Perforated metal is used for many applications because of its durability, malleability and easy installation and maintenance. Sheet metal improves architectural designs by providing expanded design and functional elements to a building. Plus, it's recyclable and can help you reduce energy bills, making it an economical choice.
You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.
This versatile, durable, and attractive material can enhance any building in several key ways.
1. Environmentally Friendly
Today's customers care about sustainability, and perforated metal is one of the most environmentally friendly building materials available. Before it even arrives at its destination, sheet metal is lighter than other materials, reducing transportation fuel use. Green choices like using perforated metal can positively reflect on your brand and attract new business.
A lot of sheet metal is made from recycled material and is long-lasting. Scrap metal from the perforations can also be gathered, recycled, and formed into new sheets. The perforations result in less metal used overall, maximizing your resources. You'll also be able to reclaim a piece of metal after its functional architectural lifestyle ends.
Additionally, perforated metal sunscreens and sunshades are energy-efficient. They deflect light, heat, and radiation from the sun while still allowing for ventilation. Buildings experience a more consistent internal temperature while still letting natural light filter inside &#; all with less energy use to save on utility costs.
With a variety of patterns to choose from, you have some control over the level of sunlight that enters a building. For example, 1/8-inch holes don't permit much light to come through. A building will also have the appearance of a solid wall if the holes are smaller and closer together. It's important to select the correct thickness in addition to proper hole sizes and spacing.
Sunshades can also increase your building's aesthetic appeal with custom designs, multiple colors, and even the ability to implement images and logos into the design.
2. LEED Certification
In addition to its eco-friendly properties, perforated metal can help your buildings become Leadership in Energy in Environmental Design (LEED)-certified. LEED is the most widely used environmental rating system in the world. Through certification, organizations can ensure their buildings are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Sustainability also helps companies gain a competitive edge, as green buildings improve indoor air quality and attract customers.
The U.S. Green Building Council developed LEED, which rates companies on four levels &#; basic certification, silver, gold, and platinum. The rating system encourages architects to create sustainable designs and inspires others to follow their lead.
LEED ranks buildings based on the following environmental factors:
Location and transportation options
Water
Energy
Materials and resources
Indoor environmental quality
Becoming LEED-certified can reflect positively on your institution, cut energy costs, and help to preserve the environment. Your building's occupants may also be happier and healthier. The LEED certification criteria reduce harmful chemicals from paints and finishes, improve indoor air quality, and allow for more access to daylight. Using sustainable materials like perforated metal sheets in architectural designs is a key step to gaining certification.
To become LEED-certified, you must register with the U.S. Green Building Council and pay a fee. You should establish a team to manage the certification process and ensure all information is accurate. Each team member should pursue a different LEED factor to reduce oversight. For example, one team member can document a property's water use while another focuses on energy use.
3. Aesthetics
All architectural designers strive to create aesthetic, durable, and functional projects. Perforated metal facade systems are durable and highly customizable, making them a modern, aesthetic and practical solution. The nature of sheet metal allows you to bend it to your desired design easily. With different hole shapes and sizes, thicknesses and finishes, you'll be able to get the custom design you want.
Additionally, you can implement graphics, photographs, logos, or text into your perforated metal panel design to give panels a unique flare. IMAGE-CLAD® perforated imaging panels convert your design into metal images by varying hole size and pattern. Perforated metal signage is a popular application for perforated metal imaging.
Architects also use sheet metal for a variety of other design functions, including:
Perforated facade architecture: Because perforated metal is easy to work with and comes in a range of colors and finishes, it's an excellent choice to give your building a unique flair. For example, you can use unique hole patterns to create eye-catching patterns, like branches.
Suspended ceilings: Perforated metal is an alternative to traditional ceiling tiles that can increase a space's visual appeal. They're effective at covering unattractive overhead systems like AC units and are easy to install and remove. Maintenance workers will have better access to pipelines, wires, or HVAC units. Plus, perforated metal has soundproofing characteristics.
Stair treads and risers: Using perforated sheet metal for stair treads and risers is an aesthetic and functional design choice, especially for outdoor staircases. The holes prevent slips by letting the rain and snow travel through. The material also has greater slip resistance and durability than alternatives. Perforated metal is also an excellent option for stair risers, providing distinctive design options. In industrial settings, the holes can prevent the dark and dreary feeling sometimes associated with staircases by allowing light to filter through.
