Anodized aluminum panels favored by architects

Views:222 Author:Site Editor Publish Time:2024-04-02 14:08:50 Orgin:Site

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Apple's products always attract the attention of people around the world, including iPhone, iPod, iMac, Macbook products, as well as decorative materials for Apple's flagship stores, mainly made of anodized aluminum.

As a curtain wall material with nearly 70 years of successful application experience abroad, anodized aluminum sheet has also begun to shine in domestic construction projects in recent years.

The use of anodized aluminum panels on large-scale building curtain walls is still impressive, with a matte texture that retains a strong metallic luster. Its excellent ability to express the flow sensation of the exterior facade is highly favored by architects.

Today, let's get to know this material - anodized aluminum plate.

What is anodized aluminum plate?

Anodized aluminum plate is made by placing the aluminum plate in the corresponding electrolyte (such as sulfuric acid, chromic acid, oxalic acid, etc.) as the anode, and electrolyzing it under specific conditions and external current.

Generate a dense oxide film on the surface of the aluminum plate, and utilize the colorless and porous properties of the anodic oxide film to achieve the purpose of dyeing and protecting the aluminum substrate. (A thin layer of aluminum oxide is formed on the surface of the anodized aluminum plate, with a thickness of 5-20 microns. The hard anodized oxide film can reach 60-200 microns.)

01 Material characteristics

① Good processability

Anodized aluminum plate has strong decorative properties, moderate hardness, and can be easily bent into shape for continuous high-speed stamping, making it convenient to directly process into products without the need for complex surface treatment, greatly reducing product production cycle and lowering production costs.

② Good weather resistance

Standard thickness oxide film (3 μ m) Anodized aluminum panels do not discolor, corrode, oxidize, or rust when used indoors for a long time.Thickened oxide film (10 μ m) The anodized aluminum plate can be used outdoors and does not change color when exposed to sunlight for a long time.

③  Strong metallic feeling

The anodized aluminum plate has a high surface hardness, reaching gemstone level, good scratch resistance, no paint coverage on the surface, retains the metallic color of the aluminum plate, highlights the modern metallic feeling, and improves the product grade and added value.

④ High fire resistance

The surface of pure metal products is free of paint and any chemical substances, does not burn at a high temperature of 600 degrees, does not produce toxic gases, and meets the requirements of fire protection and environmental protection.

⑤ Strong stain resistance

No fingerprints, no stains, easy to clean, and no corrosive spots.

⑥ Strong applicability

Widely used, suitable for metal aluminum ceilings, curtain wall aluminum panels, aluminum-plastic panels, fire-resistant panels, honeycomb aluminum panels, aluminum veneers, electrical panels, cabinet panels, furniture panels, etc.

But this material also has drawbacks: first, color difference control, and second, edge folding and tearing.

For color difference issues:

Firstly, the use of the same batch of oxide materials for the anodized aluminum plates required for the project can minimize and avoid color differences as much as possible. For projects with large volumes, the same batch of materials should be used for the same facade;

Secondly, pay attention to the arrow markings on the panel during processing and installation, and maintain consistency in direction. The installation direction of the panels should be all horizontal or vertical, keeping the texture direction constant. Panels that are perpendicular to each other will show color changes;

Thirdly, the application of panels in three-dimensional modeling or irregular geometric facades can reduce visual color difference under the weakening effect of light and shadow.

For the problem of edge folding and tearing, whether it is anodized aluminum veneer or aluminum composite board, this situation is inevitable. The thicker the anodized aluminum oxide veneer, the more severe the cracking phenomenon during edge bending. Even if 0.5mm thick anodized aluminum oxide composite panels are used, very fine hairline cracks will appear during mechanical forming or bending.

02 Construction Technology

Anodizing process flow: degreasing → etching and washing → neutralization → anodizing → coloring → hole sealing

03 Application Cases

Anodized aluminum panels have a wide range of applications, such as building facades, walls, decorations, lighting fixtures, handicrafts, household appliances, interior decoration, signage, furniture, automotive decoration, and other industries.

1、Application of building twilight walls

The Yangtze River International Conference Center is located in the eastern coastal urban belt of China and the hub of the Yangtze River Delta. It is a world-class global connectivity hub and an important asset for Nanjing's expansion across the Yangtze River to the new urban center in the north.

In order to better integrate into the dual texture of the Jiangbei urban area and the Yangtze River bank, the appearance of the Yangtze River International Convention Center combines urban architectural features and wavy curves.

The north side of the tower faces the city, and the facade adopts a metal shading system using anodized aluminum plate material, which can achieve a composite effect: during the day, the metal curtain wall is used for shading and improving energy efficiency; At night, the integrated lighting system on the wall gives the building a unique appearance.

The south side of the tower faces the Yangtze River, and the winding and undulating facade echoes the natural scenery of the riverbank. Its curtain wall is composed of over 90000 specially made anodized aluminum panels and glass.

