Aluminum Composite Material (ACM)

For a Fuss-Free Futuristic Look

Our Aluminum Composite Panels turn any building into the epitome of modern luxury. With a sleek design and a durable finish, ACM will neither fade nor fall out of fashion. One part armor, one part statement: your building wants to wear ACM for years to come.

Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) is the cladding solution that continues to delight architects, assist contractors, and wow everyone who looks upon the exterior designs they create. ACM is a driving force in modern architectural design, and continues to provide the look and features that end users desire in a contemporary building’s exterior. Created and manufactured with facade in mind, Aluminum Composite Panels (ACP) are a synthesis of materials working together to meet the multitude of needs that cladding must solve. ACM obliges a multitude of design forms, is no bother to fabricate, and installs like it wants nothing else but to be on your building. When ACM clads your exterior, it will be the fancy of the block, and ready for whatever the future has to throw at it.

Wondering what ACM can do for your specific project?

ACM Layers

The best cladding solutions come from a synthesis of complementary materials. ACM is no exception. Here are the layers from which our ACP draws its strength:

Protective Film

This temporary layer protects ACM from scratches, blemishes, or any other damage that the shipping, fabrication, or installation process might incur. It is always a satisfying moment when installation is complete, as you watch the Protective Film be removed to reveal the beautiful design found beneath.

PVDF

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is the key to ACM’s resistance against elemental damage. Used as a state-of-the-art paint for our ACP, PVDF will shrug off any sort of weather, from sleet to acid rain, all while giving your building the gloss and color that its exterior deserves. The ACP we offer features three coats of PVDF; a primer, finish, and varnish that completes the look and secures the survivability of ACM cladding.

High Strength Aluminum Sheet

This is the layer that gives Aluminum Composite Material its name. If your building is going to battle, this is its armor. Aluminum is a dense metal, and stands strong against any physical damage a building might see in its lifespan. Its lustrous nature offers the polished and smooth look that is often attributed to buildings clad with ACP. Beyond the quality of this defining layer, aluminum is also an abundant resource, with a stable and reliable supply chain that contributes to the reputation ACM has for being logistically sound in any cladding project. Wiedehopf only offers the highest quality ACM, and the proof can be seen in this layer especially. Where some competitors skimp on this layer, our ACP features a .5mm High Strength Aluminum Sheet, which is suitable for a building’s exterior.

Non-Toxic Polyethylene or Fire-Resistant Core

The core, being the heart of an ACM panel, is the material that everything hinges on. The lightweight property of ACP is thanks to its core layer, which counteracts the density of the aluminum around it. Typically made of Polyethylene, the core layer is featherweight while being no pushover to high impact. We also offer a Fire-Resistant core, which maximizes safety and peace of mind. If you are cladding a building that exceeds four stories in Ontario, the Fire-Resistant core will be necessary to keep up to code, and will protect your building’s end users for years to come.

Chemosynthetic Oxidation Coating

Oxygen may be great for us, but it can wreak havoc on building materials–especially metal–over many years of steady exposure. This means rot, rust, and degeneration for many cladding solutions, but not ACM, thanks to this critical supporting layer. The ACP we offer has a coating designed to counter the impact of oxidation. While other layers protect against more apparent threats, this coating works behind the scenes to make sure that your building’s facade will not even know what rust is.

Anticorrosive Primer

Damage to a building’s facade can–God forbid–come from within sometimes. This is why the final layer found in the ACP we supply is coated in an anti-corrosive primer, which ties the entire material together with a layer that works alongside the Chemosynthetic Oxidation Coating to ward off rot and rust.

Seeing is believing! We invite you to our showroom in Vaughan so you can get an in-depth look at the many designs ACM offers.

ACM Benefits + Advantages

Every project has different priorities. To discuss how ACM can benefit your unique project, call our office, at no obligation.

Before/After

Showing is always better than telling! Here are before and after examples of a few ACM projects, so you can see the pop that these panels bring to any building.

See the design range of ACM, and get inspiration for your own projects!

