EnglishViews: 224 Author: Julong Publish Time: 2023-10-23 Origin: aluminum panel systems manufacturer
Architectural aluminum products and other architectural exterior metals face numerous quality control issues. Architectural exterior applications necessitate a highly durable material that can be colored or finished in a variety of ways, stays clean and beautiful over time, and provides other significant benefits. Anodized aluminum is an excellent choice for architectural exterior applications that require quality control due to its natural, brilliant appearance, hard anodic structure, environmentally responsible production, and high ROI.
Continuous coil anodizing provides excellent quality control benefits in terms of final product strength and durability. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that creates an aluminum oxide layer from the base aluminum, bonding at the molecular level so that it does not chalk, chip, flake, or peel like coatings or paint. Coatings, on the other hand, are a separate material that is either sprayed or roll-coated onto the aluminum. Furthermore, coatings frequently require a separate primer or adhesion promoter to help the material adhere to the aluminum.
As a result, the anodized aluminum panel is more resistant to corrosion and lasts longer than most coatings. Aluminum Oxide, like sapphire, belongs to the Corundum family of gemstones and is second only to diamonds in terms of hardness. The anodic layer formed during the anodizing process is very abrasion resistant, outperforming paint in Tabor abrasion and pencil hardness tests. This increased hardness and abrasion resistance results in a longer-lasting product. Paint, on the other hand, reduces rather than increases aluminum's abrasion resistance. Because paint is a coating that is rolled or sprayed onto the base aluminum, its adhesion is dependent on the surface tension it creates with the metal or a primer. This surface tension can deteriorate over time, causing paint adhesion to deteriorate, resulting in chalking, chipping, flaking, and peeling. This adhesion loss can spread over time, causing more and more of the surface area to lose its paint. Due to the high labor costs to sandblast and repaint the original surface in architectural exterior applications, replacement of the material may be required instead of repainting.
If the anodic layer of anodized aluminum is somehow breached by the raw aluminum beneath, the aluminum will self-heal by forming its protective oxide layer. This self-healing ensures that any damage does not spread beyond the initial damage point, reducing the need for expensive repairs. The anodic layer is also resistant to graffiti and is simple to clean.
Because of its strength and durability, anodized aluminum is a superior product for use in coastal applications. Aluminum oxide's sapphire hardness protects and preserves the aluminum surface from corrosion in harsh weather environments, including coastal areas. Because salt spray is pH neutral, it has little effect on the anodic layer, and the anodic layer's hardness helps protect the aluminum beneath. In comparison, paint in coastal areas can be affected by weather, and paint manufacturers charge extra for a warranty for material used in coastal areas without always changing the formulation of their product.
Finally, coil-anodized aluminum can be used successfully in formed aluminum applications. Because nothing is infinitely flexible, any material that is bent or stretched will have micro-fractures along the bend, also known as crazing. Crazing occurs on painted, coated, or anodized aluminum because the outer side of the bend is stretched more than the inner side. This crazing has a frosted appearance. While a bent anodized surface may have visible crazing, it is frequently naturally obscured due to how light reflects off a bend to create a brighter, frosted appearance. Formed anodized parts can be made to look great in the hands of a skilled former, and they don't risk cracking and peeling that can spread or creep like painted-formed parts do.
In contrast to other coloration processes, such as batch anodizing, continuous coil anodizing can achieve excellent color consistency. Individual pieces or panels are lowered into a tank in each stage of the batch anodizing process. Because the top of each piece spends less time than the bottom in each step of the process, inconsistencies in look and color are created.
Every square inch or millimeter of the entire coil spends the same amount of time chipping the metal roof in each stage of the continuous coil anodizing process. This provides an unrivaled level of consistency, ensuring that the colors and finishes look the same across all coils produced. Furthermore, the color can be precisely controlled, measured, and recorded to be repeated on subsequent orders.
While paint comes in a variety of colors, it, like any organic coating, will fade over time because it is simply an applied coating containing pigments or dyes with limited color-fastness due to UV rays breaking down the chemicals within the coating. Because the anodized layer in coil anodized aluminum is a part of the aluminum, it is less prone to fading.
As previously stated, the anodic layer of aluminum oxide is a translucent crystalline structure that enhances the microscopic anodized aluminum's natural metallic beauty. This three-dimensional sapphire crystalline structure reflects and refracts light in unexpected ways, bringing the material to life in ways that paint cannot. Paint, as a coating applied to metal, appears more one-dimensional and flat. It simply cannot replicate the natural metallic appearance of real aluminum and hides the natural metal beneath. Painted aluminum does not feel metallic and cannot be distinguished from other painted materials, resulting in a lack of natural metal feel and visual effect.
Furthermore, when each surface is examined under an electron microscope, the paint surface appears rough and sloppy in comparison to the anodic layer of anodized aluminum. Because dirt, dust, and other pollutant materials cannot be trapped on anodized aluminum's smoother surface to the same extent as paint, it stays cleaner over time.
Paint, unlike the dielectric surface of anodized aluminum, does not affect the natural static electricity build-up on metal surfaces. This can attract dust and dirt particles and shock those who come into contact with it. As a result, typical paint warranties for architectural building products require annual cleaning of the building's panels.
Julong Industries' anodized aluminum has a strong architectural warranty with no restrictions for coastal applications. Julong offers a minimum 20-year surface warranty that guarantees the material will not chip, flake, or peel, and most UV-stable colors come with a 20-year color fade warranty.
Anodized aluminum can be less expensive than other materials. Clear anodized is comparable in price per square foot or meter to high-quality PVDF paint. Anodized aluminum may be slightly more expensive than paint for a true bronze, copper, or zinc look, but it does not appear flat like paint and is much more affordable than the natural metals it is replacing. Furthermore, it reduces cleaning costs over the life of a building and may save money by not requiring re-application like paint.
Julong Industries' coil anodized aluminum is environmentally friendly in both product and process. Anodized aluminum is still pure aluminum, with no additives that can cause VOCs or off-gassing. Anodized aluminum contains no red-list items and complies with ROHS regulations. Furthermore, the anodizing process is environmentally friendly, as it generates no hazardous waste. The process employs both high and low-pH chemicals, which combine to produce an environmentally neutral byproduct. Aluminum is one of the few metals that is 100% recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely via simple re-melting. Paint, on the other hand, contains chemicals such as VOCs, which are harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. Furthermore, painted aluminum must be further processed before it can be recycled.
Anodized aluminum is an excellent solution for architectural exterior applications looking for a very durable material that offers a natural metal look, is available in many colors and finishes, is environmentally responsible, can be formed into many shapes or parts, offers a great ROI, and is truly beautiful in ways that paint and other coatings cannot match. Many quality control issues associated with other architectural aluminum products are eliminated with anodized aluminum.
