Knowledge · Outdoor profiles

Eco 32es Out – Tension profile with barb

Outdoors, the wind pulls at the fabric, and sooner or later the keder comes out of the groove. The Eco 32es Out secures it with a barb in the keder channel: no additional securing material, 32 mm installation depth, screwed directly to the wall. Here you can read how the system works, how it is installed and what needs to be right with the fabric and the keder.

Three things make the system storm-proof

In a standard tension profile, the keder is held in place solely by the tension of the fabric. Indoors, that is sufficient. Outdoors, gusts, suction on the back and temperature changes come into play, making the fabric tighter at times and looser at others. That is exactly when the keder pops out of the groove. The Eco 32es Out reverses this: the tension pulls the keder against a hook instead of pulling it out of the groove.

Barb

Self-locking.

A barb sits on the inner web of the keder groove. When tension builds up in the fabric, the keder wedges itself behind it. The more tension, the firmer the fit.

Tension

Comes from the fabric.

Without permanent tension, the hook does not engage. That is why a fabric with defined stretch is required, not just any material.

Flat keder 14 × 3 mm

Must be rectangular.

Only a keder with a rectangular cross-section hooks in. A domed or round keder slips past the hook.

Infoblatt Eco 32es Out mit allen Funktionen — The profile at a glance: barb in the keder groove, flat keder 14 × 3 mm with rectangular cross-section, screw channel for direct wall mounting every 25 to 40 cm and the groove for Eco corner connectors and struts.

The profile at a glance

Four details that set the Eco 32es Out apart from an indoor profile. Everything else, keder, fabric mounting and graphic changes, works as with any textile tension frame.

Outdoor profile

Eco 32es Out

Depth
32 mm
Profile width
44 mm
Keder groove
Flat keder 14 × 3 mm

Ideal for:

Façades, construction fences and wind-exposed surfaces where a flat frame needs to be mounted directly on the wall.

Flachkeder verkeilt sich hinter dem Widerhaken

Storm-proof

Barb in the groove

Position
internal web
Effect
Keder wedges under tension
Additional securing
none required

Important:

After hooking in, the keder must be pressed behind the barb with the squeegee. Only then is it secured.

Eco corner connector

Corner joint

Grooves
large and flat groove
Tools
Screwdriver, Allen key
Struts
optional in the same groove

Result:

clean mitre joint at all four corners. On large frames, the grooves also accommodate struts for reinforcement.

Untere Profilleiste des Eco 32es Out direkt an der Wand verschraubt

Directly to the wall

Screw channel

Mounting
without a separate frame construction
Spacing
every 25 to 40 cm
Tip
Drill holes slightly larger

Advantage:

Wall plug and screw can be inserted from the front. The bottom rail is the base; everything else builds on it.

Dimensions and groove layout

32 mm depth with 44 mm profile width. The drawing shows which groove serves which purpose: the large and the flat groove for the Eco corner connectors, plus the slot for the optional strut.

Masszeichnung Eco 32es Out — Direct wall mounting: the profile is fixed to the substrate via the screw channel using wall plugs and screws. The coloured areas mark the grooves for corner connectors and strut.

Long frames:

If a profile rail becomes too long to handle cleanly on its own, e.g. at six metres, screw the struts to the wall at the correct positions beforehand. The long rail is then brought in from below and simply closed with the turnbuckles.

Installation in four steps

Assemble the frame on the wall.
Start with the bottom profile rail, as it forms the base. Then the side frame sections, and finally the top profile. The corners are joined with the Eco corner connector and tightened with a screwdriver and Allen key.
Screw every 25 to 40 cm.
The frame is fixed to the substrate via the screw channel. Drill the holes in the profile slightly larger so that the wall plug and screw can be pushed straight through from the front.
Insert the fabric, halving as you go.
First the two top corners, then the two bottom corners. Then insert the keder along the sides, halving each side again and again instead of working through in one direction. The procedure is identical for large and small frames.
Press the keder behind the barbs.
Using a squeegee, a spatula or a similar tool, press the keder behind the hooks all the way around. You can see and hear it when it clicks into place. Only then is the system storm-proof.

Montage des Eco 32es Out in vier Schritten — Steps 1 to 4: assemble the frame from bottom to top, screw it in place, hook in the fabric, press the keder behind the barbs using the squeegee.

Most common mistake:

The fabric is inserted, looks good, and the fourth step is skipped. Merely inserted, the keder secures nothing. The surface is only storm-proof once it sits behind the hook all the way around.

