Aluminium

Aluminium has been "the" basic material for front panels for decades. The main reasons for this include its strength at low weight, its good machinability and the possibility of achieving different colour variations as a result of surface treatment (anodization).

Anodized	Standard in surface finishing, associated with a range of colours
Brushed	Structured surface with high-quality, exquisite appearance.
Powder coated	Variant in surface finishing which is associated with a smoother surface and more colour options
EMC improvement	For additional requirements concerning electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
Variants	Overview of other aluminium alloys and shape variants
Finishing options	We offer opportunities for postprocessing, from edge grinding to post-anodizing

Anodized aluminium panels with thicknesses of up to 10 mm (unfinished aluminium panels up to 40 mm) can be processed, with certain limitations emerging as the thickness increases:

•	Not every thread can be tapped at every depth.

•	Not every drilled hole or every cutout is possible in every thickness.

For example it is not possible to mill a corner radius of 0.5 mm with the 1 mm milling cutter on panels with a thickness of more than 4 mm.

If your design is accompanied by requirements which fall outside the normal scope of manufacturing, we will inform you about the associated special price with the order confirmation.

Aluminium is by far the most preferred front panel material for a number of reasons:

•	For a metal it has a comparatively low weight

•	It can be endlessly produced on "coils" while retaining the same quality (which is for example important for the dyeing process of a number of large panels)

•	There are many ways of refining its surface, for example:

Corrosiveness, abrasiveness and hardness (adjustable in the anodizing process)

Colour (adjustable in the anodizing process)

Conductivity (adjustable by green chromating on the reverse side)

•	Simple and quick processing

•	Comparatively low price

About 90% of all front panels at Front Panel Express LLC are manufactured from anodized aluminium sheets with thicknesses between 1.5 and 4.0 mm in different colour versions. Of these, a proportion of about 10% has a conductive reverse side.

We always use EN AW 5005 H24/34 [Al Mg1 (B)] as the source material for anodized aluminium.

If required, compliance with EU Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (short title: RoHS) can be provided for the coated aluminum panels.