Surfaces on Aluminum Blog

Design Center Tour

The Northern Engraving Design Center is an inspirational resource for patterns and structures on aluminum. Trend presentations and mood boards feature finishes developed around themes. All can be customized or used as is in decorative trim or nameplates. 

Come visit us to explore the possibilities.  Our Design Center video is a preview of some of the things you will see during your visit.

Decorative Metal Ceilings

Aluminum ceiling tiles combine mechanical finishes, printing, coating and forming providing an unlimited pallet of unique patterns, textures and color.  Collaboration behind a custom tile often begins with a concept drawing.  The custom aluminum tile shown here was developed to be an interlocking finish creating a design flowing across the tiles.  Our library of aluminum finishes includes many patterns which are created off of a base element which is repeated.  The aluminum ceiling tiles are a larger version of this process.  Concept drawings explore options in scale, color and overall design prior to committing to prototypes.

The dramatic ceiling manufactured for Gage Corporationfor Foxwoods Casino Resort uses one aluminum ceiling panel to create the interlocking pattern.  It takes advantage of the reflective metal using transparent gold for a shimmering opulent ceiling.

We are surrounded by patterns.  Have you ever stepped back to look for the repeat in a pattern?  What is the base element that makes up the design?  Complicated and intricate designs are often made of the most basic shapes.

What ideas do you have for creating a pattern, large or small, based on a single element?  What processes would you use to translate the pattern to metal?

Selectively Brushed Aluminum Finishes

This article is the fourth in a series of articles covering options in creating aluminum surfaces which use mechanical finishes to create movement and visual depth.  This series of finishes rely on selectively brushing the metal.  The overall look of the finish is dependent on the pattern applied to the metal during the resist process.  Simple or detailed geometric finishes are a natural fit for selective brushing with technical and precise results.  Organic structures result in finishes with entirely different appearances.   Irregular edges and shapes are enhanced by the natural character of brushed and bright aluminum. 

Customized Aluminum Finishes

All finishes shown here can be customized in scale and color for your trim or nameplate project.  Additional detail is added with selective gloss and printed texture.  The printed resist and mechanical brush processes are often the base building blocks when decorating aluminum whether a pattern or a graphic.

Request samples of selectively brushed finishes to begin exploring the visual depth and movement available to you with these processes.

Engine Turn Detail

This article is the third in a series of articles on using printed resists or masks to create aluminum finishes with depth and movement.  The first article focused on the resist process while the second article introduced a two direction brush.  This article focuses on using the resist with an engine turn process. 

Engine Turn

Engine turn is a series of small overlapping spins tightly spaced.  The finish itself is quite beautiful and flashy.  It was popular on vintage airplanes and race cars and used on automotive dash panels in the 1950's.  There has been a renewed interest in the engine turn finish in recent years as a retro look.

Selective Engine Turn in Aluminum Patterns

Applying engine turn selectively creates an entirely different effect.  The overall spin effect disappears.  Small areas of engine turn create an almost holographic look.  The circular image is no longer visible.  The finish dances with movement.  The result will be entirely different depending on what pattern you screen print as a resist.  Dots, pinstripes and organic shapes take on sometimes unexpected results when engine stripe is added to the finish.

Nameplates use selective engine turn to make graphics pop.  The same holographic effect created in patterns is translated into graphics and borders on nameplates.

Do you have any ideas for using engine turn in a finish to create visual depth and movement?  How would you integrate this finish into trim or a nameplate?

Request samples of finishes with selective engine turn to see the depth this process brings to aluminum finishes.

Aluminum Finishes with Movement

This article further explores the use of printed resist in aluminum finish development.  The printed resist process is used as a mask to protect areas of metal during the brushing process. I will expand on the previous article explaining the resist process and will focus on aluminum finishes featuring two brush directions.

