JAL has a huge capacity and a wide range of production lines

R K Jain,
Sr. Vice President - Commercial
Jindal Aluminium Limited

We are an   integrated manufacturer with experience of more than 50 years capable to meet the most challenging quality demands.

Which are the major applications areas of aluminium in construction and what contributory role JAL has been playing in terms of product solutions?

Aluminium is the second most used metal after steel in construction. Aluminium is more ductile in character and can be moulded in different shapes.  Aluminium has less corrosive property than steel so it is used in constructions involving humid conditions.

The construction domain is largely dependent on aluminium and the metal has contributed in a major way   in transforming the image of urban towns and cities through their desire to develop skywards. The unique aspects of functionality and ecological compatibility of aluminium has critically bridged the design and architectural demands of the modern-day megalopolises. The application areas of aluminium are quite diverse in the domain of construction. The glass facades of commercial skyscrapers are braced by light-weight and extremely robust aluminium frames.  The applications include windows, doors, facades, roofing systems, domed roofs ceilings and air conditioning systems to name a few.  Skyscrapers, with their floor-to-floor glass walls or luminous panes signify an amalgamation of glass mounted on frames of Aluminium thereby becoming the metal's prime business pathway in contemporary architecture.

Apart from this, aluminium products are widely utilized for window frames and in other glazed structures right from shop fronts to huge roof superstructures for stadiums and shopping centres. The metal is also commonly used in sliding, and curtain walling, and for window catches, stairway railings, heating, and air-conditioning systems. Currently, the metal has played a noteworthy role in the face-lift of historic structures. The features and properties of aluminium as a material have resulted in radical and innovative transformations in architectural projects. Aluminium is leading the way into the bright prospect of the building sphere. Hence the entire construction industry is tremendously dependant on this recyclable, corrosion-resistant and durable metal.  

How do you look at the potential for aluminium facades?

Aluminium facades are being used on buildings for multiple purposes. Increasingly architects are recommending use of facade systems for heat control, sun control or ventilation of buildings which are gaining popularity due to its adaptability in multiple requirements.

In current times, the constantly-evolving façade systems are much more than just glass and composite panels. Presently there has been a gradual but very noticeable shift from the usage of old-style masonry towards the utilization of attractive, ecologically sensitive and energy efficient façade materials for the purpose of construction. The facade syndicates the characteristics of both appearance as well as greater performance in a manner, unlike any other building system.  Besides enhancing the aesthetics, facades are known to deliver enhanced natural lighting, healthier airflow and is also in line with the growing acceptance of green and ecological building practices. With prevailing imports in facades like Rainscreen and sun breakers facades, currently, dual-wall façades are also being experimented in the building construction domain. It is further predicted that parametric façade technology with respect to the Indian architectural models and going vertical with glass facades are the latest trend in India. Most buildings are taking into consideration green façade materials as well.

Speaking about the growth potential of facades in the upcoming years, it has been suggested that façade and fenestration need to distinguish itself as an industry and work on every feature from manpower training, improved designs latest technology, refining product quality and up gradation of skill.

What are the major advantages of using such facades?

Facades are unquestionably the face of a building and they offer numerous benefits like:

Safeguards from Natural Elements: The most common threat to a building's skin is the high winds due to harsh storms. In this case, having an effective façade system can help in shielding the building against the harms caused by high winds and rains. It can even guard the structure against extreme temperatures and humidity. Offering resistance to temperature, unpredictable weather conditions, and corrosion issues is the major advantage of facades.

Enhanced Energy Efficacy: A façade system plays a major role in improving the energy competence in a building structure. By smartly connecting the external surface to the interiors of the building, a façade monitor's light infiltration, control heat rays, reduces solar gain and in-turn results in delivering more energy-efficient structures.

Enables Fresh Air:   A good façade system helps in bringing fresh air into the buildings. The façade comprises of numerous aspects like walls, roofs, and other openings, like windows.  Together all these, regulate the flow of air, and considerably condense dust thus safeguarding a much fresher indoor setting.

Noise Control: Noises coming from outside like sounds of traffic and other outside activities can be controlled by a building's façade.

As the concept of sustainable/green construction is fast catching up, what is the role of aluminium extruded products, and what are the advantages and benefits?

