registration number is assigned which must be shown on the label affixed to upholstered furniture. The provisions imposed by the State of California does not necessarily have to be respected in other States of the U.S.A. because, like all Federal States, there is a broad legislative autonomy also in this sector. For more information, visit www.bearhfti.ca.gov where you can download the Rules, the TB 117-2013 and also other documents relating to the procedure for obtaining the license.
Franco Prete
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Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione, Upholstered furniture destined for California New provisions relating to fire reaction innovazione e realtĂ quotidiana Franco Prete Bulian
Franco Prete
The homologation travels on line
Italy is modernizing and at the same time cuts costs of public spending that time also affect the Homologation Office of the Ministry of the Interior. The normal correspondence with the Companies no longer takes place by Post office but by PEC (certified e-mail). Waiting to computerize all the relations between the Ministry and manufacturers, by the time the communications through PEC are unidirectional (from the Ministry of the user). Restricting ourselves then to the area of fire reaction, the applicant will receive the scannning of all communications and homologations (both the first issue and the renewal) that can be printed from your terminal. At each request, the PEC address must be communicated to the Ministry of the Interior. If the documents of the request already lie at the Ministry, the address to which to send their PEC is prev.protezionepassiva@cert.vigilfuoco.it
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A new set of standards for wood-plastic Gli appartamenti - palestra composites has been published
SaraPaolo Zanchiello Tirelli
“UNI EN 15534-4:2014 Composites made from cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics (usually called wood-polymer composites (WPC) or natural fibre composites (NFC)) - Part 4: Specifications for decking The technical specification UNI CEN/TS 15534- profiles and tiles” 1:2008 was replaced by the following standard: “UNI EN 15534-1:2014 Composites made This European Standard specifies the charactefrom cellulose-based materials and thermo- ristics of decking profiles and tiles made from plastics (usually called wood-polymer com- cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics, posites (WPC) or natural fibre composites usually called wood-polymer composites (WPC) (NFC)) - Part 1: Test methods for characteri- or natural fibre composites (NFC), for external sation of compounds and products” use. This part of EN 15534 is applicable to extruded This European Standard specifies test methods profiles but also to tiles manufactured by other for the determination of properties of compo- plastics processing techniques, e.g. injection sites made from cellulose-based materials and moulding. thermoplastics, usually called wood-polymer It is not applicable to kits (i.e. support rail proficomposites (WPC) or natural fibre composites les, cover strip profiles and hardware) which are (NFC). out of the scope of this part of EN 15534. This part of EN 15534 is applicable to cellular EN 15534-1 specifies the test methods relevant or non-cellular compounds and products, made to this part of EN 15534. from cellulose-based materials and thermoplastics, intended to be or being processed throu- “UNI EN 15534-5:2014 Composites made gh plastics processing techniques, without th- from cellulose-based materials and thermoreshold for the cellulose-based material content. plastics (usually called wood-polymer comAll the properties listed in this part of EN 15534 posites (WPC) or natural fibre composites are not necessarily assessed for a given appli- (NFC)) - Part 5: Specifications for cladding cation. Test parameters and requirements of the profiles and tiles” test methods for a given application are speci- The Standard specifies the characteristics of fied in the relevant part of EN 15534. cladding profiles and tiles made from cellulosebased materials and thermoplastics (WPC) or Profiles for the management of electrical power (NFC), for external or internal use. cables, communication cables and power track This part of EN 15534 is applicable to extruded systems used for the distribution of electrical profiles but also to tiles manufactured by other power, profiles for windows or doors and pro- plastics processing techniques, e.g. injection files for guttering are not covered by EN 15534. moulding. It is not applicable to support rail profiles, cover The technical specification “UNI CEN/TS strip profiles and fastener devices which are out 15534-2:2008 Wood-plastics composites of the scope of this part of EN 15534. (WPC) - Part 2: Characterisation of WPC” was confirmed. EN 15534-1 specifies the test methods relevant to this part of EN 15534. The technical specification UNI CEN/TS 155343:2008 which concerned the characterisation of wood-plastics composites products was replaced by two new standards: At the beginning of March new standards for wood-plastics composite products were published, therefore the new normative situation for these kind of products is the following:
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Simone Poletto
Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione, Flexible cellular polymeric materials innovazione e realtà quotidiana
With regard to the world of upholstery materials, there are two evidences of new testing methods that CATAS intends to bring to the attention of its customers.