ACM Applications

Once you know what Aluminum Composite Material is, you will start seeing it everywhere. A testament to its versatility, the material can be found in anything from aircraft fuselages to storefronts. When used as a cladding solution, you will find that ACM meets the needs of many distinct property types.

Commercial Property

For commercial properties, where contemporary design and ROI are critical to deciding the right cladding solution, ACM makes sense from many angles. ACP offers a professional and current look, that will not cost much time and money to maintain.

High Rise buildings

High Rise buildings are a beast to construct and maintain. ACM is the perfect cladding solution for its lightweight nature and its tested Fire-Resistance that will keep your building’s facade well up to code.

Residential property

Residential property is booming right now in Ontario. Homes that are clad with ACM project a luxury unlike anything else on the block. Tastes are evolving, and new homeowners everywhere seek designs that were only dreamed about prior. ACM offers a curb appeal that lasts! Its resistance to long-term damage is an asset to a home’s value on the market, and is one of the first things building inspectors will note when making appraisals.

Educational Buildings

Universities, and other education centers are often known for the future forward thinking that reflects in the buildings that make up their campuses. ACM is the cutting edge for cladding and facade design, and will make any structure into the Big Building on Campus. Sleek, contemporary, and long lasting, ACM’s look inspires students to think about the many possibilities that the future has to offer.

Healthcare Centers

When designing Healthcare Centers such as hospitals, clinics, and medical offices, you want a well maintained look that reflects the cleanliness of the building as a whole. A minimalist design, along with the labor saving environmental protection of ACM, can help any Healthcare Center achieve this goal.

Community

More and more community centers, libraries and museums are turning to ACM for cladding. ACM design opportunities inspire creative and hopeful thinking about the future, and connote to visitors that the community around these buildings is on the cutting edge of growth.

Transportation

As planes, trains, and automobiles continue to evolve, airports, subway stations, and parking structures also need to innovate. These stations are just as important as the vehicles they house, when it comes to the experience of commuters. ACM is a building material that looks just as novel as the latest mode of transport, and designs ranging from fun to elegant grant a holistic and welcoming commute.

Commercial Building Before

Industrial

There are many things that the industrial world has on its plate. With ACM cladding, labor-intensive façade maintenance does not have to be one of them. Manufacturing buildings, power plants, and research centers are well served by ACM and its long-lasting contemporary look.

Government

From the Federal to the Municipal, newly constructed government buildings are adopting modern styles that invoke innovation and provide welcoming spaces to the community that they serve. ACM cladding is geared towards a finished façade that projects all this, through an aesthetic makeup that is future focused and widely appealing. ACM is reliable over years of wear, and has low maintenance needs, providing for a façade that instills stability without great future costs to taxpayers.

Wondering about pricing for ACM?

Use our pricing calculator or call, at no obligation, to get a quote based on the scope of your project.

Finishes/Specifications

ACM Samples Illustration

Color Chart

ACM comes in colors and textures of all sorts. Whether you want to set a commercial property apart with a distinct look, or you seek to set the perfect tone with your residential home, the color possibilities of ACM go a long way towards these goals. Here are the popular color choices we have curated to always keep on hand. If you seek further possibilities in way of color, our partnerships with our prolific suppliers enable us to find the perfect look, just for you!

Curious about color for your next ACM cladding project? Get in touch to order an ACM sample to experience the material’s clean finish for yourself!

ACM Specifications

Thickness 4mm
Weight 7.37 kg/m2
Aluminum Thickness 0.5mm per front and back face
Core Thickness 0.3mm
Coal Coated KYNAR® 500 or HYLAR® 5000 based Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) or Fluoro Ethylene – Alkyl Vinyl Ether (FEVE) resin
Color 2-Coat solid, 2-Coat Mica, or 3-Coat Metallic
Impact Resistance Coating shall withstand reverse impact of 1.5”/pounds per mil substrate thickness
Adhesion Coating shall not pick off when subjected to an 11″ x 11″ x 1/16″ grid and taped with #600 Scotch Tape.
Humidity Resistance No formation of blisters when subject to condensing water fog at 100% relative humidity and 100°F for 4000 hours.
Salt Spray Resistance Corrosion creepage from scribe line: 1/16″ max. Minimum blister rating of 8 within the test specimen field.
Weather Exposure No checking, crazing, adhesion loss, and a minimum chalk rating of 8 after ten-year exposure at 45° angle facing south Florida exposure. Maximum color change of 5 Delta E units.
Chemical Resistance 15 Minutes of exposure to 10% Muriatic Acid.
18 Hours of exposure to 20% Sulfuric Acid.
No loss of film adhesion or visual change when viewed by the unaided eye.
30 Minutes of exposure to 70% reagent grade Nitric Acid vapor
Maximum color change of 5 Delta E units
Heat Resistance No degradation in bond performance after 8 hours of submersion in boiling water at 100 degrees Celsius.

