11.09.2009
Curved Construction - Glass Magazine
Factors to consider with curved aluminum extrusions
Curved glazing and sweeping architectural accents transform ordinary buildings into distinctive landmarks used by architects and contractors alike as showpieces of their craft. There is an innate understanding that buildings are straight; curved means custom fabrication. Glass is a flat polygon, aluminum is extruded as lineals and standard fabrication equipment is designed to measure in a straight line. As such, when complex curved designs make their way to contractors, the prospect of making the architect's vision a reality can be daunting.
Below are a few common conditions to be considered when bidding a project requiring curved aluminum extrusions.
Material finish. While it is possible to curve pre-finished material, pre-anodized material may show crazing or fading, and forming pre-painted material will void most manufacturers' standard paint warranties. The ideal process is for mill-finish material to be formed, and the curves to be finished afterward. Check with your forming contractor to see if they offer finishing services.
Thermal properties. In storefront applications, thermally broken, thermally slotted, insulbar and thermal clip systems are all available. The best quality formed product of those listed is the thermal clip system. While the others are all able to be formed, the thermal resin might crack during forming, the slotted material might segment or break at the slots, and the insulbar could come loose, split or cause the parts to sit out of square to one another. With the insulbar type system, it is possible to form the assembly as separate pieces, then pull and crimp the insulbar itself after forming.
Environmental concerns. Some common forming and finishing systems use hazardous materials, such as lead or chrome, in the process. The material can be contaminated and might cause issues on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design projects and in jurisdictions that limit these toxins. Our company uses the LeedArch forming and finishing model that eliminates Environmental Protection Agency regulated chemicals from our material processing. Check with your forming and finishing contractors on any environmental contaminants used in their processing.
All of these considerations should be discussed with the curving contractor as early as possible in the estimating phase of a project. By relying on the expertise and experience of a qualified specialist in the curving industry, many of the common pitfalls and uncertainty involved with curved designs can be avoided, making your next curved project more lucrative and problem free.
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08.20.2009
NGA Glass Show
Mid Am Metal Forming Inc will be exhibiting at the NGA Glass show in Atlanta Sept 30th- Oct. 2nd. Please visit us at Booth #1206. We look forward to seeing you there.
04.02.2009
Celebrating 20 Years of Stretch Forming Milestones
Our journey to becoming the metal bending and fabrication industry leaders.
From humble beginnings in 1989, in a renovated building with just two employees and one stretch form machine, Mid-Am Metal Forming got its start working on the Spiegel corporate headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. By the end of our first year in business, we had built a solid portfolio of customers and were well on the way to becoming a key competitor in the metal forming and fabricating industry. In 1991, after just two short years in business, Mid-Am was awarded the first of many prestigious architectural jobs with a curving project for the Getty Museum in Malibu, California. By 1994, with a growing client base and 30 employees, Mid-Am moved into its current headquarters location and so began a legacy of milestones:
1996 Achieved Boeing supplier-approval and became a lead supplier of cockpit arches for the military’s F-15 Eagle and F-18 Hornet fighters
1997 South Carolina facility opened to better serve our Southeastern customers
2002 Awarded project to form and fabricate intricate parts for the architecturally-renowned, Milwaukee Art Museum
2004 Texas facility opens serving the Southwestern region
2005 Achieved ARINC Supplier-Approval to provide KC135 aircraft parts
2008 Attained ISO 9001:2008 certification
At Mid-Am Metal Forming, we appreciate the customers that made the past 20 years so successful and we look forward to many more years of curving triumphs.
02.06.2009
A Piece of Art for the Guggenheim Museum
Mid-Am Metal Forming creates a curved metal masterpiece.
The Third Mind Live exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum illuminated the dynamic and complex impact of Asian art, literature, music, and philosophical concepts on American art. As part of the exhibit, human carriage created by Ann Hamilton, was on display in the museum rotunda and involved a “bell trolley” on a track attached to the balustrade, and chopped up books to leverage the weight. Mid-Am Metal Forming was sought out to form this magnificent, continuous 7-story descending serpentine spiral. Over 1,400’ long, Mid-Am Metal Forming curved, fully fabricated and shipped the project ready-for-install on site.
12.05.2008
Mid-Am Metal Forming Earns ISO 9001:2008 Certification
Further proof of our commitment to metal curving excellence.
We are proud to announce that Mid-Am Metal Forming has attained ISO 9001:2008 Certification. Throughout our years in business, we have earned an incomparable reputation for quality and our ISO certification is further proof of our commitment to metal curving excellence and that our quality control systems enable us to meet the exacting tolerances our customers demand.
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