Material
Aluminium: a lightweight material with many talents
Aluminium is not only an attractive material for doors ‑ it is also used as packaging material, in the aerospace and construction industries or in our kitchens. We encounter aluminium in a multitude of forms. There are many good reasons for this. Aluminium is flexible and resilient, dimensionally stable and lightweight. It meets the highest requirements as regards design and economy or sustainability and also offers concrete advantages when it comes to fire prevention.
Versatile characteristics
- Extremely weather-resistant, as an aluminium oxide layer forms on contact with oxygen, protecting the metal against corrosion. This layer is only a few nanometres thick and is quickly renewed if damaged.
- For the last 100 years, about 75 per cent of the aluminium produced worldwide has been constantly recycled. The recycling rate in the construction sector is 95 per cent and rising.
- Aluminium is easily formed and worked, for example by casting, punching, extrusion or bending. It can be further processed by means of drilling, cutting, milling, welding or bonding.
- Its high thermal and electrical conductivity make it suitable for use in the electrical engineering and electronics industry as well as in our kitchens. For many applications, it is of advantage that this metal is non-magnetic.
- Aluminium can be used at extremely low temperatures of up to -269 °C, close to absolute zero. Aluminium does not burn and emits no toxic vapours or gases, even when exposed to extreme heat. And with a melting point of around 660 °C, aluminium also has very good fire-protection properties.
Decorative coating finishes
As it protects itself with a layer of aluminium oxide, aluminium does not in fact require additional protective coating. In many cases, however, such coatings are applied for decorative purposes – for example, in the case of home entrance doors from Groke.
Groke aluminium front doors are powder-coated in our innovative in-house facility, which changes their colour in just five minutes. This means we can cater to individual customer wishes and supply doors in almost any colour. To ensure perfect results, the system operates under clean-room conditions, and 95 per cent of the waste water is continually recycled. The light-fast, impact-, scratch-, shock- and weather-resistant coating on each product in subjected to rigorous quality tests.
State-of-the-art production facilities and recycling
Further technological development, the optimisation of processes and the use of cutting-edge filter technology mean that today, aluminium is produced in Germany in accordance with the highest production standards worldwide. Emissions such as gases or dust from fluorides are almost completely filtered out during the production process. Waste water is treated and reused in the production cycle, filter dust is recycled and the waste gas from recycling plants is also purified.
Aluminium is also a sustainable material due to its long service life and the low care and maintenance effort required. The SOMMER Group is certified to ISO 50001 and employs an energy management system to ensure responsible use of resources and climate protection during production.
Further information
You can read more about why aluminium is an important material in architecture and how this lightweight metal is extracted in our full article in PDF format: