subject: Unlikely Pair: Trade Show Banner Stands And The Piezoelectric Crystal [print this page] Often, things that we see and use every day have strange and unfamiliar origins. We pass by or handle them without knowing that other objects, seemingly unrelated, have an enormous effect not only on their function but also their very existence
For example, the relationship between 1) large format banners, such as the ones you might see outside a store or at a trade show, and 2) the properties of crystals might not seem obvious. Yet it is this very relationship that allows for the banners we know to exist at all. All around us there are advertisements and banner stands that send us messages about businesses and enterprises, and linking almost every single one of them is a piezoelectric crystal
A piezoelectric crystal is a crystal that, when struck or altered, releases electric charge. Likewise, when a current is run through such a crystal, the structure or position is altered slightly as well
The uses of such an object are myriad. Quartz is possibly the most familiar example of a piezoelectric crystal, though no doubt its piezoelectric capability is not the first feature that comes to mind when people hear the word "quartz." Yet it is in fact this particular characteristic of quartz that allows it to regulate the mechanics of a timepiece like a watch, one of the most common uses of quartz. The quartz crystal's precise vibrations, when charged, are the direct result of its piezoelectric nature and are the vibrations that keep the timepiece accurate
Using cream of tartar, baking soda and a coffee filter, any individual with an oven can create their own piezoelectric crystal, but finding novel and/or efficient uses for the homemade tool after cooking may prove frustrating. Many of the uses of piezoelectricity are highly specific and mechanized. If the enterprising individual with cream of tartar, baking soda and coffee filters also has the desire and technical ability to construct an industrial grade inkjet printer, however, then they might be in luck. Modern inkjet printers, it turns out, especially wide-format ones, often make broad use of these crystals in order to accurately produce images. The crystals themselves play a pivotal role, too, acting as the central force that moves the ink toward the paper. Obviously, without ink moving toward paper, the printer would be fairly useless.
Wide-scale printers, it turns out, are used to create items such as large format banners, the exact type of which might be slung on a stand at a trade show. So, when you're walking around, casually admiring the trade show banner stands at a technology expo, industry conference or auto showcase, remember the piezoelectric crystal. All those vibrant colors, logos, taglines and slogans are only there on the banner stands because sometimes, when sparked with electricity, a crystal shakes a bit. Those tiny movements make big things possible.
