Factory and production facility

The NRP5 profile is the general industry standard for roof insulation on industrial facilities. Where the steel frame is designed with wide purlin spacings, the NRP7 profile or a heavy-duty profile with a 51 mm rib height becomes necessary to carry the increased snow and wind loads safely.

Sandwich panels are drawn continuously on the production line and cut in one piece up to 15.5 metres to suit the project order. That length removes horizontal joints from the roof installation. The clear spans a roof profile can cross safely vary with the insulation thickness and the gauge of the steel; for exact values, see the load tables.

The insulation core for an industrial building is set at the order stage, following the intended use of the building and the requirements of the official fire safety report. If that report calls for an A2 classification, rock wool cored or hybrid cored sandwich panel systems are mandatory on the project.

Hybrid panel technology is built around the high fire class of rock wool. The main core is rock wool, and polyurethane foam strips sit only along the interlocking edges of the panel. This keeps the fire performance while protecting the insulation at the joints.

Concealed-fix wall panel systems hide the fasteners completely and give the building an uninterrupted, flat external appearance. Exposed-fix systems speed up installation on site and reduce labour cost. Where the architecture calls for visual depth, prism profile options add relief and shadow to the facade.

The external coating that protects the steel from corrosion is specified as polyester, PVDF or plastisol according to the environment. In production facilities with a high risk of chemical corrosion, or near the coast, plastisol is applied: it gives the thickest layer and the highest level of protection. Where reverberation has to be controlled in an enclosed production area, acoustic panel solutions are used; the inner sheet of these panels is perforated, and the insulation core behind it absorbs the sound directly.

On factory projects, panel supply and site installation are handled together through the authorised dealers. Stating the installation requirement in the quotation form is enough to use this. The joint details, ridge and valley solutions and the technical installation rules the site teams need are downloaded from the system library.

The standard scope on industrial buildings is the manufacture and supply of the insulated panels the project requires. The main structural steel, the floor slab, the ventilation installation and the fire suppression infrastructure fall entirely outside this scope.