News
Testing recycled aluminium for facade screens
Most of the perforated screens we make are cut from new aluminium sheet. Over the winter we tested sheet with a high recycled content from a supplier in Chattogram, to see whether it can be used for the same panels.
What we tested
- Folding at tight radii, down to twice the sheet thickness
- Perforation at 30% and 45% open area
- Polyester powder coat and anodised finishes on the same sheet
Early findings
The sheet folded and perforated as well as new material, with no cracking at the bends. The weak point was the finish: surface finish varied between batches, and two of the six anodised test pieces came out patchy enough that we would not use them on a facade.
Next round
We will repeat the finish tests on sheet from three more batches, and fix a set of powder-coated panels to the workshop's south wall to see how they weather through the monsoon.