Coils

General information about aluminium coils

Aluminium coils are aluminium strips wound into a roll. They are standardized in DIN EN 485. A great advantage of aluminium coils is that only a minimum amount of waste is produced as a result of the need-based cutting.

Of course, this also has a positive effect on material requirements. Coils can also be transported more easily compared to the same amount of sheet metal.

How are aluminium coils produced?

In several rolling steps, the passes, an aluminium strip is first produced. However, rolling solidifies the material. This means that the strips become hard and brittle. To counteract this, a heat treatment is carried out after rolling, which makes the material soft and flexible again. Only then can the full length of the strips be rolled up into coils. Altogether, the aluminum coils can be up to 3 meters wide, several thousand meters long and weigh up to 20 tons. Of course, smaller coils can also be produced. For this purpose, some aluminium strip is simply unwound again, this process is called decoiling.

Of course, aluminium coils can also be subjected to various surface treatments. These also partly serve to maintain value and durability, as they can also offer additional protection against corrosion, for example.

Coil coating is one of these possibilities. This is a continuous process in which the aluminium strip is coated with lacquers or plastic foils. As a rule, the coating materials are applied to the aluminium coil with the aid of rollers. A great advantage of coating the material as a coil and not just the cut sheet is the material consumption. The continuity of the process makes this more efficient and requires less use of resources.

In addition to coating, it is also possible to apply an embossed pattern to the aluminium coil by pressing or rolling. This should not only give the coil a decorative surface, but also make it less sensitive to minor damage. The resulting surface is then called stucco patterned, for example, whereas mill-finish is the term for an untreated surface.

Where is aluminium tape used?

In order to be able to use aluminium coils, they must first be cut into individual sheets. Stucco-embossed sheets can then be used as reflection and background material in photo studios, for example. In general, the resulting aluminium sheets can be used in many different areas:

• Automotive
• Facade engineering
• Air conditioning
• Exhibition stand construction
• Stage sets
• Packaging technology (e.g. as beverage and food cans)