*Specification data courtesy of Alfrex.

Wondering what these specifications mean for your ACM cladding project? Speak to one of our experts today!

Extrusions

Extrusions and backplates come in a variety of forms, allowing for a precise frame that will hold ACM paneling and allow for a Rainscreen system. Extrusions are named for the way that they space out brackets from the base wall, affording space for an air cavity that will push rain and wind through and away from your building. All of the components that we pair with ACM during fabrication are extruded using 6063-T5 Aluminum, for the following benefits:

  1. The malleable qualities of aluminum make it perfect to extrude.
  2. Aluminum components are designed to simplify the process of cladding.
  3. For Rainscreen applications, the non-corrosive nature of aluminum makes it a perfect material to use.

Extrusions come before the panels, Installers fasten the vertical and horizontal end frames first, laying out the full perimeter in which the ACM paneling will be installed. The bottom of the building’s envelope is segmented with half back plates into which a reveal cap is locked. Then come vertical back plates, a long link for uninterrupted sections of the wall, and half link for around intricate areas such as windows and doors. More segmented back plates make up the horizontal brackets that will be fastened to the top and bottom of the ACM panels. These extrusions, by design, lift away from the base wall, so System Clips are added to bridge the gap to ensure structural integrity. With proper Extrusions in place, you can rest easy that ACM panels can be installed securely for a proper Rainscreen.

Fastening Systems

Extrusions are fastened to the base wall using screws that come in three different varieties, depending on whether the building’s envelope is composed of Wood, Concrete, or Metal. Each fastener type has a corrosion-resistant coating that protects against elemental damage that may incur over years of exposure.

Role of Wiedehopf

Wiedehopf’s connection to ACM goes back to its initial founding. We saw the benefits of the material, and the possibilities for the long-lasting designs that ACP can accomplish. In the last few years, Wiedehopf’s services—from design to installation and everything in between—have been built from the ground up with ACM as a focal point.

Our deepest partnerships for sourcing materials are with the leading manufacturers of ACM sheets. Our designers enjoy using panels as a medium for their creative expression. We have acquired two CNC machines to meet the demands of fabricating premium metal. Our installation teams take pride in the careful fastening of each panel.

Many aspects of our business have been dedicated to ACM, and the material has given back ten-fold! You will see our passion for this product as we bring you the world of opportunity that ACM opens up for your building.

Project Process

We will take ACM from sheet to panel, and get it on your building’s facade using a workflow we have developed over years within the cladding industry. Here are the steps we take in partnership with your ACM cladding project.

Design

The infinite design possibilities of ACM can be overwhelming at first! Our designers know how to wrangle all of your ideas and wants into a design that you will take pleasure in for years to come. Before anything, we will provide you with a project estimation that includes the resources, costs, time, and square footage of ACM needed to carry out the cladding project you wish to accomplish. This estimation is sent to you through a quotation that informs you of all that will go into the project. Then, we bring the vision to life with detailed blueprints and 3D models, so that the look can be just right before it comes time to carve the design out of ACM sheets colored and textured to your specifications. Thanks to a detailed quote and an interactive design model, we limit any surprises that may arise during the full cladding process.

Supply

We keep a healthy stock of ACM at all times, in a variety of the most popular and versatile finishes. Even if you seek something niche in way of color or texture, we have strong partnerships with the most reputable manufacturers of ACM paneling, and can supply the material with expedient lead times and convenient shipping. We love ACM because of the abundance of its core materials in the market, so our partners and customers can enjoy a product that is readily available.

