The Dichotomy of Decorative Aluminium Panels

Inspiring and clever use of physical space remains the core of signage, fit-out and architectural industries despite socioeconomical and technological advances.

Beautiful artworks of colours, shapes and contents that trigger deep and borderless resonance and imagination must be carried by supporting media of practicality, convenience, compliance and economy.

Panels made by aluminium have the potential to serve all these requirements simultaneously. Colours can be applied; shapes can be created; contents can be printed; workability and fixability can be easily achieved. Circular economy can be attained by the right mix of pricing, durability, cleanability, re-application, re-sell ability and recyclability.

When price and cost is of the primary concern, aluminium panels can be designed to incorporate cheap-yet-practical polymer and/or mineral cores glued to a wide range of different grades and thicknesses of aluminium skins.

The permitted use of these composite panels is affected by the degree of combustibility of the cores that vary hugely among suppliers.

Statutory restrictions on the cheaper, lighter, and more flammable polyethylene (PE) cores are rightfully much greater than the mineral-core cousins.

Take building elements such as claddings as an example. Unless the core contains more than 97% of mineral fillers that is deemed-to-satisfy the non-combustibility requirement, the National Construction Code applicable to the whole of Australia limits composite panel usage to a maximum 1 or 2-storeys high in all Building Classes except Class 1 residential buildings (NCC 2022 C2D10). Unless Group 1 rating is assessed, these composite panels cannot be used as internal wall and ceiling linings in restricted areas such as exits and corridors in Class 3 unsprinklered hotels or Class 9a unsprinklered health care centres (NCC 2022 C2D11). Even when sprinklered to NCC 2022 Specification 17, at least Group 2 rating is still required at the same areas. NCC 2022 C2D14 further restricts composite panels of less than 97% mineral content, which is NOT NCC deemed non-combustible, for use as external signs unless they achieve a Group 1 or 2 rating. The external signs made from those not-deemed-non-combustible-yet-Group 1 or 2 materials are further required to not extend beyond one storey and one fire compartment, and must be separated vertically from similar signs by at least 2 storeys. When signs are installed as internal attachments to internal floors, walls and ceilings, to be applicable everywhere without detailed checking against NCC 2022 S7C7, the materials used must not exceed the spread-of-flame index of 0 and smoke-developed index of 2.

These limitations can be greatly reduced if 97% or more mineral fillers was used as the core, though Group 1 rating is still required to make it unrestricted as building elements (NCC 2022 C2D10), internal linings, materials and assemblies (NCC 2022 C2D11), and ancillary elements such as signs (NCC 2022 C2D14). For Class 2 to 9 unsprinklered buildings, wall and ceiling linings are further required to have (a) a smoke growth rate index of not more than 100, or (b) an average specific extinction area of less than 250m2/kg (NCC 2022 S7C4(1)).

And if regulatory complication was not enough, the inherent heterogeneity and bonding between the core materials and the aluminium skin further complicates the composite panel selection process.

Regardless of the type of materials and/or constructions used for the core, composite panels are glued together. When exposed to a heat source or natural or artificial environment, the aluminium skins, the core and the glue expand, contract and/or degrade at different rates. This creates significant internal stresses, and may result in premature internal structural failure.

When that heat source is localised and fluctuates repeatedly, eg roof induced shading gradient from sunlight, or heat-emitting lightings inside a lightbox, or flames from a caravan kitchen stove or restaurants, the different materials inside a composite panel expands and contracts differently and locally in more than one direction, creating greater and greater surface unevenness as time goes on. Life expectancy is thus compromised before structural failure. The costs of separating these components further depreciates its end-of-life economic value, let alone the trailing carbon footprints.

So when overall aesthetics, practicality, convenience, compliance, longevity and balanced economy is the priority, SOLID aluminium panel is the easy choice. Its structurally homogeneous Group 1 non-combustibility makes it NCC 2022 C2D10, C2D11 and C2D14 compliant without any restrictions for the complete safe usage of any signs, fit-outs and architectural displays anywhere, staying flat the whole time when designed and applied properly. It can even be used as isolating casings to contain fire for materials having excessive spread-of-flame and smoke-developed indices. Among the many applications, solid aluminium panels can be cold worked to form lightboxes of any shape that contain and minimise the fire-risk of wires, lightings, acrylics and other flammable materials such as stickers. At its end of life, it can either be resold or reapplied through measures such as repainting or vinyl sticking, or recycled at any scrap metal collector who pays you money for your junk.

With clever design and careful planning, solid aluminium panels such as SAS Supplier Group’s Ai Panel can be further made marine-grade waterproof, mould resistant, and batch consistent with minimised thickness to reduce weight and price whilst still satisfying your regulatory, physical and mechanical requirements with market best and most in-stock colour specialty and variety for your maximum convenience, decorative creativity and branding.

At SAS, you have the complete freedom to prioritise cost savings, or maximise value creations and up-sellings.