Aluminum is the metal chiefly used for the manufacturing of roll-down shutters. These shutters can be custom fabricated to cover odd shapes such as concave openings. Aluminum is lightweight, and it can be shaped easily.
Check with the installer if the aluminum has undergone pre-treatment. This is important because if the metal is not treated then paint won’t adhere to it. This renders aluminum vulnerable to forces of nature. Some manufacturers offer a five-stage full immersion pre-treatment process. The stages in pre-treatment include cleaning, degreasing, etching, deoxidizing, desmutting, and rinsing. Polyester powder coated paints are recommended for aluminum panels. You may also wish to check if the paints have been thermoset; thermosetting of paints ensures their longevity. It makes them scratch resistant and gives them a harder finish.
As far as aluminum shutters are concerned, you have a choice between insulated and extruded aluminum shutters. Insulated aluminum shutters are constructed from roll formed double walled profiles that contain CFC free polyurethane foam. This ensures thermal and noise insulation. Such shutters are lightweight and economical to produce.
Extruded aluminum rolling shutters are stronger, but heavier and do not offer insulation benefits.
The objective of this article is to impress upon the reader the significance of knowing things that can make a difference to the quality of your rolling shutters and therefore the quality of the protection that you get. Rolling shutters are expensive and you need to get things done right the first time itself.