Infill panels: Indoor and outdoor perforated panels can add some life to an otherwise bland space. Infill panels also provide an element of privacy, filtration, and sound control without completely sectioning off an area.
You can customize and protect your sheet metal with surface finishing. Sheet metal finishing provides even more design opportunities to add color and increase durability. Hendrick Architectural offers the following metal finishing services to improve both the durability and aesthetic appeal of perforated metal facade systems:
Powder coating: Powder coating adds color to your design but is much harder and more durable than regular paint.
Anodizing: This technique is also frequently used for color application. It increases the surface's natural oxide layer's thickness to make the metal more durable and ready for color or sealant application.
E-coating: Electro-coating, also referred to as electro-painting, uses an electric current to deposit paint or lacquer coating. It reduces corrosion and is especially useful when applying color to difficult-to-reach areas.
Silk screening: Silk screening, also known as sublimating, is an ideal solution for printmaking on perforated metal, as it requires no pressure nor a planar surface to apply.
Kynar®painting: A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), Kynar is an incredibly strong finish that's resistant to heat, smoke, and acids. Kynar finishing increases sheet metal's durability and UV protection while adding a pop of color.
Polishing: Polishing removes abrasions from the surface of metal, leaving it with a smooth, clean, bright finish. Electro-polishing is another option in which the surface is chemically milled.
Deburring: Grinding, drilling, or punching can leave burrs, or unwanted excess materials, on the metal's surface. Deburring removes these imperfections to give the perforated metal a cleaner finish.
Degreasing: As its name suggests, degreasing refers to removing dirt, oil, and grease before finishing.
Plating: Plating refers to putting a thin metal layer on the surface, improving corrosion resistance, paint adhesion, and durability. Plus, it enhances sheet metal's aesthetic appeal. You can better shield radiation, harden objects, and reduce friction with electro-plating.
Passivating: Decreasing the metal's chemical reactivity, passivating makes surfaces more resistant to extreme conditions and protects against corrosion.
Chromating: Chromating can prepare the surface for paint, increase resistance to corrosion, and ensure the surface is electrically conductive.
4. Functionality
Perforated sheet metal is an incredibly versatile substance, providing many functional alternatives to solid materials.
Other uses of perforated sheet metal include:
Filtration: Stainless or galvanized steel and aluminum perforated sheet metal is often used for air and liquid filtration solutions. For example, sheet metal is strong enough to withstand the high pressure and vibrations associated with liquid filtration filters.
Goto YINRUN to know more.
Lighting fixtures: Perforated metal modernizes lighting fixtures with a combination of form and function. Differently sized and shaped perforations can direct light with unique perforated patterns.
Shelving and displays: Retail locations rely on lightweight, sturdy perforated metal shelving and rack solutions to display or store products. Perforated metal is an excellent option for industrial and retail shelving, gondola walls, and hospital storage.
Security screens: Perforated metal provides high levels of privacy in architectural designs. The nature of the material makes it hard for people to look in, while those inside a building can still see out. Security screens are ideal for facilities like schools, hospitals, prisons, or retail units where safety and security are a priority. They can also help protect buildings from vandalism and other destruction.
Perforated metal facade systems are increasing in popularity for architectural designs, giving buildings a sleek, modern look. Perforated metal provides many color, thickness, and finishing options and is more durable and resistant to abrasions than painted surfaces. Architects typically include interior sheet metal for architectural designs when creating surfaces and partitions.
One beneficial application of perforated metal panels is dividing a room to provide increased privacy without using a solid wall to close the space completely. Using perforated panels as dividers provides an element of privacy while still ensuring a room feels like a connected whole. Plus, enhanced airflow due to the perforations can reduce HVAC costs.
5. Durability
Perforated sheet metal is more durable than alternative building materials. It's more resistant to weather and provides enhanced structural support due to its high strength-to-weight ratio. Plus, the perforations reduce the overall weight the building's framework needs to support. Sheet metal can withstand harsh climates and is long-lasting. You'll spend less money on repairs and replacements over time.
Sheet metal's durability makes it ideal for cladding, especially for projects like high-rise buildings that are vulnerable to wind loading. Perforated metal is more effective than other materials at equalizing pressure between the panel and building.
