It was none other than Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the creator of the Barcelona Pavillion, (which is often described as one of the most beautiful 20th century buildings), who coined the phrase ‘less is more’. Van der Rohe could have been talking about perforated aluminium sheet!
What other material simultaneously provides so many design opportunities to combine its inherent strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistant qualities with a widely appreciated aesthetic appeal? By virtue of these outstanding attributes, perforated aluminium sheet is often incorporated into many architectural components as the primary element. These products would include balustrade panels, bar/counter fascias, ceiling panels, column casings, radiator/vent covers, wall cladding and so on.
It is often desirable to custom make perforated aluminium panels rather than fabricate from stock size sheets. This way the specifier retains much greater design flexibility by being able to incorporate plain borders and other unpunched areas, as well as, cut outs for lighting, vent ducts, etc. With the majority of round hole patterns being arranged on a 60 degree triangular pitch the plain borders are normally lost once pre-punched sheets are cut to size. Unless covered with a safety edge or hidden by some other component the resulting raw edge is a health and safety no no.
Illuminating your reception area with Aluminium Desk Fascias
The first thing clients and potential customers see when they walk in the building is the reception area. This is your opportunity is to make an amazing first impression. GA shows how you can use Aluminium Desk Fascias to make your business reception area shine!
You can carefully design your reception area to be functional, professional and stylish. Various design elements such as colour, materials, layout and branding can make a statement about the culture and values of your company. Ensure that your reception area creates the perfect impression by taking the time to thoroughly plan each detail of this important aspect of your office space.
When it comes to appearances, aluminium can certainly be finished in style with a number of different effects. Also, depending on the application, aluminium is often used in its natural state.
For many uses aluminium looks great in mill or anodised finish. There are occasions however when a colourful alternative may be required and that’s where GA’s ‘Spectra Bond’ powder coating (available in RAL colours) comes into its own.
Anodised aluminium provides an attractive matt metallic easy to maintain effect that will normally last for many years. The anodic film is extremely durable, corrosion resistant and light-fast. The anodising process interacts with the surface of the aluminium. For this reason it is important that a suitable aluminium alloy is selected, together with the surface finish being in good condition.
For inspiration check out our reception desk fascias area.
Reception Desk Videos:
RD 1 http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodingaluminium/4678296802/in/set-72157624097470483/
RD1 Double Folded Trays with GA Ver T Fix System
RD 2 http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodingaluminium/4678311686/in/set-72157624097470483/
RD2 Double Folded Trays with GA Ver T Fix and Shadow Gaps
RD 3 http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodingaluminium/4677670317/in/set-72157624097470483/
RD3 Single Folded Trays with GA Panel-Fix
RD 4 http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodingaluminium/4677675515/in/set-72157624097470483/
RD4 Panels with GA Posi-Grip Instant Access Framing
RD 5 http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodingaluminium/4678308206/in/set-72157624097470483/
RD5 Panels with GA Posi-Grip Instant Access Framing and Spacers.
Made to Measure Panels. It’s so easy, provide the checklist information and we’ll deliver to site ready for fixing.
- Factory made panels to your dimensions
- Choice of perforated, plain and patterned designs
- Select from anodised, powder coated, satin brushed and mill finishes
- Any number of panels
Order Free Aluminium Samples
Here at Gooding Aluminium, we know that sampling assists with the decision making process when it comes to purchasing bespoke and ready made aluminium products. That’s why we offer free samples to all our online customers.
Simply visit our website and browse our online aluminium products store, and take advantage of our free service by selecting the ‘get samples’ icon as you view the aluminium product listings.
If you have aluminium project requirements and require samples, our FREE on-line samples service Team will respond quickly and efficiently to your request.
GA samples are supplied in attractive presentation sleeves and binders and are normally dispatched within 24 hours.
If you visit our website you can request a quote for any of our Made To Order Aluminium Products online.