ginal thickness. At the end of the compression / decompression cycles, the characteristics of the specimen are determined again. The method can thus determine any losses as a percentage of thickness and stress in compression suffered From 2014 two test methods have been pu- by the material . blished to fill the legal void created after the withdrawal of the following two Italian standards: UNI EN ISO 8307 • UNI 6356 Part 2 “ Determination of resistance to dynamic fatigue “ ; The standard describes a method for the deter• UNI 6357 “ Determination of resilience .” mination of the elastic yield of cellular materials flexible polymer, based on the rebound of a steel The two sandards used are: ball on a test specimen or on a pile of test pieces • UNI 11410 “ Determination of dynamic fati- of the tested material with the surfaces, top and gue at constant strain “ ; bottom, flat and parallel. • UNI EN ISO 8307 “ Flexible cellular polyme- The ball is dropped inside a hollow cylinder of ric materials - Determination of resilience by transparent section with an established height ball rebound” . placed in contact with the specimen . The height reached by the bounce is recorded, along with Although not officially, the two standards should the respective percentage yield . replace, respectively, the two documents men- When comparing the two test methods a diffetioned above (withdrawn without replacement), rence, albeit small, is found between the parabeing similar for the scope. meters prescribed by the two standards. Very few are, in fact, the substantial differen- In both cases the procedure, the shape and size ces that now we try to outline after the accurate of the specimes and the criteria of expression of analysis of the two test methods we have done. the results are the same. They differ only with regard to the requirements section and the height UNI 11410 The standard describes a method for determining the resistance to dynamic fatigue at constant deformation of a flexible cellular polymeric material by the measurement of the percentage variation in thickness and stress in compression that this undergoes after being subjected to compression / decompression cycles. In this case there are no significant differences between the requirements of the two methods, remaining unchanged the main parameters such as the shape and the size of the specimens, the operating characteristics of the test apparatus (dimensions of the plates, the number of cycles/ minute), procedure and expression of results. The test is based on the initial determination of the characteristics of the specimen by means of the UNI EN ISO 3386-1 “ Determination of stress-strain characteristics in compression “ , which follows a series of 75.000 compression / decompression cycles to 75% of its ori14
Simone Poletto
of the transparent hollow cylinder is dropped from the top of the ball. The UNI 6357:1968 prescribed a section having an internal diameter equal to (50 Âą 5 ) mm , in the case of the UNI EN ISO 8307 ,it may be between 30 and 65 mm . The height of the cylinder , then the height of fall of the sphere, provided by UNI 6357:1968 was 450 mm , while 500 mm in UNI EN ISO 8307 . It is clear that the two standards adopted overlap almost perfectly to the two previous withdrawn documents, representing therefore the effective substitutes. With the application of UNI 11410 we can obtain results fully comparable with those obtained in the past, with the UNI 6356 part 2 . The results obtained by means of the UNI EN ISO 8307 may slightly differ, compared to the use of UNI 6357 , because of the different height of the fall of the sphere, provided by the two test methods, and the resulting yield ratio .
