NEW INNOVATIONS

Timberline Solar

GAF

Major industries from automotive to technology sectors are going more “green.” Building materials are following suit, and rapidly. GAF Energy, the spin-off of the shingle-producing giant, unveiled its Timberline Solar™ earlier this year to much fanfare. Touted as the only roof system to directly integrate solar technology into a traditional roofing process, it wowed audiences at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, taking home multiple awards. That included the blockbuster show’s highest honor, the Best of Innovation award for “Smart Cities,” and Innovation Award honorees in two categories.

Designers followed up that success by unveiling its other chief installation feature – being the world’s first nailable solar shingle – to attendees of the 2022 International Roofing Expo in New Orleans. It was a hit with contractors and varies from others in the marketplace because of its 17-inch by 64-inch nailable surface. It’s also available through GAF’s vast network of contractors. Timberline Solar also has UL’s 7103 certification, which authorizes GAF Energy to install the system on residential roofs as a roofing product and a solar energy product — the first of its kind to be recognized as both.

The company also recommitted to building in the United States, assembling the revolutionary shingles at GAF Energy’s manufacturing and R&D facility in San Jose, Calif.

“Solar roofs are the future of clean energy, and Timberline Solar is the game-changing innovation that will get us there,” GAF Energy President Martin DeBono told RC upon the product launch.

Falcon Measurement Tool

Metal-Era & Hickman Edge Systems MTL Holdings

With workforce shortages still impacting roofing contractors around the country, efficiency is at a premium on the rooftop. The designers at Metal-Era set out to impact the time a roofer needs to do the job at the planning stage. Using an innovative spatial-locating technology, the Falcon is designed to improve the time needed to take rooftop measurements while increasing the accuracy of the data for estimating purposes.

“(It) will change the industry’s approach to the roof perimeter,” said Tony Mallinger, CEO of MTL Holdings. “This will have an immediate impact on labor and cost savings at a time when contractors and owners need it most.”

The Falcon features a hybrid clamping device that measures all parapet surfaces to within thousandths of an inch and tenths of a degree. It also helps with the contractor’s practical job performance and organization. Measuring tough spots like miters, transitions, end walls and other unique roof features gets a little easier as details become part of a digital road map of the roof that is rendered in real-time to an app. To the contractor, the output reads much like a shop drawing with a bill of materials, designers said. The map can be color-coded and labeled to match product shipment. There’s also an opportunity to capture photos and images of details for quoting and fabrication purposes.

This product is the first major release since Metal-Era and Hickman Edge Systems combined in February 2021. But it’s hardly the last innovation, officials said.

"In terms of technology and innovation, this is only the beginning,” Mallinger added. “The impact of being able to spatially locate and map the roof to this level of accuracy with this speed will expand beyond the perimeter and positively change the industry.”

The Falcon became available to roofing contractors in April and is planning to expand heavily over the summer peak season.

UNIROOF 700 with LQS

Leister

The product development team at Leister set out to create a product for roofing contractors that’s ideally suited for welding all types of single-ply thermoplastic roof membranes with the UNIROOF 700. It offers three one-of-a-kind features that company officials say sets a new standard in the roofing industry. They’re most excited about the Leister Quality System (LQS), an advanced technology that gives contractors complete control of key welding parameters like speed, temperature and air volume.

The other key aspect is a dramatic improvement in documentation and accountability through an auto-generated data report. This service records data from each welded seam and transfers it to a database that can be accessed through the myLeister app.

The machine’s heavier weight allows easy welding of even thick materials, and a closed-loop control of the temperature, speed, and air volume ensure reliable welds even in quickly-changing weather conditions. It also features a monitored welding assistant that ensures greater quality because it warns operators with an alarm and lit-up digital display if parameters are off. In addition, the UNIROOF 700 menu allows owners to implement factory pre-set parameters that create, store and transfer custom welding “recipes” within the myLeister app.

Long-term benefits were also built into the design. An ECO Mode feature can save up to 30% on energy consumption on the job, and there are software updates to make it a long-term investment for roofers.