Using the right cladding material for external facades is imperative in the construction of modern commercial and industrial buildings and high-rise residential towers. The gold standard in Australia is Deemed-to-Satisfy (DtS) non-combustible aluminium cladding. This is made from non-combustible aluminium composite panels.
Key Insights
- Australia’s National Construction Code (NCC) mandates the use of non-combustible materials for cladding, and this is arguably most important when considering high-occupancy residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.
- Non-combustible aluminium composite panels (ACPs) are often used in these instances, and mineral core ACPs are the material of choice today.
- ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 is Australia’s premier DtS non-combustible aluminium cladding product; with a mineral core, it has been designed and engineered specifically for the Australian market for commercial and industrial use.
Building Compliance in Australia
The NCC sets benchmarks and requirements for the design and construction of all new buildings in Australia. External cladding must meet prescribed conditions for fire safety performance and installation; specific requirements depend on building use, height, distance from relevant boundaries, and the presence of additional fire suppression systems.
Any building with more than three storeys must use DtS non-combustible cladding on its exterior wall surfaces.
Many ACPs used on buildings from the 1980s to the early 2000s were made using combustible core materials. For example, ACPs with a 100% polyethylene (PE) core are highly flammable. Those with cores made of a combination of PE and mineral fibre are marginally less flammable, but are in no way fire resistant. Only those with a 100% non-combusible core of mineral fibre or aluminium lattice are legitimately considered to be “non-combustible”.
What Are Non-Combustible Aluminium Composite Panels (ACPs)?
Non-combustible (NC) ACPs are comprised of two very thin layers of aluminium that are bonded to a mineral or aluminium lattice core. Used for external cladding, not only do they offer fire-safe, NCC-compliant properties, but they are also impressively strong, rigid, and lightweight. This makes them a durable, cost-effective, and easy-to-install cladding material.
Some NC ACPs may also be used for partitions, signage, roofing, false ceilings, interior fit-outs, and other applications.
How Are NC ACPs Manufactured?
NC ACPs are manufactured in three distinct layers.
- The aluminium skin is comprised of two very thin sheets of solid aluminium. This delivers key benefits to the panels that include structural rigidity, impact strength, durability, corrosion-resistance, and a uniform, smooth surface. These layers are usually coated with a protective paint-on system that helps maintain colour stability in the long term and improves the panels’ weather resistance properties.
- Between the aluminium sheets lies a non-combustible core, to which the sheets are bonded. This may be an aluminium lattice or, more commonly today, a mineral fibre material. This mineral fibre is made by melting natural rock (e.g. volcanic rock such as basalt), glass (silica sand, limestone, soda ash), ceramic fibres (alumina and silica), or blast furnace slag at extremely high temperatures of around 1600°C. This molten material is then spun into fibres. The final mineral core product is extremely lightweight and will not ignite or contribute to the spread of a fire.
The layers are bonded using heat and pressure. A protective finish is then applied.
The Right ACP for Your Project: ALPOLIC™ NC/A1
The gold standard in DtS non-combustible aluminium cladding in Australia, Mitsubishi ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 is designed specifically for Australian conditions and is exclusively available in this country at Network Architectural. As its mineral core contains zero polyethylene, it far outperforms other aluminium cladding products on the market.
It is:
- Easy to process and shape, and has superior flatness
- Fire safe and NCC-compliant
- Highest safety-rated with the Insurance Council of Australia
- Meets all NSW Government testing requirements
- The only ACP to pass Euroclass A1 (the world’s strictest fire protection standard)
- Weather-resistant
- Impact-resistant
- Corrosion-resistant
- UV-resistant
- Colour-safe
- Sustainable and 100% recyclable, it has a registered EPD from GECA
Conclusion
ALPOLIC™ NC/A1 comes with an unrivalled 20-year full manufacturer’s replacement warranty; this warranty is unique in that it has no cleaning clause. There is no more versatile, highly-performing aluminium cladding product on the market today. You really must discover it for yourself.
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