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Franco Bulian Annamaria Franz
Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione, CATAS - FIRA ergonomic certificate innovazione e realtà quotidiana
The expertise of both CATAS Italian laboratory and FIRA English institute have teamed up to provide an interesting new service to furniture producers. FIRA (Furniture Industry Research Association), was founded 60 years ago in Stevenage, just outside London, to support British manufacturers of furniture. Today FIRA is the leading institution in the UK for the certification, consulting and as a testing laboratory in the furniture industry. Its ergonomics department, headed by senior Ergonomist Levent Çaglar, is an international reference point in defining benchmarks for the proper design of work chairs, office furniture and products in general. On top of the standardization work, which involves experts from both institutions in the drafting of European standards, CATAS has been cooperating with FIRA on some projects related to ergonomics. These premises have led to the end of 2013, the two institutions to enter into a partnership agreement focused on a joint ergonomic product certification on furniture. The first certificate has been issued in march 2014. HOW IT WORKS The joint ergonomic certification is based on a protocol, which requests, in the case of chairs for office work, the overcoming of the following phases: 1. Safety requirements Verification of compliance with the safety requirements of the reference standard. First, the chair is tested in accordance with the requirements of EN 1335 Part 1: Dimensions, Parts 2 and 3: Safety requirements and test methods. The outcome of the tests must be positive. 2. Assessment by a panel of users A panel of users, representative of the population in terms of anthropometric measures, is entrusted with the task to use the chair in its normal work activities. At the end of the trial period, a questionnaire is submitted to the panel for the ergonomic evaluation of the chair. The questionnaire assesses the comfort of the various parts of the chair in contact with the user, the usability of the control mechanisms and the feelings of comfort perceived, providing an analysis of the comfort of the seat from the point of view of users covering from 5th to 95th percentile of the anthropometric dimensions of male and female. 3. Ergonomic assessment in accordance with EN ISO 9241-5 At this point, the data related to safety requirements and the answers to the questionnaire are analyzed by the ergonomist with reference to the international standard EN ISO 9241-5 “Ergonomic requirements for office work with display terminals (VDTs) - Requirements and postural for the configuration of the workplace.” If the evaluation is successful, the ergonomic certification is issued. Italian, English and international companies can contact one of the two institutions to apply for certification: the institute contacted becomes the reference institute, which will carry out all the planned activities except the ergonomic assessment, always performed by the FIRA senior ergonomist Levent Çaglar.
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Gli appartamenti - palestra
Sara Zanchiello Annamaria Franz
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Annamaria Franz Franco Bulian
Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione, CATAS - FIRA ergonomic certificate innovazione e realtà quotidiana
ELEMENTS OF ERGONOMICS IN THE FURNITURE DESIGN extracted from the Furniture Design Toolkit, published by FIRA International Ltd 2013 Ergonomics Ergonomics is the study of the fit between people, the things they do, the objects they use and the environments they live in (whether it be work, rest travel or play). Ergonomics deals with the interaction of technological and work situations with the human being and for this reason, is often called ‘Human Factors’. The aim of ergonomics is to ensure that humans and technology work in complete harmony. As such equipment and tasks should be aligned to human characteristics to reduce the stresses on humans. In many cases, humans can adapt to unsuitable conditions, but such adaptation often leads to inefficiency, errors or physical and mental cost. Designing equipment and work arrangements to improve working posture and ease the load on the body can reduce instances of injury such as repetitive strain injury and work related upper limb disorder, which, if unchecked can, in extreme cases, result in musculoskeletal disorders and costly litigation. The application of ergonomics in the design of furniture products is important. Good ergonomics is an important factor in the overall health, safety and well- being of individuals. For example, the benefits of an ergonomically designed workplace may include increased productivity, increased morale of staff and reduced absenteeism. Good, ergonomically designed furniture occurs when it has been designed with both the intended user(s) and the intended use in mind. Important factors • The ergonomic design of furniture has to take into account of the following factors: • The size of furniture matching the size of intended user populations • Well-being, safety and comfort of users • Productivity and efficiency of users in carrying out their tasks • Furniture meeting the needs of the intended users • Furniture meeting the needs of the task and the job users are carrying out • Ensuring unimpeded interaction between the user and the equipment (including furniture) • Time spent working at the workplace (e.g. time spent sitting, standing) • Matching the forces required to operate any equipment (including furniture) and the capabilities of the intended user population • Safety of the furniture which should not be the source of risk of injury during intended use • Inadvertent operation of any of the controls and their consequences
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Gli appartamenti - palestra
Sara Zanchiello Annamaria Franz
• A cceptable misuse of furniture and their consequences • Ensuring furniture can accommodate intended IT devices (screens, CPUs, monitor arms) in a safe manner • The ability of users being able to move freely at their workstation and ability to adopt a range of comfortable, dynamic postures without being restricted by the furniture • The latest scientific findings Anthropometrics and dimensional fit of furniture to people At the core of any real life product should be its function. For furniture, this involves how well it fits the user. While there may be dimensional Standards for a particular product, it is important to understand why these dimensions have been chosen and for this it is necessary to understand anthropometrics. The point of percentiles Percentiles are frequently mentioned in anthropometric data, but what does the term actually mean? Simply put, it is the percentage of a population that is less or more than a particular anthropometric dimension. The easiest way to explain is with an example: If data told us that the 60th percentile stature of UK males was 1777 mm, it would mean that 60% of the population were shorter than this, and 40% were taller than this. Shorter
0%
Taller
60%
100%
Or if data said that the reach of a 5th percentile female was 623mm, it would mean that 5% of the population had a shorter reach than this, and 95% had a longer reach. Shorter Longer
0%
5%
100%
The distribution of percentiles is not even.
