Questions & Answers

About products

  1. What type of material is ALPOLIC™?
    ALPOLIC™ is composed of a thermoplastic core sandwiched between two skins of aluminum. This material is generally called Aluminum Composite Material and abbreviated as ACM.
  2. What is the feature of ALPOLIC™?
    ALPOLIC™ has many features, such as:
    • Flatness: Superior flatness with high rigidity compared with solid aluminum panels.
    • Coating Quality: Uniform color and smooth coating from a continuous coil coating and a unique coating method called “Die coating.”
    • Lightweight: Lighter than solid metals of equivalent rigidity.
    • Fire Performance: ALPOLIC™/fr is a fire-retardant material that meets fire-safety codes of building materials in most countries.
    • Workability: Easy to process by ordinary machines and tools for fabrication.
  3. What is the available panel size and panel thickness?
    The available dimensions depend on the products, but ALPOLIC™/fr is available with the following dimensions:
    • Total thickness: 3mm, 4mm, or 6mm
    • Standard panel width: 965mm, 1,270mm and 1,575mm
    • Maximum panel length: 7,200mm

    Refer to the “Stock Items” page in Purchase Guide for the details of ALPOLIC™/fr.
    For other items, please contact us, or local distributors.

  4. How is the rigidity of ALPOLIC™?
    ALPOLIC™ is highly rigid, especially compared with solid aluminum sheets. 4mm ALPOLIC™ is equivalent to 3.3mm thick solid aluminum sheet. As for details, refer to “Tech info: Rigidity” page.
  5. What kind of paint is “Lumiflon?”
    Lumiflon paint system is the fluorocarbon based paint system; not only is equivalent to PVDF or Kynar based paint standards, but has superior characteristics in some aspects. The color range of this paint is wide, and the gloss is also adjustable in a range between 15% and 80%. We use Lumiflon-based fluorocarbon paint system as our standard.
  6. Are custom finishes available?
    Custom colors are available with the minimum quantity of 1,000m2.
  7. Are matte finishes available?
    Matte finishes(G5%) are available in fluorocarbon coatings.
  8. Are custom marble and timber designs available?
    Custom marble and timber designs are also available with the minimum quantity of 2,000m2.
  9. Are perforation panels available with ALPOLIC™?
    Perforation processing is available such as circular, square and slot holes.
  10. What is the maximum permissible temperature of ALPOLIC™?
    The deflection temperature of ALPOLIC™ is 109-116°C (228-241°F). Therefore, non-burdened ALPOLIC™ resists boiling water for short time. However, in a practical heating work, we recommend the following guideline:
    • If the heating duration is shorter than 30 min, keep 90°C (194°F) at maximum.
    • If the heating duration is longer than 30 min, keep 70°C (158°F) at maximum.
  11. Can ALPOLIC™ be recycled?
    ALPOLIC™ is a recyclable material. Both aluminum and the core material can be reutilized.

About Application

  1. What field is ALPOLIC™ used for?
    ALPOLIC™/fr is suitable for architectural applications such as external and interior claddings, roof covering, and ceilings of buildings. On the other hand, ALPOLIC™ is ideal for signage such as canopies for petrol service stations and corporate sign boards.
  2. Is ALPOLIC™ suitable for counter top and floor?
    ALPOLIC™ is not suitable for such applications in terms of the hardness of its surface. The surface of ALPOLIC™ is coated with fluorocarbon or polyester coating which is not hard enough for counter tops.
  3. What will happen with ALPOLIC™ in the event of fire”?”
    ALPOLIC™/fr has passed fire code requirements of building materials around the world. Core material of ALPOLIC™/fr contains non-combustible mineral to increase the fire safety. The mineral component prevents from the proliferation of flame and restricts the development of the smoke detrimental to evacuation from the fire. As for specific fire test, refer to “Tech info: Fire safety” page.
  4. Can ALPOLIC™/fr be a 1-hr fire resistant wall?
    ALPOLIC™ is a fire-retardant material, but it cannot be a 1-hr fire resistant wall. If your project is located in a city area in which 1-hr or 2-hr fire resistant wall is mandatory, your building must have a certified fire resistant wall behind ALPOLIC™/fr panels. Concrete wall and combination of fire-grade gypsum board and steel stud can be the fire resistant wall.
  5. What will happen with ALPOLIC™ if lightning hits the building?
    Generally speaking, external cladding panels conduct electricity, which is finally grounded to earth through the sub-structure. Therefore, basically the lightning electricity will flow toward the ground and nothing will happen to the panel or the building. But the impact by lightning is so strong that the panel that the lightning hit and its adjoining panels will be completely damaged.
  6. What will happen with ALPOLIC™ in the event of earthquake?
    According to our deforming test due to shearing force like and earthquake, the shearing force is absorbed in the panel deflection and ALPOLIC™ panel is completely restored to the original position after the shearing force is eliminated. Any problems are not observed in other assemblies of the tray type panel in this test.

About brochure and samples

  1. Brocure of ALPOLIC™
    ALPOLIC White Folder including general catalogue, color chart, small sample set and technical information CD is available. Please us inquiry form, or contact our office or local distributor.
  2. Samples of ALPOLIC™
    ALPOLIC samples of our standard stock colors are every time available. Colors in our standard color chart are also available with aluminum color chips. Please us inquiry form, or contact our office or local distributor.

About sales

  1. Inquiry about local distributor
    Please use inquiry form, or contact our office with the project location.
  2. How long will be the lead-time after placing order?
    Generally 6 to 8 weeks is required for production of the standard solid and metallic colors. Please use inquiry form, or contact our office or local distributor.
  3. Inquiry about prices
    Please use inquiry form, or contact our office or local distributor.