Written by pushkar

Definition:
ACP is an Aluminum composite Panel also refered to as ACM Aluminum Composite Material by interior designers. This is a sandwich panel of two aluminum skins with Polyethylene or mineral core. Polyethylene also described in short as (PE) is the core material used for standard ACP. It is a petroleum based product with proven exterior and interior weather resistance properties. It also contributes to the strength, flexibility and stability of ACP. FR core is a non-combustible mineral core used mainly in fire rated ACP specified by interior designers to retard the spread of fire.

Size of standard ACP sheet:
The standard ACP sheet size used by interior designers in India is 4’ x 8’ and 4’ x 12’. Non-standard widths are 1000mm and 1500mm and lengths are as per order. The aluminum skin thickness depends on interior or exterior use. For interior the skin thickness is between 0.06mm to 0.3mm and for exterior use thickness is 0.3mm to 0.5mm. Sheets are also available in 316 and 304 grade stainless steel skin with brushed finish and mirror finish. The total thickness of sheet is between 1.0mm to 6.0mm

Bending, curving and cutting of sheet:

ACP sheets can be bent at up to 45 degrees and rolled into circular columns. The diagram shows bending methods. The V-groove can be made on the unfinished side with a metal cutter. Care should be taken to leave a bit of PE uncut.

ACP can be curved to the following minimum radii as per interior designers specifications:
Panel Thickness 3mm 4mm 6mm can be rolled at a radius 120mm 175mm 275mm respectively.
Sheets can be cut with a

metal cutter (steel blade) and planed with a carpenter’s manual planning tool ‘randa’.

 

Fixing and pasting:
Fixing extruded sections are used for fixing to exterior Architectural cladding. For interior applications ACP is generally pasted with epoxy adhesive or screwed on plywood sheets or aluminum sections. The grooves between two sheets can be filled with black silicon.

Filling silicon in joints:
Cover sides of sheets with abro tape. Fill excess silicon. Level off excess silicon with a piece of plywood or laminate. Remove abro tape when silicon is wet.

Important check points:

• ACP should never be stored in vertical position
• Panels should be stored horizontally on perfectly flat surface on a sheet of plywood.
• Protective film on the finished side should not be removed until final coat of paint.
• Bending should never be done without cutting a V-groove from the inside (as shown above).
• Bull-nose bending (rounded corner) should never be done without cutting at least 14 mm strip from the inside (as shown above).
• Araldite used for pasting to be applied with comb to avoid bulging after drying.
• Filling silicon in joints: cover sides of sheets with abro tape. Fill excess silicon. Level off excess silicon with a piece of plywood or laminate. Remove abro tape when silicon is wet.
• Ask your interior designer to do a final quality and workmanship audit of the installation.