Blog – MIH

Happy Halloween to all our customers

Grace — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:45:56 +0000

To get in the ‘Spirit’ (see what we did there) for Halloween we found this story from Montreal where a very generous and creative group of designers constructed a bespoke costume for Émile using Polystyrene and other lightweight materials. Click the link below to read.

DIYers create one-of-a-kind Halloween costume

We love to see the different uses people find for Expanded Polystyrene Foam.

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Think Outside the Box

Grace — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 13:13:53 +0000

Most people know the expression to ‘Think Outside the Box’ but are you aware of the exercise that lead to the popularisation of this phrase and what it means? The nine dot problem is where participants are given a piece of paper with a set of dots drawn in a 3×3 grid. You have to join all the dots without lifting your pencil from the paper, using the fewest possible number of straight lines. Initially the problem is tricky as our brains automatically focus on the confines of the problem, in this case the grid, and so limit the number of outcomes. The lesson here is the more outside the box you think, the fewer lines you will need. Once the participant leaves the confines of the grid and begins to think ‘outside the box’, it is possible to join all dots in 4, 3 or even 1 line.

Almost daily I have the opportunity to encourage customers to think outside the box and push boundaries on what is expected from polystyrene or maybe use it in a different way. Recently, while getting some work done in my own house, I was trying to create space in a very restrictive floor plan and in an effort to just get the job done I was doing exactly the opposite of what I advise customers to do. I wasn’t really happy with the way the job was looking so I had a chat with a friend who is a Spacial Planner. After speaking with her she suggested a few ‘interesting’ ideas including, using a curved wall to create more space. Why hadn’t I thought of that myself? I had come at the problem with a preconceived solution and I couldn’t see the many more options available to me. She was coming at the challenge from a completely different perspective and was able to make suggestions a little different from the norm. I was thrilled I had spoken to her because Its not always easy but sometimes coming at a problem from a different angle when you are directly involved but it can make all the difference and can help create something really special.

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Shedding Some Light on the Situation

Grace — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 03:48:21 +0000

I think we do quirky, unusual and eye-catching quite well with the 3D designs and props that we create for the marketing and advertising industries. But yes, you can always learn more. You can improve systems and fine-tune techniques, but sometimes you need to step further away, take a wider view, and maybe do things that are a little different from the norm. Lighting can bring a new dimension to props and signage as we have seen used at several events. At this event for TBEX Ireland, our client used the basebar under the lettering to effectively camouflage the lighting equipment so no letter or part of the sign was obstructed. The uplighting on the white letters really elevated the presentation taking it to a new level.

We saw great lighting used during an interview on RTE where the set designers actually projected different images onto the letters while filming international rugby star, CJ Stander. This means the sign can be used again and again for different events simply by changing the image that is projected giving a completely different look each time. Recently we have been experimenting with lighting. Some ideas worked and some didn’t but it was exciting to see the different looks that could be created through various lighting setups. If you have an idea you would like to try out get in touch and maybe we can help shed a little light on it for you.

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Turning Up the Heat

Grace — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 20:00:25 +0000

Everyone is constantly trying to reduce their monthly household costs and energy bills can take the lions share of this. The SEAI have been alerting people to the fact that properly insulating your house is a big help.

One of the ways people can improve the efficiency of their home and keep them warmer, is by adding a layer of external wall insulation (EWI). Put simply, this is achieved by securing sheets of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) to the outer walls of a building and then applying a plaster finish. An advantage of putting the insulation on the outside means the internal living space is unaffected. This technique isn’t restricted to existing buildings, it can be used on new buildings too, and not just on houses. Commercial and industrial buildings use a similar technique where EPS insulation sheets are fastened to cement boards that are attached to a steel framework.

The Citywest Convention Centre used this construction method in their new events facility. Not only was polystyrene used to insulate the exterior of the building, it was used to create architectural profiles and mouldings. The bands, window surrounds and eave detail were all created with our CNC hotwire machines and were attached to the building and plastered in the same way the insulation was finished. You can see more example of the work we carried out on the building in our portfolio section. So the Role of Insulation, in this case, Polystyrene, was a dual role. It was used to insulate the external walls of the building and to provide a lightweight design detail to this impressive exhibition venue.

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