Why no one is average... One thing you should never hear a designer saying is ‘let’s just design it to the average person.’ The reality is that there is no real average person. If a person is the 50th percentile in terms of stature, it is unlikely that they are also the 50th percentile in weight or in arm length etc. This is true for any percentile. The human body varies greatly in body proportions, so a person average in every measurement would be very rare indeed! 19
Annamaria Franz
CATAS - FIRA ergonomic certificate
Hereafter are two examples. Best practice for design In an ideal world, it would be possible to design for Clearance the entire population from the 0th percentile to the For a dimension involving clearance, a larger percen100th so that the entirety of a population could use tile should be used. the product without a problem. It is important to aim E.g. When designing a desk, it is important to ensure to design for all, but in reality the cost of fitting the that there is enough space under the desk to accombroad range between the extreme dimensions is modate a tall man. By designing the clearance under a desk to the 95th percentile male, then the rest of the not practical. In most situations, it is common practice and per- population, who have shorter legs, will have plenty of fectly acceptable to design for the 5th to the 95th space under the desk. percentiles of a population. This means that the majority (90%) of the population would be able to use the dimension/product without issue. It is also possible that some of the 5% at either end of the scale can use the product without too much difficulty (shown in the example above as amber). It is important to specify the population carefully. Population in this context doesn’t automatically mean the whole of the country. Designing for the elderly or for a specific subset of the population (e.g. pregnant women) requires different data as the location of the percentiles shifts based on the attributes of the people. This doesn’t just apply to body dimensions, but also the capabilities of the users. For example, an elderly woman may have less physical strength than a younger counterpart. This may affect the design of items such as levers and controls. What percentile should you be designing for? Because the human race varies greatly in body dimensions and capabilities, it is important to consider the correct application of anthropometric data. For example, if a door height was designed for the average person, then 50% of the population would struggle to get through without banging their heads or stooping! By using the 95th percentile male requirement, then the rest of the population, who are shorter, will fit through without a problem.
Reach For a dimension involving reach, a smaller percentile should be used. E.g. If a lever is designed for the ‘average’ person, then 50% of the population would struggle to reach it! By using the 5th percentile female requirement, then the rest of the population, who have longer reach, can operate the lever without difficulty.
