New flat-sided oval tube for interactive displays, bollards and public-realm posts

Timeless Tube has introduced its largest flat-sided oval tube to date (246 × 127 × 3mm), expanding the possibilities for architects, product designers and engineers working on interactive displays, digital kiosks and architectural bollards in public spaces.

Developed in response to increasing demand for non-circular, visually refined structural elements, the new section offers a strong alternative to conventional round tube. Its flat-sided geometry delivers a slimmer visual profile while maintaining strength and durability, helping to reduce obstruction and improve pedestrian flow in busy public environments.

Commenting on the development, Managing Director Tom McMillan said:
“The visual display and interactive infrastructure sector is growing rapidly, and our clients are asking for solutions that are not only robust, but visually cleaner and easier to integrate. This new flat-sided oval section is a direct response to those demands, giving designers more freedom while remaining practical to manufacture at scale.”

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Optimal tubing for interactive displays, kiosks and way-finding totems

For interactive displays, kiosks and totems, the flat-sided oval profile provides clear advantages. The geometry creates stable, flat mounting faces for screens, interfaces and peripherals, reducing the need for secondary brackets or bulky housings. It sits alongside Timeless Tube’s wider range of custom-formed profiles, including elliptical sections for streamlined visual impact, hexagonal profiles where anti-rotation or indexed alignment is required, radiused square and D-shaped sections for clean architectural interfaces, and more expressive forms such as twisted square or twisted oval tube which could be used to create visual markers or wayfinding landmarks within public spaces. Together, these options allow designers to select profiles that respond directly to functional, structural and spatial requirements while supporting clear architectural intent.

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Bollards and bollard sheaths: tubes for appearance, accessibility and easy fabrication

The flat-sided oval section is equally well suited to architectural bollards and entrance posts, where appearance, accessibility and robustness must be carefully balanced. Flat-sided oval and radiused square profiles provide controlled faces for integrating access-control hardware such as push-buttons, intercoms or card readers. They also offer strong visual alignment with adjacent building elements and street furniture. Elliptical profiles can reduce perceived bulk in dense urban settings, while hexagonal sections introduce inherent anti-rotation characteristics for mounted components. More expressive twisted square or twisted oval forms can be used selectively to create visual cues at entrances or act as landmark elements without increasing footprint. Used as an outer sheath, these profiles can accommodate fixed, rising or high-security anti-terrorist bollard systems while maintaining a slim, architecturally coherent presence. They also allow wheelchair users closer, more ergonomic access.

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Cable-management development

Alongside new section development, Timeless Tube is undertaking R&D into integrated cable-management solutions, aimed at supporting increasingly complex digital infrastructure. These developments focus on concealing power and data within the tube profile itself to eliminate exposed services and maintain clean architectural lines, while allowing for acces to the cables on longer sections of tube.

Working with OEMs and designers to enhance performance

Timeless Tube regularly supports architectural and product teams from early concept through to manufacture, advising on section selection, forming feasibility, tolerances and fabrication strategy. All custom-formed sections are developed with controlled tolerances and repeatable forming processes, ensuring consistency across batches and reliable integration with fabricated and modular systems.

From interactive displays and trolleys to bollards, entrance posts and urban infrastructure, custom-formed, non-circular tube sections provide new freedom in how public-realm structures look, function and perform.

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