WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM GSWRAP x SIGA

Ever wondered what you would learn at the SIGA Academy? Today we will go over how the SIGA membranes and adhesive tapes are developed and produced and you’ll also learn about airtight building.

GSWRAP are proud to say that we are working with SIGA to provide customers the best product for their buildings. The construction industry still depends on skilled people hand-assembling components. If you work in construction, as a builder or designer, it is important to use high quality products and to get your hands onto the products that you are specifying and using.

Today, we will look at SIGA Academy through the eyes of those who have been training there.

THE COURSE CONTENT

Omar, and the 3,000 other people who attend each year, come here for an intense one-day training session. It starts with an essential grounding in the theory of moisture and air movement. Later in the day, they got to use many of the specialist tapes and membranes in the SIGA range.

UNDERSTANDING PHYSICS, AND THE BUILD DETAILS

The presence of moisture is unavoidable in buildings, but it can be controlled through good practice. GSWRAP have been learning about the causes of mold growth the sources of moisture and how to manage them. Just as us, the academy also covers all these sections.We, at GSWRAP, are very knowledgable on how to achieve moisture-safe construction.

Illustrating building physics with practical experiments, is important and the academy does it really well:

– Diffusion,
– Convection pressure,
– Application in the wet,
– Strength in the cold,
– Durability under movement, and many more.

PRODUCT DEMONSTRATIONS

When GSWRAP partnered with SIGA, we knew that they develop their products in-house for a specific task. That is why there are so many products, but each is for a specific task. Each has a number of clever, and often unique, features to make it a better job.
Once you are aware of the application range, you know which to turn to. It’s likely to be the best selection for the job.

For example, the adhesive layer on the pre-folded Corvum tape is slightly wider than its paper backing. This is difficult to produce, but it means that when it is applied into a corner, the extra adhesive will completely fill the space – there’s no hole for air to pass. You can find the Corvum, on the GSWRAP website http://https://gswrap.com/product/corvum-30-30/

The SIGA crew deftly demonstrated the clever & unique features of the products in front of our eyes. Sometimes it feels like a magic show. Although unfortunately, I didn’t walk home with a balloon animal.
A neat detail is the QR codes on the packaging of each tape. If you scan this it takes you straight to an online video demonstration of how to install the product.

USING THE PRODUCT

Videos and demonstrations are all well & good, but they do not give you the same understanding as handling the product yourself. The academy teaches you how to install membranes and tapes into a series of demonstration rooms, while you are separated into small groups.

It’s a little like being a tailor to an elephant- you need a certain amount of dexterity, and be good up a ladder. There is no right way to do a job (as long as it’s airtight), but you must think every move through before applying the product.

I have used competitor tapes and I found they were either not sticky enough, or way too sticky. I was impressed with the ease of install and tactility of the SIGA products.

LIVE BLOWER DOOR TEST

We witnessed a mock-up airtightness test. The door is fitted with a calibrated fan, and the building is pressurised or depressurised to measure the leakiness of the building fabric.

Leaks may be apparent in a failed test result, but locating them can be tricky. We used thermographic cameras and smoke pens to identify where the air was escaping. This is when you really start understanding the air movement in the building.

THE LOCATION

The SIGA factory could be straight out of a utopian future. Set in rolling wheat fields, with a backdrop of snowy mountains, staff cycle to work in a clean factory where innovation, improvement, and efficiency drive every decision.

We stay next door, in SIGA’s guesthouse. This is an 18th-century building that SIGA have fully renovated. As is often the case in central Europe, the attitude towards high-quality construction shows through. Do you remember the VW Golf advert where they shut the door “if you listen carefully, it sounds just like a Golf”?

That’s how I feel in a building like this. It’s a manifestation of a culture of quality.

The quality of the products are incredible, and everyone that has used SIGA can agree with that. If you are wanting to try some of their products, you can access our website. You can try one tape and then if you enjoyed it come back and buy more. http://https://gswrap.com

SIGA’S APPROACH TO RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Over the last 53 years, since starting out making carpet tape, SIGA has come to focus purely on airtightness. They are the only such manufacturer with their own in-house R&D laboratory. It starts with identifying a customer need, and goes through the R&D process, ultimately to market. In the case of Majrex it took 120 prototypes. SIGA currently holds more than 100 patents and patent applications spread across the globe.

Every 10th working day, for every employee, time is spent reflecting on how to improve processes. These guys are serious about doing a good job.

The factory floor: Where the adhesive tapes & membranes are produced

This attitude pervades throughout the company and onto the factory floor. SIGA has even product-developed in-house their own robotic machinery.

SIGA continues to grow and develop each day. We only work with the best, so give it a shot and purchase the products at -> https://gswrap.com