I think we can all agree, the business environment has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, as we begin 2022, we’re forced to continue dealing with these challenges. Rising material costs, labor shortages and supply chain issues have added to the complexity of doing business today.
ACM panel installations continuing over the top of an exterior wall and seamlessly transitioning into a coping/roofing element has become an increasingly popular aesthetic among design professionals. This blog serves to provide design professionals an understanding of why ACM panel systems shall not be used in coping/roofing applications and presents alternative concepts to achieve a similar aesthetic.
Why does Laminators Incorporated use a polypropylene core?
Polypropylene (PP) was discovered by Italian and German scientists in the mid-1950s, and is currently the second leading plastic product produced and used throughout the world. Today, Polypropylene is surpassed in production volume only by polyethylene (PE), discovered a couple decades earlier.
Laminators Incorporated wants to send our sincerest condolences to all involved in the recent tragedy of the fire located at the Grenfell Tower residential apartment building on June 14, 2017 in London, England. As responsible members of the ACM community, our due diligence relies profoundly on assisting and educating design professionals when specifying ACM panels and architectural installation systems for their projects.
Learning how to properly seal building penetrations will help prevent the permeation of air, gas, noise, dust, fire, smoke, or liquid from one location through a barrier into another. "Although representing less than 1 percent of the structure, sealants' correct application is critical to the water and airtightness of the building. Since metal substrates expand and contract with changes in temperature, sealants (they consist of polymers that allow flexibility) aid metal panel joints that experience dynamic movement." Mark Robins, Senior Editor, Metal Construction News.
Testing is the process used to compare a product (in this case an ACM panel system) to an industry established benchmark for a given set of performance criteria
In general terms, testing is used as a measure of quality and performance
Once a building is clad with ACM panels, it’s pretty difficult to know which panel manufacturer was specified and installed. Let’s face it, for all intent and purposes most ACM panels look and perform the same… or do they?
Here are a few things you should consider when specifying ACM panels on your next project:
When choosing building materials, do you factor in the climate? Does it get really cold? Really hot? Frequent rain storms? Or snow storms? Analyzing the climatic conditions is important when specifying certain building materials.
Written By: Mike Mantione, Architectural Building Products, NY
To keep up with increased competition from new Class A office projects and to reposition themselves for today’s workforce, it is essential for owners to find value-added solutions for their outdated commercial office assets.
Laminators Incorporated hurricane-tested their Omega-Lite ACM panels in their Dry Seal installation system.
This video shows testing done for Large Missile Impact during a hurricane, which is one of the tests Miami-Dade County requires to obtain a Notice of Acceptance (NOA).
