The traditional material choices and manufacturing methods for framing skylights have remained standardized for a substantial period of time. The existing solutions allow for various problems in the field, from leakage to performance in extreme conditions (e.g. hurricanes). This paper describes a novel approach of encapsulating the insulated glass (IG) unit or plastic glazing (e.g. acrylic double dome, acrylic dome + polycarbonate sheet) with a light stable aliphatic polyurethane. The resulting module meets or exceeds traditional part (= aluminum framed) performance in all testing done to date. Further, by encapsulating the skylight with an aliphatic polyurethane, the manufacturer has been able to offer warranties that were previously unheard of in the industry. The existing designs are either curb-mounted or with the flashing incorporated into the PU-profile design. At the moment, white and black mass pigmented products are being offered to the market, but the color palette will broaden in the coming years.
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