VL FLOCK SHEET

A truly black background is one of the hardest things to achieve in photography. Most black fabrics reflect enough light to reveal their weave, folds and edges, which forces photographers into complicated lighting setups or heavy retouching.

With a total reflectance of less than 0.5% in the visible range, the VL Flock Sheet renders as an almost empty black surface. It is well suited for product photography, still life, portraits, packshots and every situation in which the subject should float in front of nothing.

In film and video production, unwanted reflections from walls, stands, rigs or set elements appear directly in the image and reduce the perceived contrast of the shot. Moving cameras make such reflections even more visible.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used as a wall covering, backdrop, masking material or cover for equipment. Because it can be cut, hung and sewn, it adapts easily to studio setups, sets and temporary production environments.

Set builders and prop makers often need surfaces that visually disappear so that only the intended elements remain visible. Paint can achieve this, but it is delicate and easily damaged during transport and handling.

The VL Flock Sheet is the most durable of our fabrics and can be touched, which makes it practical for props, flats, masks and shadow boxes. It can be applied over large areas quickly and, in the self-adhesive version, also directly onto rigid surfaces.

In a projection room, every bright surface scatters light back onto the screen and washes out black levels. Walls, ceilings, shelves and equipment are all potential sources of this stray light.

The VL Flock Sheet is very well suited as a lining for the area around the screen, for side walls, borders and light traps. Because it is more cost-effective than our foam materials, it is a realistic option even for larger room surfaces.

On stage, black surfaces are used to hide technology, create depth and direct the audience's attention. Standard molton still reflects visibly under strong spotlights and stage washes.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used for masking, borders, black boxes, illusion effects and large-area coverings. Please note that it is not a fire-retardant material - for applications with fire-protection requirements, Musou Black Fabric FR is the appropriate choice.

In exhibition design, an extremely black surface creates depth, drama and a strong contrast to illuminated objects. Ordinary black paints and fabrics rarely deliver this effect convincingly.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used for display cases, plinths, wall panels, niches and interior accents. Its velvet-like flocked surface additionally provides a high-quality tactile impression.

In telescopes and camera optics, internal reflections from tube walls, baffles and dew shields reduce contrast and can cause visible artefacts in long exposures.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used to line tubes, dew shields, baffles and light traps. For internal components of precision optics, however, possible fibre shedding caused by the flocking process must be taken into account - where absolute cleanliness is required, Fineshut SP is the better choice.

Optical laboratories require materials that suppress stray light and unwanted reflections in experimental setups. Even small amounts of scattered light can degrade the signal-to-noise ratio of a measurement.

The VL Flock Sheet is suitable for optical benches, enclosures, shields, beam dumps and low-reflection backgrounds in the visible range. It helps to create reproducible conditions in experiments with visible light.

Inside optical assemblies, light that does not follow the intended path ends up as veiling glare. Baffles, apertures and hoods are only effective if their surfaces absorb rather than scatter.

The VL Flock Sheet can be cut precisely and applied to baffles, apertures, hoods and housing interiors. Because of possible fibre shedding, it should be used with care in the immediate vicinity of sensors and image planes.

In industrial machine vision systems, reflections and stray light can impair the detection performance of the camera. Shiny parts, housings and background surfaces are typical sources of error.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used as a background, shield or internal lining in inspection stations. This can improve contrast, reduce stray light and create more stable imaging conditions for automated inspection processes.

AOI systems in electronics, semiconductor and precision manufacturing require controlled lighting conditions in order to reliably detect even the smallest defects. Reflective surfaces in the surrounding area can make measurements more difficult or cause misinterpretations.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used in inspection chambers, covers, optical baffles and background surfaces to reduce disturbing reflections. For inspection optics that also operate in the near-infrared range, the IR Flock Sheet is the more suitable material.

When measuring displays, projectors or optical components, the surroundings must not reflect any light back onto the device under test. Otherwise contrast and black-level values are systematically distorted.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used to line measurement chambers, cover fixtures or build masks and apertures. This allows contrast and luminance measurements to be carried out under more consistent conditions.

In vehicle interiors, reflections on windscreens, displays and trim parts are a real quality issue. During development, such reflections have to be traced, isolated and evaluated.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used in mock-ups, test rigs and buck environments to mask reflective surfaces and to identify the actual source of a reflection. For test setups with near-infrared illumination, the IR Flock Sheet should be used instead.

Tracking systems that work with visible light detect markers, movements or body positions. Reflective materials in the room can generate unwanted signals and confuse the tracking.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used for shielding, masking or lining problematic areas, and it is also popular for AR and VR applications as a neutral, non-reflective surrounding surface. This reduces unwanted reflections and stabilises marker detection.

In scientific imaging, samples, materials or technical systems are documented under defined lighting. Reflections from the environment reduce the signal-to-noise ratio and the comparability of image series.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used as a low-reflection background or shielding material in the visible range. This can make recordings cleaner, higher in contrast and more reproducible.

In setups with visible laser sources, scattered light and unwanted back reflections have to be captured in a controlled way. Bright surfaces distribute this light throughout the entire setup.

The VL Flock Sheet can be used for enclosures, screens, beam dumps and shielding of light paths. The applicable laser safety requirements must always be verified separately for the specific power class and system.

For OEMs and development departments, the VL Flock Sheet is especially interesting because it can be flexibly cut, used as a fabric or processed into curtain form. This makes it well suited for prototypes, experimental systems and temporary test environments.

Typical applications include housings, test tunnels, measurement chambers, optical baffles, shielding and large light-absorbing background surfaces. The material allows fast adjustments during the development phase at a moderate material cost.

Universities and research institutes often need flexible materials for optical experiments, demonstrations and laboratory setups. The VL Flock Sheet is suitable for projects in which visible light has to be controlled on a limited budget.

It can be used in teaching laboratories, photonics research, imaging projects, robotics setups and scientific documentation. The ability to cover larger areas as a curtain or background is particularly advantageous.

For darkrooms and low-reflection development environments, the VL Flock Sheet can be used as a dark curtain or large-area internal lining. This helps to reduce reflections from walls, mounts and unwanted objects.

Especially in photography, camera development and optical testing, such an environment improves the reproducibility of results. The material can be cut, hung or sewn into curtain form for this purpose.