Two Direction Brush on Aluminum

The use of an additional resist allows you to add a second brushed detail to your finish.  Registration between operations is tightly controlled during the screen printing process.  The basic process is listed here:

1. bright aluminum - a polished surface from the mill
2. resist - a screen printed mask for protection
3. brush - mechanically abrade the surface of the metal (horizontal)
4. wash - remove the resist or mask
5. resist - a screen printed mask for protection
6. brush - mechanically abrade the surface of the metal (vertical)
7. wash - remove the resist or mask
8. color - print overall or selective color

The finishes shown here rely on a horizontal and vertical brush.  The angle of the brush can be adjusted creating the desired effect.  The brushing process is the first step in building aluminum finishes.  You add layers of color and texture to create further detail and depth.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.  Change the overall gloss of the finish and you change the look and feel of the surface.

What ideas do you have for incorporating movement into your aluminum trim or nameplate with multiple brush directions?  Would you use brushing to add depth to a carbon fiber finish?  Or would you use it to create a patinaed metal look?

Request samples of these finishes to see the detail in the brushed and bright aluminum.

Can you resist metal?  We can!

Resist.  Let me clarify, a resist or mask is printed on aluminum to protect areas of metal during the brushing process.  The protected areas of metal remain bright aluminum.  The resist process can be used repeatedly on the same finish to create metal finishes with multiple brush directions.   Brushed aluminum is a preferred look because it is an authentic material.  Applying a brush selectively allows you to use your imagination creating finishes with movement and detail.

This article is the first in a series of four articles on using a resist with mechanical finishes on aluminum.  This articles focuses on the screen printed resist process.

Brushed Aluminum

1. bright aluminum - a polished surface from the mill
2. resist - a screen printed mask for protection
3. brush - mechanically abrade the surface of the metal
4. wash - remove the resist or mask
5. repeat - steps 2-4 as needed changing the brush direction
6. color - print overall or selective color

Key to the success of this process is the resist.  Resist must be robust enough to stand up to the mechanical brushing process.  It then needs to be easily removed from the metal revealing the protected areas.  A resist is also used with other mechanical finishes such as engine turn or spin allowing these finishes to be applied selectively to metal.

When multiple brush directions are integrated into a finish, the brushes are typically applied in a horizontal and vertical direction.  However, brushes can also be applied at an angle if needed.  Angled brushes might be used when more than two brush directions are required.  They are also used to create subtle movement or to align to specific graphic details.

Screen Printed Resist on Aluminum

Many of our aluminum finishes rely on a resist to allow selective application of mechanical finishes.  The process is often used in nameplates to create bright graphics.  The resist is often the base process when decorating metal.  All other decorative processes build off of it.  You might say we can't resist using resist!

How would you use the printed resist process in a pattern?  Would you layer opaque and transparent color on top of selective brushing?  Would you add a printed texture?

Request aluminum finishes which include selective brushing to see how the resist process is used to add interest to finishes.

Trend Presentation

The trend presentation is a series of aluminum finishes developed around themes.  Finishes are presented as mood boards.  The themes are our interpretation of trends based on research and interaction with designers throughout the world in a diverse range of industries including: automotive, electronics, appliance and cosmetics. 

Experimentation 

The video is a summary of the inspiration and processes behind the mood boards.  The theme for this series of aluminum finishes is blurring of boundaries -innovate & create.  Our environments reflect our individual interests; customized works of art reflective of our fantasies and comforts. 

The surfaces and details range from intricate and detailed to patinaed and distressed.  Elements are merged.  Aluminum trend show finishes are offered as inspiration for possibilities on the substrate.  All can be incorporated into metal trim pieces or nameplates for unique looks.  Customization is possible through color, structure or process.

Request a trend presentation disc collection to see a cross section of the finishes shown here.

Snowman and Snowflake Match Box Designs

The winter series of match boxes feature an engine turned detail in the graphics contrasted with a metallic blue background.  The simple process and clean designs effectively come together resulting in an attractive set of match boxes.  Small areas of bright and brushed aluminum are used to accent the designs.  The high gloss silver finish sits in contrast with the low gloss metallic silver creating a subtle tactile quality to the design.  The combination of opaque metallic color and mechanically finished aluminum is an attractive option for adding emphasis without the use of emboss.  It is equally successful whether used in aluminum patterns or nameplates.

What ideas do you have for using engine turn in a design?