Advanced Decoration Technology for Aluminum

Enrico Piva, Decoral System USA Corp., Coral Springs, Florida, USA
ABSTRACT Coating technologies for aluminum profiles have undergone rapid change over the past 10 years. There has been a shift from liquid coatings to powder coatings, primarily because of market demand for fashion colors, and in turn the technologies for powder coatings have also undergone significant change. Powder coating technologies are now able to offer super-durable finishes in a very wide range of colors and finishes. In addition, the market has also seen new technology developments in decoration technologies for powder coatings. Dye sublimation technology for powder coating to produce wood grain and other decorative finishes is now well-established in world building products markets, and has been well-proven with almost 20 years of market experience. However, the primary constraint of this technology is the relatively high cost. Decoral Systems has now introduced a new breakthrough technology for wood grain finishes on aluminum profiles that offers much lower cost and high-performance durability. This technology is known as Horizon.

Figure 1. Picture of decorated aluminum.

INTRODUCTION
The natural beauty and warmth of timber finishes has made timber a highly sought after material in a wide range of internal and external building applications. However, the use of timber has significant limitations, including poor durability and high maintenance when used in exterior applications. More recently, there has also been raised awareness of the contribution to global warming that the logging of forests has made. There is a market need for wood grain finishes on building materials, without the associated environmental concerns relating to the removal of mature trees that absorb significant quantities of carbon dioxide. Aluminum profiles and sheets have been used in architectural and manufacturing applications for many years. Finishing options however, have been mainly limited to anodizing or painting in solid colors. The ability to reproduce wood grain effects on aluminum had long been desired, but has only been achieved with limited success. High costs, poor outdoor ultra violet (UV) resistance, restrictions on dimensions, and the need for a protective overcoat are some of the issues that have limited the use of these finishes.

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After many years of research and testing, a new technology known as Horizon, has recently been commercialized by Decoral Systems in Italy. This breakthrough technology for the decoration of aluminum profiles and sheets with wood grain and other finishes addresses the limitations of previous decoration technologies. Now, a wide range of wood grain and marble effects can be achieved with: a) b) c) d) A high production rate of up to 60 feet per minute A very low cost compared to other methods of decorating aluminum High durability for outdoor application use, without the need of a protective coating A minimum length of 8 feet, and up to 24 feet, or longer if required.

PROCESS DETAILS
The technology comprises a two-step process.

STEP 1: Powder or Wet Coating Base

Any type of powder or liquid coatings may be applied onto the aluminum extrusions as a base coat. No special or different application methods are necessary. The aluminum extrusions are pre-treated using conventional methods such as chrome-free, phospho-chrome, or yellow-chrome pre-treatment conversion coatings, and are then dried in an oven prior to a base coating being applied. In the case of powder coating, powder is applied to a thickness of 60 microns to 90 microns, or in the case of liquid coatings, 20 microns to 40 microns is applied over the extrusions. The coatings are then cured, taking polymerization to completion in an oven at 150C to 180C (300F to 350F) in approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Normally, a medium brown color, similar to RAL 8001, is used to achieve a dark wood grain finish (such as cherry, walnut, etc.), and a tan or yellow base coat, similar to RAL 1032, is used for a light wood grain finish (such as pine, fir, etc.). If mahogany types of wood grains are required, a dark red base coat, similar to RAL 3011 may be used.

Figure 2. Normal base coat (powder or liquid) is applied on aluminum extrusions, as per Step 1.

STEP 2: Decoration Process

Aluminum profiles, once powder coated or painted, are inserted into the machine, which automatically rolls UV stable inks onto the coated extrusion surfaces. This process is comprised of multiple stations (normally two or four), and each station applies the decoration pattern on one side (face) of each profile. Specially formulated liquid inorganic inks are applied through a series of soft and conformable rollers. These inks are immediately cured after their application through a series of UV lights at the speed of 30 to 60 feet per minute. Once the inks pass under the UV lights, the decoration is completely cured and bonded to the liquid or powder coating base. No other steps are required. The profiles are ready to be fabricated. Each processing station (rollers + UV lights) will apply the decoration (wood grain pattern) on one side of the profile, so with four processing stations, the profiles will have the decoration applied on all four sides, and pass through the machine only once.

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For a machine with a lower capital cost and a set of only two processing stations, the profiles would have to pass through the machine twice to be able to decorate all four faces of an extrusion such as a rectangular hollow section (RHS).

Figure 3. Picture of set of wheels and profile passing under the UV lights, as per Step 2.

