1960’S METALS INDUSTRY PROMO FILM

[Music] the architectural metals are becoming more and more important in modern building one of their most interesting uses is seen all about us in the construction of building walls this is the story of how these walls of metal army [Music] [Music] all metals have their common origin in the earth bring them to useful form requires a long process of refinement their first reduced to a molten state in some type of furnace powdery white alumina for example is reduced to metallic aluminum in giant electrolytic cells or pots and is cast into moles of various shapes stainless steel originates in an electric furnace which is charged with a controlled mixture of scrap and alloying metals it may be poured into molds or billets preliminary to subsequent processing or in a more modern method the molten metal is cast under pressure into large glass smooth slabs which go directly to the rolling mill before any of these metals can be used in building they must pass through further reduction in forming processes by various rolling operations hot slabs are reduced in thickness and become plate and heavy sheet after still further reduction in thickness by coal rolling the metal is coiled for handling most of these same metal forming techniques are used also with a non-ferrous architectural metals aluminum and bronze another forming method widely used with the non ferrous metals is the extrusion process under tremendous hydraulic pressure a heated billet is pushed through hollowed eyes to form almost any desired profile these extruded shapes are pulled as they cooled straighten them and are then cut to stock lengths in the heat treat oven carefully specified time at precisely controlled temperatures completes the process an infinite variety of shaped small and large is produced by extrusion for a multitude of architectural applications metal sheet which we saw being produced and coiled in the rolling mills is cut and bent into other forms before it's used in wall construction sheet stock may be cut to the desired widths on slitting rolls and it may be bent into architectural parts by press breaking the press break can be fitted with a variety of forming edges called dyes to produce almost any sectional profile desired or if large quantities of a section are required it may be produced by roll forming coiled metal strip is automatically fed at high speed through a series of specially designed matched rollers emerging as a formed section of course metal isn't the only material used in metal wall construction another common essential is glass here to the raw materials are obtained from the earth [Music] are mixed in accurate proportion and reduced to a molten state the molten mix emerges from the furnace as a glowing continuous ribbon of hot glass to be slowly and carefully cooled its rough surfaces smooth to precise flatness between huge revolving grinding heads after being ground smooth the glass ribbon now cut into huge sheets is polished with Rouge and water then transferred to another conveyor line for washing final inspection and packing for shipment another glass like material often used as a coating on metal to provide durable colors and textures his porcelain enamel which may be applied to either steel or aluminum usually by spraying the coated parts are dried then fired in ovens where the coating melts and fuses to the heated metal several production methods and techniques are used by manufacturers to maintain quality and still meet difficult delivery schedules preformed heavy gauge panels are normally handled on high-capacity conveyor systems lighter gauge coil stock is porcelain eyes din a continuous line operation also yielding a great variety of color and textures in this process coil sheet stock feeds continuously into the equipment is given a base coating and preliminary baking then passes onto this automated spray booth for the finish coat the final baking process provides a completed panel wide continuous strip of coated metal which is then cut to size for fabrication in two patents with these materials and many more to choose from the architects imagination has free reign in designing walls of metal aesthetics though are only a part of his concern he must think of functional and engineering design to must satisfied code requirements and above all he must please his client often this requires the study of many alternative solutions comparing the advantages of already available wall systems with those of his own design expert advice is always available from the wall manufacturers however without obligation and the wise architect takes advantage of this with the wall design established in the contract let the manufacturers engineering staff takes over detailing for production shop drawings are made and approved production schedules are established and fabrication begins first the necessary metal shapes are produced they're cut to exact length and the ends are shaped to precise profiles at the same time other wall parts are being produced one type of insulated panel may be made by bonding porcelain eyes metal facing sheets to a lightweight porous core material such as foam plastic special adhesives are applied to the core in both facings and are briefly cured by heating the assembly is then passed between pressure rolls to produce firmly bonded composite panels these laminated panels have exceptional flatness and remarkably high strength if desired the facing sheet may be subdivided with metal insert strips to achieve various design facts other panels are made with polished metal facings which are backed with rigid sheet material and are then bent to form shallow pans these pans are then filled with inorganic insulating material to provide highly fire resistive units or metal sheets may be simply stamped with large-scale sculptural designs to service panels a great variety of smaller scale textured patterns produced on matched rolls or by other means is also available when color is added to pattern such as these some very attractive designs result [Music] another important element in most walls is the window which may of course be made from any of the architectural metals window frames may be assembled by flash welding providing in effect a one-piece frame or the members may be punched in tenon for mechanical assembly whatever the metal and however assembled quality windows must meet strict performance requirements consequently their manufacturers continuously test them to ensure that they meet the required standards finishing of the metal parts is important to these operations may be comparatively simple and inexpensive or relatively complicated in costly wear requirements so dictate mechanically applied finishes such as polishing and buffing are used on all of the architectural metals on flat surfaces abrasive polishing belts are commonly used but more complex shapes require polishing wheels and sometimes a good deal of handwork on the bronzes various chemical treatments are employed to produce attractive statuary finishes like those produced eventually by nature or architectural aluminum the anodized finishes are the most important these are applied by immersing the product in a special bath under control temperature and passing an electric current through the bath to produce a hard oxide