Colour is now an important part of residential and commercial fenestration work. So this begs the questions, are there any advantages to outsourcing powder coating of aluminium profiles, or should aluminium window manufacturers rely on the systems companies?
Whilst the aluminium sector in windows and doors has experienced excellent growth in recent years, prices are still competitive and particularly on commercial work, the aluminium window and door installer is having to keep prices keen.
With manufacturers using more and more coloured aluminium, can you save money by using an external powder coater?
It is not unusual for systems companies, hardware suppliers, glass suppliers and component manufacturers to implement price increases on an annual basis. Many manufacturers will simply absorb these price increases to keep their own selling prices competitive.
With the massive increase in colours more aluminium window manufacturers are buying in coloured window material in the a array of colours aside from the standard whites, blacks or greys. The consumer and commercial specifier are both becoming more adventurous when it comes to colour!
So what are the advantages to outsourcing powder coating of aluminium extrusions?
Lead times.
Those who regularly buy from a systems company and particularly those that manufacture more than one system will be aware of lead times fluctuating by the systems companies. The summer is one time of year when lead times seem to get longer by the systems companies with the influx of school refurbishment work that needs to be carried out whilst the schools are closed. One wonders when systems companies are well aware of this industry phenomenon in the summer, why they cannot hold more stock or do more to keep their coloured aluminium lead times down.
Have you considered buying your aluminium in mill finish and sending it to an alternative painter? The lead times on mill finish from the systems companies will be substantially lower than those for painted material and you will be in more control as regards meeting your own customers lead times.
The price of coloured aluminium extrusions.
It is well worth doing the exercise to find out how much you would be saving by buying your aluminium in mill finish from your systems company and using an external powder coater to paint it. It’s simple to calculate. Look at the cost of the painted metal direct from the systems company, then compare that with buying it in mill finish and the price of having it painted elsewhere. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much you will be saving.
Taking the example of Superior Paint & Powder Coating in Coventry. They will accept delivery of lengths and cut pieces directly from the systems company, powder coat it in just about any colour you can imagine, and then deliver it directly to your factory for assembly.
What about dual colour?
In the case of dual colour aluminium extrusions, these are generally accepted that they will be on a longer lead time that single colour because of the painting and rolling processes involved.
With dual colour aluminium the outer profile is painted in the one colour, the inner profile is painted the other colour, then the extrusion is rolled onto its polyamide thermal break to form the finished bar. This process takes much longer than painting in a single colour whereby the already rolled mill finish bar is painted. It is for this reason that on single colour you will often see that the black polyamide thermal break is painted but on dual colour it is left it in its original colour, normally black.
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