Among the most prominent trends in construction and architecture, the industry is the growing popularity of ACP sheets.
Besides the fact that it is fire-resistant, hassle-free to maintain, high impact resistant, weather-proof, and anti-corrosion, it is the valuable construction material for building facades and partitions, signage, machine covers, container construction, etc.
In this post, let me walk you through the production process of this new generation construction material.
The Step-by-Step Process of manufacturing ACP sheets is as follows:
Step 1 - Cleaning the aluminum coil is necessary. It is possible that the surface has been coated with lubricants, antioxidants, and dirt acquired during transportation. In addition, impurities such as silicon, magnesium, and copper may precipitate on the surface. It is possible for all these elements to interfere with adhesion. It begins with spray degreasing, then involves water washing, neutralizing, chemical treatment, water washing, drying, cooling, and finally winding.
Step 2 - The chemically treated aluminum coil is then covered by a chemical protective coating that extends the lifetime of the paint film and improves the oxidation resistance of the coil.
Step 3 - Once the aluminum coil is cleaned, it is fed into a coating machine and coated with fluorocarbon resins. This step entails the following procedures: feeding*coating fluorocarbon coating*heat circulation baking paint→cooling→filming→cutting→winding.
Step 4 - ACP sheets are first primed and then coated with two layers of high-performance UV-resistant fluorocarbon resin, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), in a tightly confined, dust-free environment with three-roll reverse rollers. It takes about a minute for each layer of paint to dry at 200°C. Temperature and baking techniques are controlled by dividing the oven into four zones. A final coat of surface varnish is applied to seal the paint. The three-layer paint has a total thickness of 30 mm. Furthermore, it possesses excellent resistance to environmental pollutants as well as UV rays.
Step 5 - As soon as the oven has finished baking, it is quickly cooled with an air cooling unit.
Step 6 - The coating is protected with a PE film. This film will prevent abrasion during subsequent processing, transportation, and installation phases. As soon as the composite panels are installed in the area of application, the self-adhesive film can be removed.
I will go on to explain step 7 shortly, but first I need you to understand the basic architecture of an aluminum composite panel.
The structure of an ACP sheet consists of two aluminum sheets sandwiching a thermoplastic core. Aluminum alloy 5005 is used for the outer sheet, while 3105 aluminum alloy is used for the inner sheet. The thermoplastic core consists of three layers - a layer of PE plastic in the middle, and an adhesive layer on both sides. The aluminum composite panel has a 0.15mm thick aluminum panel on either side, and the core layer is 3～5mm. In total, ACP sheets have a thickness of about 4-6mm.
Following your understanding of the composition of ACP sheets, let's go to Step 7.
Step 7 - ACP sheets are manufactured by continuous lamination. The three-layered core is first extruded and then compacted between two aluminum sheets which are simultaneously unwound.
Step 8 - After the surface flatness is optimized and perfected, the sheet is coated with a protective film.
Step 9 - The aluminum composite panel so created is cut into 1220 mm x 2440 mm dimensions.
Final words
ACP sheets entered the construction sector several decades ago, and have gradually improved in characteristics over the course of time.
To ensure that the ACP sheets have a high level of peeling strength and unparalleled finish, the manufacturing process outlined above is conducted under stringent conditions using state-of-the-art technology.
ACP sheets can take on any texture effect you like, whether it's wood or concrete, matte or high-glass. This gives it great aesthetic versatility and makes it fit for almost any type of project.
