Keeping underground air-extraction vents corrosion free.
Overview
Midland Alloy Ltd, based in Telford, Shropshire, is a specialist aluminium engineering company with expertise in forming complex structures through section bending, complex CNC machining and welding. The company is well known for intricate exacting work and recently won a contract to produce leading-edge aluminium air vents for an underground car park at the re-developed San Francisco Civic Centre Plaza.
The redesign of the plaza area has been continuing for over three years with one objective being to tie the various parts of the plaza together by opening up and improving the public spaces and removing parked cars from the roadside where they impede the flow of pedestrians. Redesigning and extending the underground car parks are an essential part of the redevelopment.
Addressing corrosion resistance
The air extraction vents comprise a cylindrical frame with curved louvres attached in rings around the outside of the frame. This is topped by a conical lid, in two sections, resembling a cymbal cut into two. The louvres and lids have a unique design which must be manufactured to a high degree of accuracy from 3.2mm aluminium in order for them to function efficiently. Protective coatings for the metal needed to be applied with an accurate and even thickness to meet the critical tolerances. Powdertech recommended marine-quality pre-treatment for additional corrosion resistance as the underground car park environment would be dusty and dirty with exhaust fumes
We pre-treated using our chrome-free Titanium Zirconium conversion process and then coated all surfaces of the cylinder frame, curved louvre blades and lids, inside and out, carefully monitoring the coating thickness. AkzoNobel D2525 super durable coating was specified, RAL 9007, dark metallic grey with a 30% gloss finish.
Why Powdertech Corby?
- Powdertech has many years of experience in coating to consistently accurate thicknesses to meet tight tolerances.
- Powdertech's rigorous pre-treatment system will help to keep the panelling free from corrosion for up to 40-years.
- Powdertech’s flexible plant can coat a wide variety of shapes and sizes of architectural metal work and fabrications.
- Powdertech has over 30 years’ experience in professional architectural powder coating and can advise on the most appropriate pre-treatments for the environmental corrosion level.