Fabrication

What a marble block was to Michelangelo, ACM sheets are to our CNC machine. This top-of-the-line manufacturing marvel cuts ACM with great speed, and without human error. There is no denigration between the 3D model that the designers conceived and the panels that will show up at the job site. All panels are cut to order, and thanks to the CNC machine found in our workshop, this is a lightning-fast operation.

Installation

ACM is a premium product, so the installation process must be done expertly to maximize the investment being made. This is why we have gathered a team of some of the best cladding installers in Ontario to make sure the job is done with precision. Of the many various on-site challenges that surround any cladding project, our team of experienced professionals have seen it all, and bring the tools to ensure success.

Want to see the process in action? Come visit our showroom/workshop in Vaughan!

Manufacturers

We have a wide range of partnerships with suppliers that allows us to meet the needs of our clients with quick lead times and an eclectic catalog of options. Our supply partners include Alpolic, Alfrex, Alcotex, Alucobond, Alutile, and Reynobond.

Testimonials

Hear from some of our past clients, who used ACM to bring their building’s facade to the next level.

ACM FAQ

Every project is unique, so pricing varies, but on average supply and installation of ACM costs about $30-$50 per square foot of paneling. It is completely possible to have an average square foot price double that amount in unique circumstances. Use our price estimation calculator or request a quote from one of our experts, for a better estimation of the cost of your specific project.

Estimate the price of your project

Our partnerships with suppliers allow for quick lead times, and our workshop–equipped with two CNC machines–gets raw sheets through the fabrication stage at a high rate of production. ACM is a product that packs flat for an efficient shipping process and we work with installers that value a hassle-free experience. All this allows us to offer expedient service. The timeline will vary, based on the scope and the moving parts to a complete construction project, but the workflow on our end is optimized to meet the timely needs of our partners and customers.

The ACM suppliers that we partner with devote their complete efforts into manufacturing ACM sheets, that we later take and fabricate into paneling that meets your specific needs. This allows our suppliers to offer a wide range of color and finish options with quick lead times, and us to expediently fabricate panels that meet the specific needs of our customers.

ACM panels are 4mm thick, allowing for a hassle-free shipping and installation process.

ACM is a compound material, and its primary elements are Aluminum and Polyethylene. Polyvinylidene fluoride, Chemosynthetic Oxidation Coating, and an Anticorrosive Primer are used to create the aesthetic finish and provide protection from elemental damage.

ACM is composed to be waterproof and immune to rot and rust. For full exterior protection, we recommend that waterproofing techniques be employed during the installation process. For more details on these methods, here is an article we wrote on the subject.

ACM sheets are cut into panels, right in our workshop, thanks to our two CNC machines that dice up the sheets at a high rate of production. These machines have a wide range of motion, cut in three dimensions, and their work is calculated based on the exact design specifications.

Soap and water, or a quick spray from a pressure hose, is all the doctor orders to keep ACM clean and new. Many of our end users find that yearly cleaning is all that is necessary.

ACM panels can be repainted! The needs and tastes of a building can change over time, with ACM you are not committed to a specific shade forever.

For ACM panels fabricated to your needs, we are a one-stop-shop that will help you with the design, supply, fabrication, and installation of ACM panels!

ACM panels are fastened with brackets that allow for quick installation right on the base wall of a building’s exterior. It is highly recommended to wrap the base wall with an Air Vapor Barrier to ensure proper waterproofing. Wiedehopf partners with the best installers in the business, to ensure installation is hassle-free, and done right the first time.

ACM has caught the fancy of many industries. From city buses to airplanes, to homes and high rises, ACM is the lightweight modern material geared towards the future. ACM’s range of ability meets the eclectic needs of a building’s facade, which is why it is one of our top choices for many cladding projects.

If ACM is not the right fit for your needs or budget, we offer a multitude of alternatives geared towards your specific project. Aluminum Siding offers a metallic finish at a lower price point. High Pressure Laminate comes in panels with distinct design possibilities. Whatever you seek in a facade, our roster of materials has been curated to satisfy a wide range of desires!