Whether it's an outdoor shaded room, patio enclosure, or wood-look aluminum pergola, Smart Pergola provides you with the flexibility to create your ideal space.
With its excellent capabilities on wood, your outdoor design options are greatly expanded. This system can span over large areas, requiring minimal columns and connections.
The durability of aluminum means that your outdoor space will not only look great but also withstand the test of time with minimal maintenance. SMART PERGOLA system components for electric pergolas and awnings are available in a vast array of natural wood-look textures.
Wood-look aluminum profiles
Wood-look aluminum profiles can serve as a substitute for wood in various projects. They can be used for doors, windows, cabinets, and even on the exterior of buildings to give the appearance of wood.
So, how do manufacturers create this pleasant effect on their wood-look aluminum profiles? There are two processes used sequentially to achieve this appearance.
- Powder coating - one of the most common types of aluminum finishes.
- Sublimation - used to imprint patterns after powder coating.
After completing these processes, you now have a wood substitute that offers you all the advantages of aluminum. Below, we will discuss these processes in more detail.
How is wood-look aluminum manufactured?
The two processes used to create a wood-like appearance, as mentioned above, involve subjecting the aluminum to two consecutive processes - powder coating and sublimation - to create the wood texture.
The first process:
Powder Coating - Aluminum receives a base coat before finishing. The powder coating process can be divided into three stages:
- Base coat - Manufacturers apply a base coat of powder onto the aluminum. The powder is electrostatically charged to enhance adhesion.
- Curing - The profiles are placed in a curing oven, typically preserved in the oven for about ten seconds, at temperatures around 200 degrees Celsius.
- Cooling - The profiles are removed from the curing oven and allowed to cool. Once they have completely cooled down, it's time for the sublimation process.
The second process: The sublimation process consists of four main stages:
- Wrapping with ribbon - A decorative patterned ribbon (in this case, wood) is wrapped around the aluminum profile.
- Air removal - All the air is removed from the space between the ribbon and the profile. This keeps the ribbon stable against the coated aluminum.
- Curing - The wrapped profiles are placed in a curing oven. When they heat up, the wood grain pattern is transferred from the ribbon to the aluminum.
- Cooling - The transferred patterns are removed from the oven, and the ribbon is peeled away. At this stage, the pattern has been fully transferred onto the aluminum profiles, and they are allowed to cool. After powder coating and sublimation, the profile is ready for assembly.
The incorporation of aluminum-like patterns into your project can be designed as complex integrated shapes.
Aluminum wood-like finish provides them with a natural and pleasing appearance. Now you can design products with a natural and pleasing appearance along with all the advantages of aluminum. We offer personalized aluminum powder coating and finishing services through our partners located in India.
If you're considering sandblasting for a wood-like appearance, it's most cost-effective when the profiles are locally coated in India and then finished with our partner, who is also located in India.
We can provide a comprehensive price quote for sandblasting, finishing, and all installation procedures. The wood-like appearance finish comes with a 10-year warranty for exterior applications.
Aluminum structures with a wood-like appearance finish
Give your building a natural and harmonious feel with aluminum cladding that mimics wood. The panels are manufactured in a meticulous and innovative process and look just like real wood.
Wood and stone properties are combined to create a unique product with the authentic appearance and workability of wood, along with the durability, resilience, and fire resistance of stone. The aluminum panels have everything you could dream of: they have an authentic wood appearance but won't deteriorate or catch fire. The panels are long-lasting with very low maintenance.
Links:
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