The TAG · Xihai Art Museum, located in Qingdao, was jointly designed by renowned French architect Jean Nouvelle and French landscape designer Gill Clement. The museum's architecture and gardens echo the community art ecological concept, and contemporary art is used to support urban development.

The entire building's walls are made of large areas of anodized aluminum panels. After anodizing, the hardness and wear resistance of the aluminum plate will be improved, and it has good heat resistance and excellent insulation. The oxide film generated on the surface has protective and decorative properties, without paint coverage. While highlighting the modern metallic color, it can better adapt to the coastal climate environment.

In order to avoid color difference and improve corrosion resistance, the anodized aluminum oxide used in the art museum curtain wall is all custom-made substrates imported from Austria.

The 5th exhibition hall is equipped with electric sunshade louvers, using 16mm ultra-thin stainless steel plate keel. The intelligent control of the bright perforated anodized sunshade can provide suitable lighting conditions for the exhibition hall according to exhibition needs. The fixed stainless steel parts are made of CNC high-precision processing, which can effectively control errors.

There are 127 1mx5m anodized aluminum oxide electric sunshade fans hanging on the outside of the "100 meter corridor" in Exhibition Hall 6. The entire system is the first to be developed and unique globally.

Located on the east bank of the Taihu Lake Lake on Wujiang River in Suzhou, Suzhou Bay Cultural Center is a landmark project for the launch of the overall planning of Suzhou Bay. It was designed by Christian de Portzamparc, the 2013 Pritzker Prize winner and architect.

The total area is 215000 square meters, and the north side includes an opera house that can accommodate 1600 seats, a theater that can accommodate 600 seats, more than 10 rehearsal halls, a circular art and cultural space, a cinema, a coffee shop, and a restaurant; The south side includes a museum, an exhibition center, and a conference center.

Unlike modernist square boxes, architects designed a long strip of "ribbon" shaped like "∞".

Winding from one wing at the top of the building to another, then crossing over the facade, intersecting with the pedestrian axis at a height of up to 40 meters from the ground, the iconic architectural feature is interwoven with high and low ribbons, serving as both the roof of the Grand Theater and the sidewall of the Expo Center.

The surface material of the ribbon is made of anodized aluminum plate, which integrates urban and lake light through reflection, forming a new landscape with rainbow reflections spanning over 500 meters.

Tianmu Village is located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and is the first project undertaken by Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano in China.

The project has a construction area of approximately 230000 square meters and includes functions such as office, art museum, art center, runway, design hotel, and art commerce. It is a landmark comprehensive art park.

The exterior facade adopts a prefabricated unit type tomb wall system for a large area (except for the first floor, sunken courtyard, and retreat platform areas), with a total wall area of about 80000 square meters, mainly made of imported anodized aluminum sheets in sheet shape.

Each unit and section is prefabricated and assembled in the factory, and lifted and hung on the construction site, which is beautiful, efficient, and environmentally friendly. The process adopts sheet anodized aluminum plate surface pressing treatment, which is one of the few projects in China that uses this technology on a large scale.

Christian Pohl GmbH, the supplier of anodized aluminum panels for this project, is one of the best suppliers of anodized aluminum panels in the world. The same material has been used in buildings such as the World Trade Center in New York, the Apple Store in Dubai, and Rockefeller Square in the United States.

2、Interior application design

The Jiaxing Railway Station, designed under the leadership of MAD Architecture Firm led by Ma Yansong, was renovated and completed in 2021. The station is designed with one floor above ground and multiple floors underground, making it a fully sunken railway station.

The suspended ceiling of the train station has a large area and strict requirements for flatness. After multiple inspections and experiments, the designer finally adopted Anmete anodized aluminum honeycomb composite board as the suspended ceiling material for Jiaxing train station.

The surface layer of the anodized aluminum honeycomb composite board is relatively thin. In order to prevent process defects such as ripple deformation and stress deformation after the anodized aluminum honeycomb composite board is installed on the wall, multiple adjustments and studies have been carried out before installation. The super flat and fast overall drilling technology and curled edge groove stress release technology have been adopted to solve the problem of stress concentration on the board and avoid the technical problem of poor flatness of the aluminum board after installation.

In addition to the use of anodized aluminum honeycomb panels for the indoor waiting hall ceiling, Anmet anodized aluminum honeycomb panels are also used for the semi outdoor ceiling and underground wall, effectively absorbing sound and reducing noise, increasing the sense of future technology.

The OPPO Guangzhou Super Flagship Store is located in Zhengjia Square, Tianhe District, Guangzhou. The image experience area inside the store, with smooth forms and natural wood, creates a soft and coherent indoor environment.

The juxtaposition of silver anodized aluminum panels, semi transparent corrugated glass screens, and acrylic prismatic walls creates a continuous and subtle layering change for the entire space, finding a balance between solidity and transparency, thickness and lightness, and coldness and warmth.

Conclusion:

In the future, with the maturity of domestic anodized aluminum plate technology, more and more high aesthetic value curtain walls will enter people's vision, becoming one check-in destination after another.