Decide on the user group Be careful to identify the correct target user population. What age range? What sex? Which country? etc. The more specific, the better. Some populations may have a 50/50 split of men and women, but others may differ. Choosing the best and most relevant data is vital to a suitable design solution. Static and dynamic data Anthropometric data comes in two main varieties and the choice depends on the values that need to be identified. Some sources of anthropometric data contain both varieties of information. Static anthropometric data Static anthropometric data covers the fixed structural dimensions of the body, generally measured in a range of standard positions. For example, stature, length of limbs, breadth of shoulders, weight etc. Dynamic anthropometric data Dynamic anthropometric data covers areas such as
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Annamaria Franz reach or clearance. The measurements are taken under a functional condition. For example, ‘reach to fingertip’, or ‘reach to grip around a handle’ etc. Read the description of the data carefully to find out how the measurement was taken and whether it applies to the design situation at hand. Clothing allowances It is common for the anthropometric measurements to be carried out on nude or near nude subjects. This gives accurate body measurements, but it means that clothing is not taken into consideration. Linking anthropometric data to design Anthropometric data is only useful if the correct data is successfully applied to the design problem. There are a number of sources of anthropometric data, either free or on payment, in paper or on the web. Task analysis Task analysis is a systematic breakdown of job elements to identify the operational sequence of the work and the way in which the worker uses the information and equipment provided. Task analysis is usually completed on a system rather than a product, but many of the tools can also be applied to design projects and furniture. Task analysis is an initial step to complete before beginning the design process. It helps to identify how the furniture needs to perform to aid the user and function well. The importance of a detailed task analysis varies with the complexity of the job, the variety of tasks and the range of equipment and materials needed. What are the aims and benefits of task analysis for designers? By applying task analysis during the design process, it ensures that a product is easy to use and meets the user’s needs. Even if two or more people at an organisation are completing the same job, the way in which they complete it may be very different. Task analysis can help to ensure that each person is taken into account. The benefit of task analysis is that by considering what equipment people use, what environment they work within, and the frequency of tasks they complete, it can reveal a better picture of what the product needs to do. Consider how fast technology is advancing and how this is impacting on work and educational environments. It is clearly key to examine how people are working now. For example, tasks and equipment are changing and older solutions are not compatible. One important area is how to help people to achieve better postures when using portable devices such as smart phones and tablet computers. It is possible to use task analysis to improve the quality of product design in an ever changing world. Considerations Such a task analysis should include the consideration of the following: The major tasks to be carried out E.g. office: job description, associated equipment, frequency/duration of use? E.g. education: learning styles, associated equipment, frequency/duration of use? The inter-relationship between tasks E.g. office: need to use screen and telephone simultaneously? E.g. education: individual work, group work, work with teacher?
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Annamaria Franz
CATAS - FIRA ergonomic certificate
Visual attention areas E.g. office: screens, tablets, paper, desk space? E.g. education: paper, laptops, tablets, whiteboard, teacher etc.? Support equipment E.g. office: location, frequency, enough space for busy periods? E.g. education: learning aids, storage of furniture when not in use? Storage of documents at or near workstations E.g. office: filing, printing? E.g. education: storage for teachers, trays for students? The position and use of hands in the tasks to be carried out E.g. office: typing, writing, reaching? E.g. education: typing, writing, reaching?
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Is your playground safe? Arianna Visintin The meeting “ Is your playground safe?� was held on the 7th April in Pordenone, during the exhibition “ B come bimbo� (B like baby), The APPS Association (Parks Project Safe) with Mr. Ernesto Collino, a playground expert, and CATAS, organized this conference for the municipalities of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The purpose of this meeting was to inform the local administrations on the situations about playground in Italy, on what are the current standards, on the reponsabilities and on what is our contribution (Catas I mean) in this area. CATAS, since last year, carries out safety and dimensional tests on playground equipments, applying the relevant standards which are quite complex, namely the EN 1176 standards. We have all the test equipment necessary to check dimensional requirements, openings, trapping and crushing (squeezing?) points in the playground equipments. The step of verifying the compliance of this product with the standards is very important, but even more it is the knowledge of such requirements by designer, by who installs and by who should verify them time to time.(??) To prevent a safe equipment becomes dangerous for the users, it is necessary that installation shall be carried out according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and that there is a maintenance plan, taking into consideration the degradation due both to weathering phenomena and vandalisms. The participation to this conference was not that we expected and hoped for. We are unfortunately living during a period in which administrations are facing considerable difficulties above all economic. The problem of lack of founds is the first obstacle to planning a checking and maintenance plans of playgrounds, but we must not forget that in case of serious accidents, the economic damage would be absolutely greater. We believe that the safety of our children come first at all!
