Metal building products gain traction as sustainable, weather resistant alternative

With global warming creating havoc from Florida to California, one building material stands out from the rest when it comes to coping with extreme weather. This material holds up well against fire, heavy wind and rain, it’s less expensive to install and maintain, and it’s sustainable. Oh, and it looks great too.

The building material we’re talking about, of course, is metal, primarily steel and aluminum that is roll formed to shape and sandwiched around a solid, insulating core. Increasingly, architects and builders are specifying modern metal wall panels and roofing systems in their projects to take advantage of the many benefits metal provides. As a result, as we learned at the recent METALCON 2022 event in Indianapolis, the metal building products and fabrication industry is poised for sustained growth over the next decade and beyond.

Metal panels are seeing increased adoption across the building industry for both commercial and residential projects, such as this stunning home in Washington state.

To meet the burgeoning demand for metal composite material (MCM) panels, insulated metal panels (IMP), metal roofs, balconies and more, the industry is looking for ways to expand production despite headwinds including supply chain disruption and ongoing labor shortages. This is leading to a rise in new manufacturing operations, expanded productions lines and increased use of automation.

To ensure a smooth flow of materials and finished products from the shop floor out to job sites, the ability to place accurate machine- and human-readable marks or stencils on metal surfaces is a must. Marks and codes are what make it possible to distinguish one panel from the next, or to help construction workers determine where to install panels and when needed, see the date code for warranty purposes. Quality marks also help your brand stand out in a competitive marketplace. And the use of barcodes allows increased automation and tracking throughout the manufacturing and delivery process.

As we heard at METALCON, many manufacturers are still using decidedly manual methods for marking products, such as writing information directly on metal products by hand using markers or paint. As volume increases, such manual methods lead to errors and inefficiencies – neither of which support bottom line goals.

Matthews Marking Systems has a long track record of supplying the metal industry with automated tools needed to create long-lasting marks that ensure traceability and present your brand in the most professional way possible to customers. Our marking solutions, anchored by our innovative and easy-to-use MPERIA controller, are designed to accommodate your existing processes and machinery – not the other way around.

Placing long-lasting marks on metal is no easy task. At Matthews we accomplish this by combining the most reliable drop on demand (DOD) print heads in the industry – over 9 billion firing before cleaning is needed – with the broadest selection of inks capable of adhering to virtually any metal substrate and cutting through oily surface lubricants. They can even withstand high temperatures up to 200°C / 392°F.

You can learn about our full range of metal marking solutions here or contact us directly at [email protected] to obtain a sample mark on your substrate.