Brushed Aluminium Composite Disc

Yes, of course. Orders can be collected from our premises in Colchester, Essex. At the final stage of the checkout process there is a delivery option labelled "Collection/pickup" which is free. Once your order is complete, you will be notified by email along with our address and collection times.

Yes. We offer an express delivery service which aims to deliver all orders in 1-3 working days. Orders are delivered by a recognised courier company and may require a signature on delivery.

This is a question we are asked fairly regularly due to the previlance of either a minimum order charge or small order fee within the industry.

At Simply Plastics our approach has always been to treat all orders equally, small or large. We want all customers, new and existing, to be able to place orders with us confident that they are only paying for the products and materials that they require. We therefore do not have a minimum order charge or small order fee. 

Both Dibond® and Alupanel® are just brand names of Aluminium Composite Material, which is also commonly referred to as ACM or Aluminium Composite Panels (ACP).

For many years the brand name Dibond® was synonymous with the material with many not realising that Dibond® was merely a brand name for ACM / ACP. Although Dibond is one of the better known brand names of ACM, today Multipanel UK is the largest stockist of ACM globally.

The answer to this question is not clear cut. Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) is a composite of two main materials, the outer skin which on most ACP is 0.3mm Aluminium and the inner core with is made from Low Density Polyethelyne (LDPE). This means that we have to consider how both of these materials react to laser cutting.

Aluminium can be laser cut however a high powered laser is required - typically 500+ watts is required to produce a clean cut on 3mm aluminium. On the other hand, Polyethelyne can be laser cut at a relatively low power, in-fact if Polyethelyne is laser cut with a high powered beam it does tend to warp and/or melt.

Therefore the power and temperature required to laser cut through the two primary materials in ACM are very different and this unfortunately makes laser cutting ACM virtually impossible. The power and heat required to laser cut aluminium will be so high that it will likely warp, melt or blow holes through the polyethelyne. Contrastly, if the laser is set to the low power levels required to laser cut polyethelyne it won't be anywhere near powerful enough to even mark the aluminium, let alone cut through it.

Brushed Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP), also often referred to as a 'Butler Finish', has a directional grain appearance 'brushed' into the aluminium. Traditionally the term 'Butler finish' refers to the result of regular cleaning and polishing of fine silverware. In thicker grade aluminiums and other metals, the brushed effect is created by mechanically abrading or brushing the substrate, however to acheive that same effect on Aluminium Composite the thin layers of aluminium are mechanically embossed. 

Brushed Alupanel is a two sided material available in three variants, Copper/Black, Bronze/Gold and Aluminium/Silver.

Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) can be cleaned with nothing more than warm soapy water and a non-abrasive cloth. It is important that alkaline, acidic and abrasive cleaning products are avoided as this can have an adverse effect on the coating.