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saluti  delle  AutoritĂ Â Â Ore  10.15   10.45  Â
hi   Relatore:  Andrea  Patroncino  -Ââ€?  Associazione  Progetto  Parchi  Sicuri  Â
Workshop  rivolto  a  scuole,  cittadinanza,  tecnici  ed  amministratori  comunali  e  strutture  ricettive  in  genere  sulla  sicurezza  nelle  aree  giochi  secondo  quanto  previsto  dalle  normative  vigenti.   7  aprile  2014,  ore  10.00  -Ââ€?  Fiera  di  Pordenone  Â
Ore  10.45   11.45   1176  e  relative   Relatore:  Ernesto  Collino   Ore  11.45   12.30:   Relatore:  Alberto  Gelosa  -Ââ€?  Catas  s.p.a.   Ore  12.30   13.00  Gli  esperti  rispondono Â
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Design, Safety and Sustainability Staff CATAS
- 9 October at CATAS
SolidWorld puts together know-how and continuos research of innovative and up-to-date solutions, candidating as partner of excellence ideal to face always new challenges, dictated by a global market in continuous evolution. On the 9th of October SolidWorld is going ot present all the solutions for the furniture world.
AGENDA 9 October, c/o CATAS 14.30 - Welcome and Introduction 14.45 – SolidWorks - design takes shape 15.30 – SoldiWorks Composer - files for communication 15.45 – Arper case of study 16.00- Coffee Break 16.15 – CATAS - quality and safety at first place 16:45 – Stratasys - showing a model in 3D printing 17.15 – 3DVIA Home - planning spaces 3D 17.30 – Conclusions and refreshments
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Gli GET appartamenti INSPIRED BY - palestra MATERIALS
Staff Material ConneXion Sara Zanchiello Italia
GET INSPIRED BY MATERIALS is the section dedicated to innovative materials and devoted to all the companies and professionals looking for new material solutions and inspiration for their projects. This section, as well as the Material Point FVG, an information point where materials are exposed to be seen and touched by the visitor, is the new service born from the cooperation between CATAS and Material ConneXion Italia, the most important national research and consultancy centre on materials.
MC Index Number: 5577-03 Printed wooden decorative panels Medium density fibreboard (MDF) with a durable printed veneer. During processing, the ink or dye is infused directly into the wood veneer, the ink is UV-cured and a clear coating is applied. This material is available in one standard size, 4 x 8 ft (1.2 x 2.4 m). Cherry, maple or walnut veneers can be applied to the MDF. Over 100 different images are available however customized printed drawings are possible, depending on volume and complexity. Current applications include decorative wall panels, fixtures, or panel-based merchandising systems in residential, retail or commercial locations.
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Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione, GET INSPIRED BY MATERIALS Staff Material Franco BulianConneXion Italia innovazione e realtĂ quotidiana MC Index Number: 6216-04 Decorative rigid panel Rigid interior paneling that utilizes CNC routing to create topographical effects on a solid surface of wood. The solid wood panels are laminated to a backing of plywood and a further support sheet. A range of wood species are available, including beech, ash, oak, iroko, padouk, teak, elm, bamboo, maple, sycamore, cherry, bubinga, walnut and wenge. The support material may be aluminum honeycomb, MDF and particleboard in standard, water resistant and M1 fire resistant. A full core substrate is required for door panels. The surface is available in a standard matt polyurethane coating, but wax, specific colour, sandblast, ceruse, patina, satin coating and M1 are also available as customized finishes. The edges can be machine-dressed, grooved, veneered, banded, framed, molded and the panels can be pre-curved. All panels are custom manufactured. There is no minimum order. These panels are used for cabinet doors, for furniture, for wardrobes and doors, for room dividers, desks, counters and lighting fixtures.
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Gli appartamenti - palestra
Staff Material ConneXion Sara Zanchiello Italia
MC Index Number: 6743-01 Double-sided wooden mosaic panels Double-sided wooden mosaic panels. These madeto-order wooden mosaics can be used doublesided and are available in a variety of wood specie including: maple, chestnut, cherrywood, beech, walnut, elm, oak, doussie, iroko, teak, acacia, olive, panga, fir, larch, wenge, padouk, and mahogany. The mosaics can be coated, oiled, aged, planed, whitened/bleached, or brushed. The minimum mosaic tile size is 10 mm (0.39 in) with a standard panel size of 300 x 300 mm (11.8 x 11.8 in) and thickness starting at 4 mm (0.16 in). Any custom size or additional decoration is available upon request. Applications are for flooring, wallcoverings, and furniture, table and door decorations.
