MCM Specification Challenges Part One
by Jonathan McGaha | December 27, 2012 12:00 am
When bidding metal composite material
(MCM) projects, reviewing plans and specifications can be difficult and time consuming given the complexities of current building envelope design. Bidding a job well can be next to impossible if specifications are unclear, ambiguous or have conflicting information. This month we will discuss some common specification pitfalls related to MCM and its various components.
Manufacturer
Most good MCM fabricators will tell you that all four major manufacturers-Alpolic, Alucobond, Alucoil and Reynobond-are all excellent quality manufacturers with similar or identical warranty conditions. It is important NOT to fall into the trap of specifying only one manufacturer because you believe the manufacturer has the highest quality material. It is also equally important to understand that each manufacturer prices its products differently for various color, quantity and core scenarios. One manufacturer might be more competitive for Scenario A, but less competitive for Scenario B. If you specify all the top manufacturers, you will be covered for a variety of scenarios and will likely get the best price possible from MCM contractors.
Color
prices can often have a significant cost impact on a project and it is very important to do some research when specifying a particular manufacturer’s color. Prices vary widely for standard, mica and metallic color finishes, and care must also be taken to read the fine print when selecting a color from a manufacturer’s color chart. At times, a color shown in a manufacturer’s color chart may not be a standard color, but could in fact be priced like a custom color that requires minimum quantities and custom color setup charges. A set of architectural drawings may specify 300 square feet of a “Roasted Red Pepper” accent stripe on a canopy fascia, but when a MCM contractor rolls out the drawings and prices the color, it adds a spicy $18,000 to the material price since it is a custom color! It is important for the design team to do its due diligence to understand the differences in MCM color finishes, standard versus custom colors, and associated pricing scenarios.
Thickness
Although it is common to see designers specifying 6-mm MCM thickness, there is no real advantage to specifying 6-mm over 4-mm panel thickness. An architect may think 6-mm is a stronger material, but the aluminum skins are 0.020 inches thick for both 4-mm and 6-mm material. The difference in thickness simply comes from a larger polyethylene core. The only thing that 6-mm material brings to your project is extra material setup charges, panel curving limitations and additional material cost.
As you can see, ambiguities or omissions in project specifications can have a big impact on the MCM scope of work and project pricing. Next month we will continue discussing potential pitfalls of specifications when bidding MCM projects.
Zeke Miller is the president and sales manager at The Miller-Clapperton Partnership Inc. in Austell, Ga. For more information, visit www.millerclapperton.com.
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/mcm-specification-challenges-part-one/