Metal sheets are often made of these durable materials:
Aluminum: Perforated aluminum sheet metal is one of the widely used materials for sustainable building. It's resistant to corrosion and highly malleable. Hendrick Architectural's H-CLAD exterior cladding system uses aluminum panels to protect buildings from the elements and reduce energy use.
Rolled steel: Both hot- and cold-rolled steel are economical, strong, and versatile. Cold-rolled steel has tight tolerances and a clean appearance, while hot-rolled steel provides loose tolerances and a rough surface.
Stainless steel: Stainless steel is corrosion-resistant and strong, making it an excellent choice for exterior perforated metal facade systems, especially in coastal regions where moisture could be a factor.
Galvanized steel: Galvanized steel is less expensive than stainless steel and resists rust with a protective zinc coating.
Copper and brass: Copper and brass are attractive, malleable, and corrosion-resistant. Further, both materials have long life spans.
Nickel-copper alloys: Nickel-copper alloys can withstand high levels of heat, and they're corrosion-resistant.
Sheet metal finishing enhances durability while providing an aesthetic element. Powder coating and anodizing add color, increase durability, and protect sheet metal from the elements. On the other hand, methods like polishing, deburring, and degreasing give products a smooth, industrial finish. Plus, metal finishing gives products higher resistance to electricity, chemicals, and corrosion.
6. Sound Absorption
Perforated metal is also frequently used to create acoustic panels for noise control. Noise control products and systems &#; whether for noise reduction or simply acoustic control &#; primarily consist of perforated metal. Perforated metal can protect an acoustic material like a speaker while still allowing the sound waves to travel through.
On the other hand, perforated metal architectural designs provide some solace from the sound in busy, noisy environments. The varying hole sizes, locations, and thicknesses can be designed to target various sound ranges. The perforations will control how the air moves in response to different frequencies. Panels also absorb sound waves to lower noise, protect occupants' hearing, and reduce stress.
For example, libraries can use perforated metal facade systems to mitigate sound travel. Perforated metal designs can also reduce echo in large, open rooms or areas with high-vaulted ceilings like gymnasiums or concert halls. Other industries that leverage perforated metal architectural designs for sound control include transportation, HVAC, restaurants, and recording studios.
Learn More About the Benefits of Architectural Perforated Metal
For 145 years, Hendrick Manufacturing has provided metal perforating and fabricating solutions for a range of industries. We're capable of utilizing a multitude of different decorative perforation designs. Our high-speed CNC punching capabilities offer accuracy down to 0.004 inches, while laser cutting can help you get a smooth, extremely precise custom perforation design. Contact us today to find a representative near you or request a quote.
Perforated metal has been used in construction for about 100 years, and it is more popular than ever. Part of the reason for its popularity is that perforated metal is a building material that can fulfill many needs for a specialty contractor &#; both decorative and purely practical. But there are many other reasons why perforated metals are so popular.
Here are a few that just might make you decide to use perforated metals in your next construction project.
The ProsAesthetic appeal. Architects love working with perforated metals of all types &#; aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized steel, mesh, copper &#; for the style and flair perforated metals give to buildings and other structures. With perforated metals, architects can select from a wide variety of finishes and hole shapes such as round, triangular, hexagonal and square that can be arranged in different patterns to create visual interest. Architects can even create unique custom perforated metal designs to achieve a specific look.
Privacy, plus functional and decorative lighting. Four solid walls provide maximum privacy while glass walls let natural sunlight in. But if you want both privacy and natural sunlight, perforated metals provide the perfect solution. Perforated metal also creates a more appealing and welcoming environment. It not only lets light enter a building, it can project light outwards from a building, resulting in backlit perforated facades that are simply eye-catching.
Acoustic performance. Perforated metal is great for diffusing sound, soundproofing and reducing acoustic emissions. When installed along a ceiling, perforated metal can help prevent echoes. It can be used as a protective covering for acoustical material that is designed to either absorb or reflect sound or scatter it in a specific way. Sound waves can pass right through the perforated material. Perforated metal can also be used as a selective sound absorber, tuning out a certain band of frequencies. Keep in mind that some metals are better than others when it comes to sound absorption.
