Aluminium is 100% recyclable and can be reused in virtually any application from drinks cans to airplanes as shown on TV. Once your product has finished its long and useful life, it can simply be removed and sold for scrap which can be used towards the cost of new aluminium windows. On the commercial front, 96% of the aluminium used in the old Wembley Stadium was removed and recycled. For more information on recycling go to
http://www.world-aluminium.org/production/recycling/index.html

Bauxite which is the world's third most abundant element after oxygen and silicon is normally mined close the surface in such countries as South Africa, Australia and South America. Aluminium has an exceptionally long life span, Eros in London is made of Aluminium and is over 100 years old, aluminium windows in the UK date back over 70 years. Take a look at the brochure "Aluminium for Future Generations" which is a guide to sustainability of the material.
http://www.world-aluminium.org/iai/publications/bauxite.html

Aluminium is a structural material and is used in all forms of engineering and stuctures, without aluminium the aircraft of today would not be possible, high strength aluminium forms the pistons in the engines of todays cars. This strength ensures that an aluminium window does not warp or twist during its life and resists the forces of nature, this results in a high weather performance.

With minimal maintenance, aluminium windows have a long life. Early aluminium window installations used uncoated, non-anodised material which still looks good to this day. Modern installations use coated aluminium finishes such as powder coating or the material can be anodised for an exceptionally hard wearing finish. As the material has strong mechanical properties the fixing of handles and hinges is also more robust than with other materials.

The most popular finish for aluminium is polyester powder coat which comes in a myriad of colours, see our standard colour chart. Advanced systems are often available in dual colour, one finish internally and one externally which enables a colour to be used externally with a white finish inside for example. There are even coated finishes which look like timber. All finishes can be guaranteed for 25 years or more.

As aluminium has a long service life and a good residual value at the end of its service life there is good reason to use aluminium in today's construction. As the material can be 100% reused there is no need to destroy or bury the material when it comes to replacement. Weight for weight with other materials aluminium uses less material for the same strength.

Added to the materials sustainability the high insulation achievable in today's modern systems can offer some very high window ratings http://www.bfrc.org The modern polyamide insulation strips in today's aluminium systems can help bring aluminium windows with insulating glass up to an 'A' rating alongside other materials.

One of the major strengths of aluminium is its own strength to weight ratio. This is why so many architects use aluminium windows and doors in commercial projects. High strength reduces sightlines and increases visible glass giving a better view of the outside and allowing more light into the building.

As it is the world's third most common element there will always be aluminium available for use in all fenestration projects - now and well into the future. There are many fabricators across the UK who specialise in the manufacture and installation of aluminium systems and the initial set up costs for manufacture are minimal compared with other window materials.

During a fire, aluminium is a non-flammable material and does not give off any toxic gasses. Aluminium has been used in cooking utensils for almost 200 years and continues to be extensively used today.

In order to keep aluminium window installations in the best of condition a minimum of maintenance is required. Simply cleaning the frame when the glass is cleaned with a mild detergent and the occasional lubrication of all moving parts. Should a hinge or lock mechanism become worn or loose and it is replaced it will not affect the overall life of the product.

As aluminium has excellent strength characteristics, frames can be extruded and kept to a very slim sightline which maximises the area of glass which can be used in an opening. Slimmer sightlines reduce the cost of materials and allows more light to enter the building which is a very important consideration when choosing windows for smaller residential applications.