For a long time there is hardly any choice in the Stainless Steel Tactile Ground Surface Indicator market when it comes to Stainless Steel Directional TGSi products; Eigen has provided an alternative for the void in the market. The quality of the material and finish on Eigen’s stainless steel TGSi will delight many architects and interior designers.

Eigen’s product has been specified and used in high profile projects including Doncaster Shopping Centre, various Village Cinemas venues, Qantas 1^st Class lounge Sydney Airport, Katoomba Country Club, Hurstville Railway Station, Peter Shepard Melbourne and Kooyong Fitness Centre just to name a few.

The debate over the superiority of Australian against imported Tactile Indicators is probably one of the most mislead one in the trade. There are Australian Steel plates for sale in China and there are Indian Steel plates for sale in Australia. The over glorified 316 “marine grade” Stainless Steel is only a matter of 2% Molybdenum different from 304 grade which can be easily picked up from the scanning analysis; it costs $70 for a scanning analysis to be performed by an independent 3^rd party laboratory. Furthermore, there is NO high grade or low grade 316, there are only grades to suit the purpose. Eigen manufactures its Stainless Steel TGSi according to popular market demand, i.e. all made from 316 grade unless otherwise specified.

Both 304 and 316 Grade Stainless Steel belongs to the Austenitic family which is Thermodynamically stable above 900 C; its unique crystal structure gives the right Chromium distribution for best anti-corrosion performance. The extra 2% Molybdenum in 316 Grade is for anti-corrosion enhancement under marine environment where concentrated Chlorine is found, hence the nickname “Marine” Grade.

The remaining issue in the Stainless Steel Tactile Indicator debate lies on the integrality of the TGSi itself, i.e. whether it is 2 parts welded, cast into mold or 1 piece milled finish. Austenitic structure in both 304 and 316 is destructed when the metal is re-melted, e.g. casting which is a process when molten metal is poured into a mold to take shape of a one-piece Stainless Steel TGSi. Corrosion resistance drastically reduced by the casting process. Cast TGSi product can be easily spotted by coarse finish with visible tiny holes at the flip side of the product or sometimes they are disguised by a slight polish on the surface to hide details.