Instructions for installing horizontal sandwich panel strips

 

Instructions for installing horizontal sandwich panel strips

1. Unloading large-sized sandwich panels and box profile sheets requires the use of fork lift trucks with a large support area and a large fork span.

2.Begin by installing the sandwich panels with the starter flashing made from the thicker sheet steel. Verify the correct positioning of each part with a spirit level. This will aid the accurate positioning of the first sandwich panel.

3. Seal all joints between the sandwich panel and the framework with a waterproofed self-adhesive gasket. Apply the waterproofed self-adhesive gaskets to the starter flashing, strip footing, framework columns, building frames, beams and purlins.

4. Before installing the first row of sandwich panels, a drip cap must be installed with a drip edge long enough to drain away all rain water flow from the wall front and the strip footing. It may be impossible to install an appropriate drip cap with the sandwich panels already attached.

5. Due to their significant weight, the sandwich panels should be moved by more than one person. Remove the protective film from the indoor side of the each sandwich panel before fastening. Remove the outdoor-side protective film from the sandwich panels at the final stage of construction to ensure maximum protection against dirt. However, the protective film must be removed within 3 weeks of the production date of the sandwich panel.

6. The sandwich panels may be gently tapped down into place using a hammer and wooden block, if required. Avoid damage to the joint edges and locks. 

7. Before fastening the sandwich panels, verify their alignment using a spirit level. 

8. Fasten the sandwich panels to the steel framework with screws. Use self-drilling steel sheet screws with sealing washers only. Adjust the drill torque setting so that the screws are not overtightened, to avoid damage to the outer sandwich panel cladding. Fit the screws 3.5 cm away from the sandwich panel edges. 

9. Fill the gaps with the waterproofed self-adhesive gasket, along each completed section of work. 

10.The design of the Balex Metal sandwich panel locks ensures maximum gas sealing and full mating between the neighbouring sandwich panels. The polyurethane gasket used for the locks avoids any thermal breaks between the sandwich panels. 

11. Sandwich panels are relatively lightweight. They can only withstand their own weight. A 100 mm thick sandwich panel weighs approximately 12.5 kg per square metre. Use special fixtures to handle long sandwich panels. Balex Metal supplies sandwich panels cut to length within a tolerance of a millimetre. However, it is sometimes necessary to trim them to size on site. Trim with saws or jigsaws suitable for cutting sheet steel. 

12.  Leave working gaps of 10 to 20 mm wide between the sandwich panels at each work stage. To ensure continuous thermal insulation, free of breaks, seal the gaps completely with low-pressure polyurethane foam. The vertical flashing used to cover the expansion joints between the sandwich panels are three-dimensional to compensate for any thermal expansion and contraction of the sandwich panel cladding. Adjust the vertical alignment of the flashing with a long spirit level. Fasten with self-tapping steel sheet screws with gasket washers or sealed rivets, spaced approximately 30 cm apart.