The process of aluminium extrusions encompasses the concept of creating parts of standardized cross-sections which is attained by driving the metal through an outlet under high pressure. Presently when architects and builders are progressively coming forward with experimentations, aluminium extruded products are giving way to some inventive and exquisite architectural designs which have been further made simpler by the excess of advanced technical revolutions and progressions made in the aluminium extrusion domain. The entire construction zone has a tremendous dependency on aluminium not just in the structural components but also in the exteriors like surfaces and facades making it a favoured metal to be used in the building construction.

Today with consumers becoming more and more environmentally conscious about the burden on the planet, they are gradually moving towards embracing a more sustainable and environment-friendly means of living. Aluminium extruded products boast of extremely recyclable and reusable properties and is known to reduce carbon emissions, which makes it a sustainable material. It is difficult to envision a world without aluminium as it a core component of a sustainable and
smart future.

Could you brief us on the advantages of aluminium extruded products?

Strength-to-Weight Ratio: Aluminium is light and its high strength-to-weight ratio is one of its major benefits of usage in the zone of construction. Aluminium has a density of 2.7g/cm3, which implies that it is one third the density of steel. The metal's strength can be attuned to suit the usage by proper alloying.

Firmness and Steadiness in Aluminium Frames: Aluminium components also bestow comparably high strength and stiffness, making them chiefly apt for applications such as window frames and doors. The material's firmness safeguards that, even though it is slim, aluminium frames remain steady under normal loads. This is predominantly valued in high-rise structures, where strength and steadiness are an indispensable property of applications such as cladding, facades, and windows.

Reflective Properties: The metal is widely applied for the purpose of light management. Its reflective properties facilitate to condense the consumption of energy for lighting and heating. For instance, it's possible to reduce the usage of air conditioning in the summer season by making use of aluminium glazing windows with glass. 

Aluminium is not Combustible: Aluminium does not burn and hence it is categorized as a non-combustible material. . This is also one of the reasons why aluminium is preferred. Aluminium does not ignite any fire and will melt if the temperature reaches its melting point.

Could you brief us on the R&D specifically with reference to the technology/material trends (construction segment)?

Batch type homogenizing furnace for better finish and quality: JAL has introduced batch-type homogenizing furnace to refine the quality and finish of our products. Owing to the enhanced homogenizing, the microstructure of the aluminium logs that are utilized for extruding the aluminium profiles has majorly upgraded, which has resulted in enhanced finish and quality.

Intensive cooling system to produce defect-free material: For all our round rods and critical profiles, we have a high-tech intensive cooling system.  This has not only  facilitated in producing the profiles without any distortion and deformation, but has also condensed our secondary solution treatment work as we are able to achieve good mechanical properties and hardness during extrusion itself. This has in turn helped to improve the product quality as it enables us to produce defect-free materials for special applications.

Tunnel furnace for uniform heating: We have introduced sophisticated automatic tunnel furnaces for heating the logs for aluminium extrusion. Since these furnaces have a very good temperature controlling system and uniform heating system, we are able to extrude the material without any defects and with a better finish.

Polyurethane rollers in place of PVC rollers: On our finished extruded material handling conveyors, we have introduced Polyurethane rollers that have assisted to produce material with no scratches and roller marks, which in turn have upgraded our product quality.

What differentiates JAL from the competition?

Superior quality -Backed with our log casting foundry, a most modern in-house die making tool shop capable of producing high quality and intricate dies of international standards, we are an   integrated manufacturer with experience of more than 50 years capable to meet the most challenging quality demands and can manufacture a wide range of aluminium alloys that includes - AA 1XXX, 2XXX, 3XXX, 5XXX, 6XXX, 7XXX and 8XXX, which find applications across various customer segments.

Capacity - JAL has a huge capacity and a wide range of production lines of different sizes, ranging from 750 tonnes to 4000 tonnes and capacity of 1,25,000 MT which facilitates our buyers to source all their requirements from a single source. This also helps us in faster delivery and meeting challenging deadlines.

Catering to a Wide Segment – We manufa­cture profiles for various segments like building and architectural, industrial, automation, electrical and electronics, solar and wind energy, transportation, and automobile, or profile related to Defense and Aerospace to name a few. Our presence in many segments helps us in mitigating the risk of demand fluctuations. The unorganized players due to plant and talent gaps primarily restrict themselves to mainly simple architectural profiles. We have a die library with over 15000 dies.

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