The SpinFix™ design story: repurposing manufacturing waste to create a circular adhesive alternative

Dedicated to product circularity and waste reduction across all facets of their business, Autex Acoustics® were searching for a recycling-friendly alternative to traditional adhesives when inspiration struck. Seeing an opportunity for product development, Autex Acoustics’ in-house design team set out to create SpinFix™—a revolutionary panel mounting solution that allows acoustic panels to be easily demounted, disassembled, and reused at the end of life.

“Traditional adhesive methods make removal at end of life difficult, and often contaminate the product, which complicates recycling efforts,” says Luke Walker, Autex Acoustics production design lead. “Additionally, adhesives often require vacant spaces for installation, which isn’t always practical. These challenges prompted a rethink of how we attach our products to surfaces, and ultimately led us to design SpinFix.”

Outlining the criteria for an adhesive alternative, Luke and the Autex Acoustics team resolved that the ideal solution would be able to connect without traditional adhesives, easy to install on-site, made from waste produced in-house, and dismountable for recycling at the end of its life.

“The early design phase was hands-on and experimental,” Luke explains. “Initial prototypes resembled plastic jar lids; simple forms to test whether welding solid plastic to a panel surface was viable. From there, we mapped out installation scenarios and refined the design based on real-world use. Mechanical testing helped us determine optimal surface area and an effective relief profile to facilitate a strong mechanical bond, with the right part tolerances to meet release strength targets.”

To ensure true circularity, material choice was crucial. The SpinFix clip was made from RePET—a material created through a revolutionary pelletizing process which transforms production off-cuts into pellets, which are then injection-molded to create products including SpinFix, End Caps, and Vicinity™ Workstation Clamps. As a result, the clip and acoustic panel are chemically identical, allowing the two to be welded together without adhesive contamination. This means that the entire assembly can be reclaimed at the end of its life.

Connecting the clip to the panel without adhesives was the key challenge.

“We knew that mechanically connecting a clip to a panel was possible, but it would require additional fittings and could be time consuming on-site. Pocketing a panel and screwing a clip into the pocket was also possible, but would require specialized installer tools. With the clip material predefined, welding the clips was the obvious choice.

“All you need is heat to weld parts together—which is something we already do with some of our panel products—however, welding on-site using an external heat source was ruled out. Using friction to generate heat was the answer.”

A power drill was the ideal tool for this process, as it would generate just enough friction, and is easily accessible to all tradespeople.

Ensuring the clip was compact, flush-fitting, and easy to install was another important focus for the team.

“Essentially, time on-site equates to dollars spent, so if our product is quick to install, it’s more likely to be specified. Thanks to our friction-based solution for installation, we didn’t need to add pockets to the panels, making it flush-fitting. This also has the benefit of creating a small air gap between the panel and the wall, which increases the acoustic performance. Prototyping and testing with our installers was an important part of this process.”

Luke hopes that architects and designers see SpinFix as a meaningful step forward, and an innovation that reflects the evolving standards of sustainable design.

“By specifying SpinFix, designers are endorsing a future where closed-loop material cycles are the norm, not the exception. It’s a signal to manufacturers that circularity is no longer aspirational, it’s essential.”