Glossary of Shade Terms

Here are the most popular Glossary of Shade Terms that is a great reference and guide to your shading needs and projects. For more information on any of the terms listed below contact us today at neil@insyncsolar.com

  • Ball Stops
    Upper and lower stopping limits for bead chain clutch shades.
  • Bead Chain
    Operating chain for shade clutches.
  • Bead Chain Connector
    Metal piece to connect ball chain.
  • Blackout Shade
    A shade that allows no light to pass through the fabric.
  • Bottom-Up Shade
    When a shade pulls up from the bottom of the window to the top.
  • Bracket
    Mounting point for shade. Use the term “bracket when providing shade without fascia.
  • Bracket Cover
    Decorative cover for brackets.
  • Cassettes
    Aluminum housing for shade roller, fabric, brackets and controls.
  • Ceiling/Wall Headbox
    Consists of decorative front fascia panel and top cover. Shade is accessible by removing fascia.
  • Chain Hold Down
  • Safety device to keep chain taut.
  • Clutch
    Bead chain operated for manual roller shades. 
  • Coupler
    Allows one motor or crank to operate multiple shade fabric bands.
  • Daylighting
    Daylighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings and reflective surfaces so that during the day, natural light provides effective internal lighting. 
  • Dual Shades
    Combine a solar shade and a blackout shade in the neile opening, providing a wide range of light control.
  • End Cap with Fascia
    End caps provide mounting point for shade, and attachment point for fascia/headbox.
  • End Cap Cover
    Decorative cover for endcap.
  • Engineered
    creative application of scientific principles to design and develop structures with respect to their intended functions.
  • Engineered Shading Solutions
    Sustainable systems for interior and exterior window coverings that engage the latest technologies to control heat, glare, and light.
  • Exterior Shades
    Roller shades, tensioned shades, or horizontal louvers mounted on the exterior of windows.
  • Fascia
    Decorative aluminum shade cover.
  • Glare
    A visual sensation caused by excessive and uncontrolled brightness.
  • Group Control
    Multiple shades in multiple areas are programmed to respond together from one switch.
  • ISO Relays
    To function multiple shades off one wall switch requires an ISO relay. ISO relays are used to make this happen while concurrently protecting the motors from the destructive electrical feedback caused by collapsing magnetic fields generated when the motors are suddenly turned off by their limit switches.
  • Light Pollution
    Excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial light.
  • Limit Switch
    A
     switch preventing the travel of an object in a mechanism past some predetermined point, mechanically operated by the motion of the object itself.
  • Local Control
    Each shade is controlled individually or within the context of small, localized groups by one switch.
  • Maintained Switches
    A switch that physically keeps the button and circuit in the actuated position, open or closed. 
  • Manual Control
    An engineered shading solution that is controlled by a device that functions the solution without motorization. 
  • Master Control
    All the shades in the project are programmed to respond to one switch.
  • Mockup
    In manufacturing and design, a mockup is a scale or full-sized model of a design used for evaluation purposes. A mockup is a prototype that provides at least part of the functionality of a system and enables testing of a design.
  • Momentary Switches
    A type of switch usually in the form of a push button that is only engaged while it is being depressed (as opposed to a typical on/off switch that latches in its set position).
  • Motorized Shading Solution
    A solution that functions with a tubular motor with wired or wireless controls with line or low-voltage power.
  • Multi-Banded
    Two or four bands of shades operating on a single motor.
  • Newton Meters
    The newton meter is a unit of torque in the SI system. The symbolic form is Nm or N.m. One newton meter is equal to the torque resulting from a force of one newton applied perpendicularly to a moment arm, which is one meter long.
  • Noice Reduction Coefficient
    The Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) is a scalar representation of the amount of sound energy absorbed upon striking a particular surface. An NRC of 0 indicates perfect reflection, and an NRC of 1 indicates perfect absorption.
  • Photovoltaic
    Photovoltaics (PV) is the name of a method of converting solar energy into direct current electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibits the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon commonly studied in physics, photochemistry and electrochemistry.
  • Pocket Style Headbox
    Four sided cover intended for recessed installation.
  • Radio Control
    Control of an apparatus from a distance by means of signals transmitted from a radio or electronic device.
  • Railroad FabricRoller shade
    Width of window is greater than width of fabric. Piece of fabric are rotated and seamed horizontally.
  • Recycled Content
    Refers to the portion of materials used in a product that have been diverted from the solid waste stream. If those materials are diverted during the manufacturing process, they are referred to as pre-consumer recycled content.
  • Reverse RollRoller shade
    Fabric is rolled off front of roller, away from window.
  • Regular Roll
    Fabric is rolled off back of roller, close to window.
  • Seams
    Two pieces of fabric joined together to make larger piece via heat seal.
  • Shade Mapping
    P
    rovides extensive detail of where each type of shade is located directly on the architectural plans. It is a color-coded visualization that provides complete details.
  • Shading Solution
    Refers to the answers to common issues and problems caused by too much solar heat gain, glare, and light.
  • Sidetracks
    Aluminum extrusions that support the movement of bottom rail for skylight and bottom-up solutions as well as fabric to be inserted for the purposes of providing complete blackout. 
  • Single-Banded
    One band of shade operating on a single motor.
  • Slat Bar
    Bottom shade weight which is enclosed in a sealed hem.
  • Smart Control Device
    The latest trend in window-covering control is the use of smart devices to directly control the shading system (systems include ZigBee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Z Wave).
  • Solar Heat Gain
    Refers to the increase in temperature in a space, object, or structure that results from solar radiation. The amount of solar gain increases with the strength of the sun and with the ability of any intervening material to transmit or resist the radiation.
  • Spring Assist
    A manual lifting device with a spring coil to lessen the load of force in lifting the engineered shading solution.
  • Stays
    Metal strip to minimize fabric curling or for fabric retention in side channels.
  • Submittals
    In construction management are shop drawings, material data, neilples, and product data. Submittals are required primarily for the architect and engineer to verify that the correct products and quantities will be installed on the project.
  • Sustainable Design
    A collaborative process that involves thinking ecologically, studying systems, relationships, and interactions in order to design in ways that remove rather than contribute stress from systems.
  • Takeoffs
    Plan takeoffs are a part of the cost-estimating process in the construction industry. Estimators use construction blueprints, either manually or electronically, and start “taking off” quantities of items they will need from those blueprints in order to prepare part of the estimate.
  • “U” Channel
    Side channel for fabric.
  • Velarium
    The Velarium was the Latin name given for the retractable awning system of the Roman Coliseum. 
  • ZIP Shade
    The Zip Shade is manufactured with a zipper like detail welded to the vertical edges of the fabric. These zippers run in tracks on each side and in turn prevent the fabric from being pushed out of the aluminum side channels.  

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