ADVANTAGES OF THE SYSTEM

1) The inorganic liquid inks used in the process have been carefully developed to be able to have an excellent adhesion on any type of powder or wet coating, including Kynar PVDF paints. The inks used in the process have the same durability of the PVDF coating, so by using these types of paints as base coats, it is possible to achieve an incredible resistance to very harsh and strong environmental conditions. This extreme durability has significant applications in markets such as commercial construction and high-rise buildings, where for example, extended outdoor performance and low production costs are key factors.

Figure 4. Horizon machine with five stations. 2) Any surplus inks used in the process are completely reclaimed, because all unused or excess inks are captured by a reservoir and pumped back into the system, enabling all inks to be reused, making the system virtually waste-free. 3) The change from one profile shape to another is extremely fast, in a matter of a few minutes, as the same rollers can work for almost any type or shape of profiles, including complex extruded shapes, with angles, sharp corners, curved shapes, etc.

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4) A fully-automated version of the machine is available and is capable of adjusting the height and positions of the rollers completely automatically. Changing from one profile shape to another takes a matter of a few seconds, just by pushing a button. This automated option is particularly suitable to those companies who expect to have many changes of extrusion shapes, and small volumes of production. This automation reduces the changing time for different profiles and enables flexibility of production where there is a market demand for multiple finishes, combined with different shapes. 5) Another advantage of the technology is that it is possible to decorate selected faces of the profile. If for example, the wood grain is required only on two faces of the profile, the wheels will cover only those two faces, and not the whole profile. This option makes it easy to offer two-tone finishes, with a plain color on one side of the profile and a wood grain finish on the other. 6) The major advantage the technology is the very low cost when compared to other decoration technologies. It is possible to achieve beautiful wood grain finishes at a slightly increased cost, which is comparable to the costs of regular plain RAL colors.

PLANT FOR SHEETS

A plant for flat sheets, up to five feet wide is also available. The decoration process for flat sheets involves the same process used for profiles, with base coating followed by a set of wheels, inks, and UV lights. The wood grain finish is applied over flat sheets, or on continuous rolls of aluminum coils. The production capacity of this machine for sheets is 30 feet per minute.

Figure 5. Layout of Horizon machine for sheets.

UV STABILITY AND MECHANICAL TESTS

The finish has been tested under the most severe laboratory tests, including UV testing (QUV, solar box, and QSUN tests), acetic salt spray tests, mechanical and chemical tests, and complies with the relevant international standards. In addition, natural weathering exposure tests are being performed both in Miami, Florida and Venice, Italy.

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Figure 6. Samples in Florida exposure site.

Figure 7. Mechanical test performance.

ANTIGRAFFITI APPLICATIONS
By using special powder coatings developed for this technology, it is possible to achieve excellent chemical resistance to chemicals such as acetone, alcohol, MetylEthylKetone (MEK), etc. With these special coatings, it is possible to remove the writing of a marker pen or a graffiti spray, simply by using solvents such as alcohol or thinners, without damaging the surface of the decoration. This characteristic is very useful for those products which are subject to graffiti attacks in public places, such as train and metro stations, elevators, park benches, etc.

VARIOUS APPLICATIONS
The highly durable wood grain finishes have significant benefits in a range of applications. Architectural applications such as windows and doors, external cladding, garage doors, fencing, railings, decks, etc., where aluminum is widely used for its durability are ideal applications for the technology. In these applications, the natural wood grain finish gives aluminum profiles and sheets an elegant appearance, without the problems of timber such as poor durability and high maintenance.

Figure 8. Examples of aluminum cladding in wood grain finish

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Figure 9. Examples of aluminum windows and doors in wood grain finish

Figure 10. Examples of aluminum fencing and garage doors in wood grain finish

PATENTS
Decoral Systems holds worldwide patents for this process.

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Figure 11. U.S. and European patents.

CONCLUSION
The development and successful commercialization of the Horizon technology has meant that the use of wood grain finishes on aluminum profiles and sheets is now very competitive with solid colors in terms of cost, and is therefore accessible to a much wider market than was the case with other decoration technologies. People can now enjoy the natural beauty of timber without the maintenance problems of timber, and without the need to cut down trees and forests. We hope that this new technology will increase its use and will spread toward all users of aluminum extrusions who, by using a wood grain finish, will help the planet to reduce deforestation and cutting down trees, and give everyone the chance to enjoy natural wood grain effect, while at the same time enabling the use of recyclable materials such as aluminum.

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