Focus on mirrors

From by-catch to bulk. The increasing demand for surface (glass) mirrors once started as a 'by-catch' for us. We were already producing them as part of our projection systems, so the interest from other industries was welcome. We can now say that the demand has become so great that the production and finishing of these mirrors is gradually becoming the bulk of our activity.

We deliver the mirrors to measure for many (regular) clients. Cut them ourselves, in accordance with the wishes and/or design drawing, into the correct format. From very large to very small, varying in thickness, and optionally with a poly-ground edge.

Where do those mirrors go next, what are they used for? In this news item, these questions are answered by two of our mirror customers.

 

Application: machine vision
Vision Hardware Partner from Almere regularly orders surface (glass) mirrors. The company specializes in hardware for machine vision systems, ranging from complete systems to a single printed circuit board. Machine vision is the technique with which automated process checks can be carried out based on camera images, such as product measurements in factories. But number plate recognition in parking garages and the packaging system in supermarkets are also examples of machine vision.
“It is useful for this technique if the camera has a small angle of view, to prevent side effects such as shadowing,” says owner Ronald Jansen. “That is why you sometimes prefer to place the camera a little further away, but there is not always room for that. With an angled mirror in the machine vision system you can create a 'kink' in the image, in order to create the right distance between product and camera lens."
He is particularly pleased with the perfect quality of the Macada mirrors. “Even very small deviations become visible in the image and you really can't have that with machine vision systems. That is also the reason why we choose surface (glass) mirrors. They have the mirror layer on the front of the glass instead of on the back. As a result, you do not see any reflection from the glass, which would be very disturbing with these types of measurements.”

 

Application: video mapping
The sales market for Macada mirrors is certainly not limited to the Netherlands. We recently delivered a shipment of mirrors to Cape Town South Africa, where they are used in the video mapping system of the restaurant concept Le Petit Chef. The South African company AV Staging Worx was commissioned by Paul Rouessart, owner of DinnerTimeStoriesSA | Le Petit Chef Southern Africa, to furnish the restaurant setting and installed the video system. Dudley Evershed owns AV Staging Worx and talks about this unusual project with infectious enthusiasm.
“In a Le Petit Chef restaurant you don't just come to eat, but you get to see a whole 3D show. Literally, because every guest is shown an animation video on the table in front of him, in which the story of the meal is told. To make this possible, we use 16 projectors at fixed locations in the ceiling. With the mirrors I can ensure that the video image is placed on the table in exactly the right places, so that all guests can see it well. The mirrors ensure sufficient distance between the projector lens and the tablecloth that is projected on.”
He also opted for surface (glass) mirrors because of the high image quality. “Normally, when you watch a movie, you sit meters away from the screen. But here the dining table is the screen, you are really right on top of it, which is why the image quality is much more critical.”
It was the first time for Dudley Evershed to order at Macada, but as far as he's concerned it won't be the last. “From the first contact, their service was phenomenal, and they always responded quickly to my demands. You don't often get that when you approach companies abroad.”

 

Details products

1) 27 surface (glass) mirrors, custom-made, 469 mm x 159 mm x 4 mm
2) 15 surface (glass) mirrors, standard, 410 mm x 350 mm x 3 mm

 

Info concept Le Petit Chef
The concept ‘Le Petit Chef: In the Footsteps of Marco Polo’ is being released at The Capital - 15 On Orange Hotel in Cape Town South Africa. Opening is scheduled for mid-March 2022. A video of the on-site video system installation can be seen here.

More examples of the Le Petit Chef concept can be found on YouTube.

Further details available on: www.DinnerTimeStories.co.za