Fabric and keder: what has to match

The barbed retention is only as good as what sits in the groove. The table shows what the retention can handle and where it fails.

Correct fit

How it goes wrong

	Correct	Wrong
Fabric	Speedy Outdoor by Krea, defined stretch	any banner without tension
Keder cross-section	Flat keder 14 × 3 mm, rectangular	domed or round, slips past the hook
Seam	double-stitched to the print	single-stitched
Fabrication	rather tight, use a keder lever if necessary	too large, does not build up tension
Final step	Push keder behind the hook with the squeegee	Keder only laid in

Speedy Outdoor:

Developed by Krea specifically for outdoor use. In terms of durability it is similar to a thin outdoor banner, but it has exactly the stretch properties needed to build up even tension in the frame. This tension holds the keder behind the barb.

Keder lever:

If the fabric has been sewn a few millimetres too small, the keder lever helps. Insert the keder into the tool, position it on the frame and lever towards the wall. This way even an undersized fabric goes into the groove without damaging the keder or the profile. An oversized fabric, however, cannot be saved.

Removal and graphic change

The system is built to keep the print in the frame even in a storm. The flip side: the keder does not come out again by itself. That is not a flaw, it is the purpose. The frame stays on the wall when changing the graphic; only the fabric is replaced.

Graphic no longer needed? Cut it.

The fastest way and our clear recommendation. As soon as the fabric is cut, the tension is released, the keder comes free of the barb and can simply be pulled out of the groove.

If the fabric needs to stay intact

Insert the metal strips during installation.
We supply small metal strips. If they are inserted into the keder groove before fitting the fabric, the barb is disengaged over approximately five centimetres. This is exactly where removal starts later, making it much easier.
Without metal strips: flat-head screwdriver.
Insert a small flat-head screwdriver behind the print and keder, push the keder away from the barb and pull a section out of the groove. Work your way along from this starting point.
Open one corner first.
As soon as the print is far enough out of one corner that a hand fits behind it, the rest comes out quickly.
Remove the keder with both hands.
The hand behind the fabric pushes downwards, releasing the keder from the barb. The other hand pulls the free section down and away. Continue side by side.

The metal strips only help at the start.

After about five centimetres, the keder is seated correctly behind the barb again and the fabric becomes hard to pull out again. The strips only get you started, not all the way.

The outdoor series at a glance

The Eco 32es Out is the slimmest profile in an entire family. All outdoor profiles share the same keder channel with barbs, but differ in construction depth and therefore in application: from the recess profile and the flat wall profile to the backlit lightbox, single-sided or double-sided.

Querschnitte der SMP Outdoor-Serie — From left: Eco Nische Out, Eco 32es Out, Eco 55es Out, Eco 100es Out and Eco 130es Out, above them the double-sided Eco 130bs Out. The number indicates the depth in millimetres, es stands for single-sided, bs for double-sided.

Which depth?

For non-illuminated tension frames, the Eco 32es Out is sufficient. As soon as LEDs come into play, the beam depth of the modules determines the required depth, not the profile. The ranges of the individual LED modules are listed in the article LED frame modules compared.

Frequently asked questions

Does the barbed hook really hold without additional securing?

Yes, provided three things are right: a flat keder with a rectangular cross-section, a fabric that builds up lasting tension, and a keder that has been pressed behind the hook all the way around using the squeegee. If any of these three points is missing, the surface is not storm-proof.

Which fabric should I order?

Speedy Outdoor from Krea. It was developed for outdoor use, is similar in durability to a thin outdoor banner and has the defined stretch that results in even tension in print.

How deep is the profile?

32 mm installation depth with a 44 mm profile width. The frame barely protrudes from the facade and still remains stable enough for wind-exposed surfaces.

When do I need struts?

For larger applications. The corner connector groove accepts struts for bracing the frame. For very long profile lengths, screw the struts to the wall first and then bring the profile up from below.

How do I change the graphic later?

The frame stays on the wall; only the fabric is replaced. If the old graphic is no longer needed, cut it up. If it is to remain intact, the supplied metal strips help, provided they were inserted during installation.

Is the system also available for lightboxes?

Yes. The outdoor series ranges from the Eco Nische Out through the Eco 32es Out and Eco 55es Out to the lightbox profiles Eco 100es Out and Eco 130es Out, plus the double-sided Eco 130bs Out. All with the same storm-proof keder channel. The depth you need depends on the beam depth of the LEDs.

Not sure which outdoor profile is right?

Send us the dimensions and installation location. We'll tell you which profile and which fabric your project needs.

Open advisor Eco 32es Out in the shop