What makes a woven fabric three-dimensional?
Here a 3D woven fabric means a textile for walls, ceilings and curtains, not a technical composite. Its raised pattern comes from the way the cloth is woven, so the surface has depth that you can see and touch. Getzner Textil, which makes Acunic, describes its acoustic textiles as made with 3D weaving techniques, and the relief is developed in Getzner's finishing after the cloth is woven.
That is the difference from an embossed fabric, where a design is raised on the surface of the finished cloth, usually with engraved, heated rollers. A print gives a pattern in colour, on a flat surface.
Depth changes how a surface behaves in light. Under light from a low angle, one face of each raised part catches the light and the next falls into shadow. Seen straight on under even light, the same fabric reads flatter and softer. That shift is what a designer works with on a wall or ceiling.
What reliefs does the Acunic range offer?
Acunic's fabrics are grouped in ranges by their surface. Getzner describes the Cubic, Optic and Volumic fabrics as three-dimensional, the Accentric fabrics by their organic design language, and Basic as having a textured surface on both sides. Getzner gives each fabric's thickness, and the scale of a relief is best judged from a sample, as how to judge fabric samples explains.
Cubic
Getzner describes the structure of the Cubic fabrics as geometric and three-dimensional, and says each keeps its shape extremely well. They differ in thickness: 3.8 mm for Cubic Pico, 4.5 mm for Cubic Mega and 5.4 mm for Cubic Giga.
Optic
Getzner gives Optic Braid, Optic Diamond and Optic Structure a characteristic three-dimensional surface texture. Optic Structure, at 702 g/m², is the heaviest Optic fabric.
Accentric
Getzner describes Accentric Crash, Accentric Crinkle and Accentric Soundwave by their organic design language. At 405 to 430 g/m² they are the lightest fabrics in the collection, and all are woven 175 cm wide.
Volumic
Getzner calls Volumic Bubble, Volumic Square and Volumic Weave impressively voluminous, each with a characteristic three-dimensional surface texture. At 5.65 mm, Volumic Bubble is the thickest fabric in the collection.
Basic
Getzner describes Basic as having outstanding dimensional stability and a textured surface on both sides. At 85,000 Martindale cycles to ISO 12947-1, it has the second-highest abrasion figure in the collection, after Cubic Mega.
How do the reliefs compare?
The table sets Getzner's description of each surface beside the weight, thickness and width in AKA Acoustics' Technical Product Summary (Version A, October 2024), which match Getzner's datasheets of 14 March 2024; weight and width carry a tolerance of plus or minus 5 per cent.
| Fabric | Surface, in Getzner's words | Weight (g/m²) | Thickness (mm) | Width (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubic Pico | Geometric, three-dimensional structure | 518 | 3.8 | 154 |
| Cubic Mega | Geometric, three-dimensional structure | 680 | 4.5 | 154 |
| Cubic Giga | Geometric, three-dimensional structure | 605 | 5.4 | 154 |
| Optic Braid | Characteristic three-dimensional surface texture | 515 | 2.81 | 152 |
| Optic Diamond | Characteristic three-dimensional surface texture | 545 | 2.34 | 155 |
| Optic Structure | Characteristic three-dimensional surface texture | 702 | 3.25 | 142 |
| Accentric Crash | Organic design language | 430 | 2.85 | 175 |
| Accentric Crinkle | Organic design language | 405 | 3.9 | 175 |
| Accentric Soundwave | Organic design language | 406 | 2.0 | 175 |
| Volumic Bubble | Impressively voluminous, three-dimensional surface texture | 705 | 5.65 | 170 |
| Volumic Square | Impressively voluminous, three-dimensional surface texture | 700 | 5.2 | 170 |
| Volumic Weave | Impressively voluminous, three-dimensional surface texture | 634 | 2.9 | 170 |
| Basic | Textured surface on both sides | 660 | 2.1 | 164 |
Does the relief absorb sound?
Flow resistance belongs to the fabric; absorption in use depends on it and on the construction behind it. The relief sets the look. Getzner's datasheets of 14 March 2024 give Cubic Pico, Cubic Mega and Cubic Giga the same αw 0.75 (class C), each stretched over a sealed frame at 150 mm clearance (Type E-150), measured to DIN EN ISO 354 and rated to DIN EN ISO 11654, across thicknesses from 3.8 to 5.4 mm.
The construction behind the fabric, such as the cavity and any infill, tunes the result. What the frame and infill do in a fabric wall panel shows this with laboratory results, and how to read NRC, αw and absorption class explains why each figure belongs to its mounting.
How do you install a 3D woven fabric?
Getzner's FAQ lists Acunic as fabric wall panels stretched over frames, as ceiling sails and as curtains, and Getzner's acoustic systems add freestanding room dividers, desk screens and towers. In those systems the acunic frame, cloud, wall, panel and tower are covered in fabric, and the made-to-measure acunic curtain is made in Accentric Crash and Optic Structure.
A relief fabric needs some care in fitting. Getzner's datasheets say to wear white cotton gloves when fitting the fabric and to seal edges with heated fabric edging scissors. Panel sizes start from the roll width minus its tolerance, and the joints become part of the design, as the guide to designing a textured wall or ceiling sets out.
Can a 3D woven fabric be dyed or printed?
Yes. Any Acunic fabric can be custom dyed, and Getzner offers full-surface UV printing, for which it names Pantone and CMYK. Getzner's published projects include Cubic Pico, dyed orange, as an acunic wall in an open-plan office (Getzner Werkstoffe, Munich).
Getzner's datasheets state that technical specifications may differ for dyed fabric, so the performance of a custom colour is confirmed for each order. Custom colour, dyeing and UV printing covers minimums and how to plan a colour.
