Glow in the dark: casestudy 

Bekina® Compounds and the well-known construction company Heijmans collaborated closely to develop a glow-in-the-dark rubber compound used in the ‘Fairytrail’ concept. By incorporating glow-in-the-dark rubber particles into paving stones, a magical world is created in public spaces. Fairytale playgrounds or luminous cycle paths, it's all possible. But how is it made?

1. THE RAW MATERIAL: GLOW IN THE DARK RUBBER

Bekina® Compounds developed the glow-in-the-dark rubber compound that creates the phosphorescent 'fairytrail’ effect. This glow-in-the-dark compound stores light during the day and emits it again at night. This compound is also available in a fluorescent version, with the patterns radiating beautiful colours both during the day and at night. 

2. INJECTION MOULDING OF GLOW-IN-THE-DARK RUBBER

Bekina® Indurub, specialise in custom injection moulding and as a sister company of Bekina Compounds, process this 'glow in the dark' rubber compound into hard moulded inserts. These inserts are made in different colours.

3. THE RESULT: A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

Once these inserts are placed in the ground, no two patterns appear the same. A magical world comes to life! A good example of the Fairytrail concept are the street tiles that Heijmans installed in the Dutch city of Capelle aan den Ijssel (photo left). Each tile contains a QR code that can be scanned with a smartphone to obtain more information about municipal plans in the surrounding area.

Another example is the shock-absorbing path in Rosmalen (photo right). Here, the glow-in-the-dark compound is not incorporated into hard paving stones via inserts, but directly into soft rubber tiles. Exercising and playing in public spaces has never been more fun! 

At Bekina Compounds, we specialise in developing and producing coloured rubber compounds in virtually any desired colour.