Aluminium: Performance Enhancing Alloys
Even the briefest of Google searches for ‘advantages of aluminium’ will present a plethora of statements extolling the virtues of aluminium. Among its many attributes are said to be its lightness, strength, flexibility, durability and corrosion resistance. At first sighting the uninitiated may be forgiven for asking, ‘how can this be?’ How is it possible that one metal can possess all of these qualities?
The good news is all of these ‘wish list’ properties can be accurately attributed to aluminium, or rather aluminium alloy. The key word here is ‘alloy’. Alloys are the other metals that are added to aluminium, in relatively small amounts, to produce the required performance characteristics (along with post-production processes that include cold working, heat treatment, etc.). It is a combination of these factors that mark aluminium alloys out as such truly versatile materials.
To fully appreciate the performance enhancing benefits of alloying aluminium let’s consider Aluminium in its pure state. Unalloyed aluminium has a yield stress (the stress at which a material begins to deform plastically) of around 7-10MPa. The range of aluminium alloys, normally used within the architectural industry, usually produce somewhere in the region of 100-200MPa. without necessarily being a graduate engineer you get the drift! The addition of alloy to aluminium is performance enhancing and could be equated with an athlete consuming chemical supplements to build muscle mass, but with only desirable side effects.
It should be understood that the mechanical properties of a particular aluminium alloy will vary considerably dependent on the form type, be it an aluminium extrusion, sheet, casting etc., in addition to the amount of work hardening, heat and solution treatment, applied post production.
For instance let’s take a look at specification 6063 (a commonly used extruded architectural alloy) to see how beneficial the addition of small quantities of alloy are. This alloy grade (when heated) is sufficiently plastic to allow for the production of small intricate profile shapes and after cooling, for subsequent cold working techniques to be carried out e.g. rolling into curves and rings. At the same time this aluminium alloy is strong and rigid enough to be selected as suitable for panel hanging systems. Independent tests have demonstrated the interlocking profiles (illustrated below) to be capable of suspending the equivalent weight of a small car! As an added bonus, 6063 alloy is also a suitable grade for the anodising process.
Image: GA WP1 Panel Fixing Profile
Details on aluminium properties and its alloys can be obtained from the Aluminium Federation.
In relation to our materials and products is there any specific performance data you would like us to publish for future reference?
Gooding Aluminium are a national and international supplier of a wide range of high quality aluminium channels, stair nosings and aluminium angle. For more information about bespoke or ready made aluminium products, visit our main site at www.goodingalum.com
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Patterned Aluminium Sheet: Resistance to Surface Marking
It is widely accepted that surface patterns and textures assist in disguising minor surface abrasions such as indentations, scratches and other undesirable markings.
With plain surfaces it seems that no matter how large the area and how small the damage, the eye will register the offending mark and return to the exact same spot time and time again. How annoying is that first scratch on the newly acquired glass table!
Fortunately there is a wide range of patterned aluminium sheet that help to conceal undesirable surface markings.
However the question of surface marking is highly subjective, with ‘beauty being in the eye of the beholder’ etc. I therefore decided to commission some independent testing to establish a scientific basis for these claims. Ceram Research carried out the laboratory analysis on our behalf.
Full test results for this research will be uploaded onto our website in due course. In the meantime I would like to share a sample of these findings with you.
GA Vertex sheet (a small pyramidal pattern) was tested in both mill and anodised finishes and was compared with a reference sample of plain mill finish sheet.
Briefly, the test method involved using P40 grade (rough grit) emery paper and this was attached to lead weights and a mechanical device pulled the emery paper along the aluminium surfaces.
Only 1 pass of the emery paper was required to produce a noticeable difference to the surface of the plain mill finish sheet. Significantly a minimum of 40 passes were required in both mill and anodised finishes of the Vertex pattern to produce a similar effect.
In culinary terms ‘the proof is in the eating’ and in metallic terms ‘the proof is in the testing’. Ceram’s testing has established beyond reasonable doubt just how effective aluminium patterns and textures can be in disguising surface damage.
Gooding Aluminium are a national and international supplier of a wide range of high quality perforated sheet, stair nosings, aluminium angle and aluminium channels. For more information about bespoke or ready made aluminium products, visit our main site at www.goodingalum.com