What Is an Aluminum Composite Panel?

Unlike traditional aluminum sheets, aluminum composite panels lay flat.

Aluminum is a popular building material, and aluminum composite panels are an inexpensive way to take advantage of aluminum's benefits while protecting or designing a structure. Aluminum composite panels work for a variety of projects, and the price varies based on quality and material used.

Identification

Aluminum has been in use for over 100 years; however, manufacturers introduced the aluminum composite panel about 50 years ago. Aluminum sheets posed problems for builders, and aluminum composite panels provided the solution. Two flat panels are held together with a nonaluminum core that acts as a glue, and they can go on the outside and inside of structures much more easily than straight aluminum. The inside is usually a low-density polyethylene. The size of the aluminum composite varies, but standard is four millimeters, which consists of two half-millimeter aluminum exteriors and a three millimeter core.

Uses

Because the aluminum sheets contain polyethylene, they are often used for insulation. Aluminum composite panels have many other uses, too. Externally, they are used to cover buildings. They are an inexpensive, less cumbersome option for signage. Inside, retailers and other companies can use them as partitions and to create displays.

Benefits

Aluminum composite panels are relatively inexpensive and they can be cut in several different sizes, depending on the user's needs. Unlike straight rolls of aluminum, the core makes the aluminum composite panel lie flat, which makes the final product look polished. You can also paint or decorate the aluminum composite panel any way you would like. Because aluminum composite panels are flexible, they will go around surfaces that other materials will not.

Using the panels as insulation can help reduce your energy costs. In addition, when you are done using the panels, some aluminum composite panels can be recycled.

Disadvantages

After aluminum composite panels became widely accessible and desired, several companies began manufacturing them and other similar materials. Consequently, this drove the cost of panels down. To make up for revenue losses, companies sometimes compromise quality. Research a company before purchasing your aluminum. Make sure that you are not purchasing a plastic product, as that will not give you the nonflammability that aluminum will. If an inferior product is used, the panel can be susceptible to burning, as the interior is flammable. In addition, while the external aluminum is recyclable, the interior usually is not. There is no real easy way to separate the two, so check with the manufacturer to see if and how it recommends recycling.

References

• Alfa Engineering Products; Solid Aluminium Cladding Sheets versus Aluminum Composites; Fred-Roderich Pohl