For further information you can contact: a Material ConneXion Italia: infoitalia@materialconnexion.com 27
Franco Bulian
Il CATAS tra internazionalizzazione, innovazione e realtà quotidiana
Title GLUING WOOD Author Alberto Bandel Editor CATAS SpA
Purchase CATAS (lab@catas.com) CATAS Subscriber € 35,00 + IVA Non CATAS Subscriber € 45,00 + IVA
Gluing Wood was written by dr. Alberto Bandel, one of the greatest European experts in the field of wood adhesives thecnology. Since the first edition (1994), the book has represented a good theoretical basis but, moreover, a significant working tool for all the manufacturers. The book is written in a simple style, with many practical examples, pictures and tables. The collaboration with CATAS (and in particular with ing. Speranza, dr. Giavon and dr. Bulian), especially for the normative parts, has completed the book also with some useful references to test methods and standards. The book is divided into three chapters: Adhesives in the wood Industry- Materials in the Wood Industry and Gluing Technologies) which contain different pharagraphs about subjects related both to the raw materials and the working processes.
Title THREE DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF WOOD. A scanning Electron Microscope Study Authors B.A. Meylan and B.G. Butterfield Purchase CATAS (lab@catas.com) (Italian translation by Angelo Speranza) CATAS Subscriber € 25,00 + IVA Editor CATAS SpA Non CATAS Subscriber € 45,00 + IVA This book is a collection of scanning electron microscope photographs selected to illustrate various features of the structure of wood. Althought is intended to supplement general plant anatomy texts for Botany and Foresty students at the upergraduate level, it should also be useful work for anyone interested in wood science. The lists of further reading included in each section contain only general texts and revelant paper on each topic.
Title WOOD COATINGS. THEORY AND PRACTICE Authors Franco Bulian and Jon Graystone Language English Editor Elsevier
Purchase Specialised bookstores Internet web sites: www.elsevier.com, www.amazon.com
Wood Coatings, written by Franco Bulian (CATAS) and Jon Graystone (Paint Research Association) addresses the factors responsible for the performance of wood coatings in both domestic and industrial situations. The term ‘wood coatings’ covers a broad range of products including stains, varnishes, paints and supporting ancillary products that may be used indoors or outdoors. Techniques for coating wood go back many centuries but in recent decades there has been a move towards more environmentally-friendly materials, for example, the use of water-borne rather than solvent-borne chemicals. A major objective of Wood Coatings is to explain the underlying factors that influence selection, application and general operational issues. Basic information on the chemistry and technology of coatings is included for the benefit of students and laboratory technicians. Additionally, the book includes individual chapters of interest to architects, specifiers, and industrial users.
Title MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES OF THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY Author Franco Bulian Purchase Specialised bookstores Language English Internet web site www.edizionigoliardiche.it Editor Editrice Goliardica Cover price € 22,00 This book, written by the vice-director of CATAS, dr. Franco Bulian, presents an overview on the key materials and technologies used for the furniture production. It is therefore a basic text describing the features and processes associated with: wood, wood based panels, covering materials, edges, adhesives and coatings. Each material is initially presented considering its composition, properties and classification. Then, in succession, the main industrial processes and specific utilizations within the furniture sector are analysed. Finally, also the problems or defects that may arise by the improper use or wrong processing are shortly presented. One of the fundamental pillars for the future development of the furniture industry is surely that of “knowledge”. This book is therefore intended to represent one of the possible reference points for all those who already work in this field both in technical and commercial areas. Nevertheless the book is mainly addressed to those approaching for the first time this complex but also fascinating industrial world, being specifically designed as a basic text for the students of Universities and Secondary Schools. factors that influence selection, application and general operational issues. Basic information on the chemistry and technology of coatings is included for the benefit of students and laboratory technicians. Additionally, the book includes individual chapters of interest to architects, specifiers, and industrial users. 28
Gli appartamenti - palestra
www.catas.com
Sara Zanchiello