Why aluminium
Weight. About a third that of steel for the same volume. On a façade being lifted to the twenty-fifth floor, or a canopy carried through a finished building, that is not a marginal advantage.
Corrosion resistance without coating. Aluminium forms a thin oxide layer that is tough and self-repairing. It does not need galvanising or painting to survive Mumbai’s coastal air, which removes a whole maintenance cycle.
Extrudability. This is the one that matters most for our work. Aluminium can be extruded into complex profiles with internal chambers, screw ports, gasket races and thermal break channels — shapes that simply cannot be made in steel at sensible cost.
Every window, door and curtain wall system we manufacture depends on that.
The thermal break
Aluminium conducts heat well, which is a problem in a building envelope. An uninterrupted aluminium section spanning from outside to inside carries the afternoon sun straight into the room, and the frame itself becomes warm to the touch.
A thermal break is an insulating strip — usually polyamide — bonded between the inner and outer halves of the profile, so the path is interrupted. In this climate it is what separates an aluminium window that performs from one that undoes the glass you paid for.
This is also the reason uPVC often outperforms aluminium thermally at lower cost; see best uPVC windows in Mumbai for that comparison.
Galvanic corrosion
The genuine risk with aluminium is not the material — it is what it touches.
Aluminium in direct contact with steel, stainless or copper in the presence of salt-laden moisture sets up a galvanic cell, and the aluminium corrodes preferentially. On a Mumbai façade, that means:
- isolating washers and sleeves at every fixing between dissimilar metals
- appropriate fastener grades
- avoiding drainage paths that carry runoff from one metal onto another
It is a detailing problem, and it is the single most common cause of premature corrosion on otherwise well-built aluminium work.
Finishes
Anodising. An electrochemical process thickening the oxide layer. Very durable, metallic in appearance, limited palette.
Powder coating. A polyester powder cured onto the surface. Any colour, good durability, and the standard for architectural work because of the colour range. See colour options.
Where we use it
Window and door systems, curtain walling and structural glazing framing, composite panel sub-frames and cassettes, louvres and sunshade fins, balustrade framing, and canopy structures where weight matters.
For heavily loaded primary structure, steel is still the right material — see the full structural fabrication range.