surface film on the metal the anodic coating may be wholly transparent or it may provide color depending on the alloy and process used many different colors and degrees of hardness and durability are obtained color finishes may also be applied to any of the metals by spraying or by roller coating properly cured these applied coatings are durable and tough they withstand severe forming operations without damaged that have been strenuously tested by exposure to the elements before finalizing the details of the wall design and going into full production testing may be advisable especially with custom wall designs often representative full sized areas of the wall are built for this purpose artificial hurricanes are created or equally severe static pressure tests may be applied to test water tightness eventually the various parts and processes are brought together in the wall units final assembly is underway in the case of extremely large wall units such as this one final shop assembly may really be only a pre assembly process because of the difficulties of transporting such large units over long distances they may be assembled first in the manufacturer shop then dismantled and reassembled at the job site in assembling the more common types of frames a variety of methods are used joining may be done by engaging screws in retaining slots provided in the members during extrusion or it may be done by welding even though these wall units may be highly customized in design their dimensions are precisely controlled in a high rate of production is achieved in this assembly process pneumatic plants hold the work firmly in place while Tenon's are being riveted jigs and templates are always used to assure precise accuracy of dimensions as the wall unit frames are assembled they're stacked for movement to another area where the installation of panels takes place as the wall units are completed they are marked to indicate their location on the building and then are packed for shipment to the site usually by truck upon delivery at the job site the wall units are unloaded and stacked in temporary storage as near as possible to their final location they're covered for protection until needed but this isn't the end of the job a very important part of the wall manufacturers responsibility still remains the installation of the wall on the building while the wall components were being fabricated the building frame has been under construction and if everything's on schedule it's now ready for enclosure the field crew working from erection drawings has already installed the necessary anchors and supports all locations are determined by reference to the benchmarks established by the general contractor so that when the time comes for the actual attachment of the wall units or glazing frames themselves work proceeds at a surprisingly rapid pace methods of installation vary with the type of wall design and the nature of the job but Anchorage must always be adjustable for precise alignment in installation and to allow for the natural expansion and contraction of the wall the final positioning of the attached units is a job requiring great accuracy with some types of wall designs a structural million members installed to cap the joint between units in any case enclosure of the building is rapid because large units can be readily handled two-story units are not uncommon and even the largest ones are relatively lightweight copper Anchorage of the wall though never seen in the finished product is always critically important in this design the supports for the wall were first accurately located and then welded to the building frame then the spandrel panels were positioned and bolted in place with the installation of vertical members following later commercial-type walls employing standard design details are widely used to enclose relatively low buildings such as schools shopping centers motels in the light wall systems such as these are available on order for any manufacturers as completely preassembled units they're all carefully engineered however frequently they are designed with an interlocking slip joint forming split margins which accommodate thermal movements these commercial wall units are often distributed through local dealers such as glazing firms and because of the simplicity of their design and construction can be quickly and easily installed by relatively inexperienced personnel to the architect the most interesting type of wall is the custom type because it allows him perfect freedom of design metal wall manufacturers believe strongly in the concept that fabrication methods should follow not dictate design and are equipped to make units in a great variety of shapes whatever their shape it is common practice to pre assemble them as far as possible in the plant so that their installation is simplified of course the use of custom-designed walls is by no means restricted to high-rise structures the architect often uses them in conjunction with other materials to enclose more modest buildings on the college or industrial campus with proper advanced planning the erection of custom walls poses no problems for the well-trained crew even the heavier units such as these are handled with no great difficulty anchoring devices must always be so designed that adjustment in any direction is possible in order to obtain precise alignment after being positioned there firmly secured to prevent later dislocation on multi-story buildings metal walls are usually designed so that they may be installed from the building floors eliminating as far as possible the need for exterior scaffolding ingenious design details are employed to provide interlocking weather tight connections requiring a minimum number of fasteners and permitting both vertical and lateral movement due to expansion and contraction of course many wall units are not flat and rectangular some are designed for corners and for other special purposes such as column covers and some serve simply as wall cladding even the installation of parts such as these proceeds rapidly thanks to careful advanced planning and to the use of efficient hoisting equipment and modern communication devices experience of the fabricators field crew is an important element too especially in handling those parts that have to be installed in less than easily accessible locations thanks to the teamwork of this five-man crew installation of all wall components proceeds quickly and stays on schedule the cladding of windowless areas of a building and closing elevators and mechanical services might appear to pose certain design problems but closely Azon between the architect and wall manufacturer can provide a choice of appropriate and attractive wall treatments again maximum efficiency is gained by working off the building floors as far as practicable in this installation the cladding units have been stockpiled on each floor near the area of the wall to be covered they are then handed out a window opening and onto a two storey enclosed scaffold where they are positioned and connected in relative safety and comfort glazing of the wall follows soon after the wall units are installed and this too can be done in several ways fixed glass with no opening windows is commonly used in high-rise buildings which are to be air-conditioned this