Reduced weight. The perforated metal sheet is made of a material that is lighter than a non-perforated sheet of the same size and thickness, while retaining its durability. Perforated metal&#;s lighter weight makes it easier to handle and work with. It also reduces the load on the building&#;s framework. And, since it weighs less, transportation costs will also be less compared to a similar load of non-perforated sheet metal.
Superior strength and durability. A perforated metal sheet has a structural strength that is superior to many building materials. According to the Industrial Perforators Association, round holes arranged in a standard 60 degree triangular pattern ranging from .020&#; to .75&#; account for more than 50% of perforated metal production. This standard 60-degree staggered pattern is the most popular hole arrangement because of its &#;inherent strength&#; and the wide range of open areas it provides. A perforated metal panel is also durable and able to withstand harsh weather elements. If the perforated metal panel needs to bear weight, use a stronger metal such as aluminum, stainless steel or galvanized steel.
Pressure equalization. Because of its strength and durability, perforated metal, when used as cladding for a building, provides equivalent protection as other types of metal siding. The big difference is that perforated metal siding allows for more effective pressure equalization between the space behind the perforated panel and the exterior of the building. Pressure equalization is especially important in construction projects such as high-rise structures, which are subject to variable wind loading. Perforated metal cladding also has more give and flexes along with the natural swaying of tall buildings.
Improves energy efficiency and building performance. Using perforated metal sheets provides more control over a building&#;s light and ventilation. A big benefit of perforated metal is that it deflects heat build-up from the sun. This means your HVAC system won&#;t need to work as hard to maintain a consistent temperature, and therefore will use less energy. That makes perforated metal a more efficient option for regulating temperature. And since perforated material allows natural light to enter the building, less artificial indoor lighting is needed, further reducing the building&#;s energy usage. This combination of increased sunshade and ventilation has been proven to reduce the maintenance costs for a building.
Versatility and flexibility. Perforated metal sheets can be made from a variety of materials and manipulated into various sizes, thicknesses, shapes and perforation designs. That means you can get the characteristics such as strength or bendability you need to achieve the look or function you want. Perforated metals can be purely decorative or structural.
Environmentally friendly. Today, more than ever, buildings constructed with environmentally friendly materials are in high demand from building owners. And metal is a green material that satisfies that demand. First of all, perforated metal is recyclable &#; not just once, but many times. Using perforated metal reduces the depletion of our natural resources and promotes sustainability. A large percent of recycled metal is used in the manufacturing process for perforated metal. And the waste created during the manufacturing process is also recyclable. Secondly, by its very nature, perforated metal is eco-friendly, using less metal than a metal panel of the same size. The perforations decrease the amount of metal between 10% and 40%. The reduced weight means less fuel is required to transport it to your jobsite. Finally, buildings designed using perforated metal as a functional element, enjoy better temperature regulation and improved energy efficiency. If light is allowed to pass freely through perforated metal panels, it decreases the amount of required artificial indoor lighting. Taking all these factors in account, you can see that perforated metals leave less of an environmental footprint behind compared to other building materials.
The ConsPotentially higher cost. Steel typically costs more than other building products such as wood, concrete, brick or stone. And galvanized steel is on the low end when it comes to the cost of perforated metals. You&#;ll pay even more for aluminum, stainless steel or copper perforated metal products.
Potential for corrosion and fracture. Metal, particularly steel, will rust, weakening it and making it brittle and susceptible to fracture. Typically, metal is treated with a protective coating to combat moisture or salt and other corrosive elements. Nearly all steel is galvanized by adding a protective coat of zinc. Other paint coatings can help retard corrosion on other metals. As long as the protective coating remains viable, corrosion should not be a problem.
Not easy to make field corrections. If you&#;re at the jobsite and a piece of wood is the wrong length, you can easily rectify the situation right then and there. But what can you do if a perforated metal component doesn&#;t fit correctly? Trying to force-fit it or modify it can mar the finish and weaken the metal. The only other option is to wait until the manufacturer or supplier can replace it, potentially delaying your project.
In SummaryPerforated metal has many positive attributes, both aesthetic and practical, that make it a top choice for many projects. But it&#;s not the perfect material type for every project. It&#;s definitely worth considering, however.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Perforated Metal Manufacturer.