ARCHITECTURAL FINISHING - PEENTEX

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The Peentex process when used on metal, substantially improves wear and scratch resistance, ease of cleaning and also provides some resistance to written graffiti and stickers. This makes Peentex an ideal application for ‘high traffic’ and aggressive environments.

The surface produced provides a finish which diffuses direct light and glare thus disguising fingerprints and mild blemishes. The finish is also non-directional so ideally suited for jointed and welded frames and structures. Applying Peentex directly to welded joints disguises the unsightly weld bead giving a more uniform appearance.

The peening action is a dimpling process and not a cutting or abrasive (blasting) process, consequently, peening hardens the metal surface. The harder surface will prolong life and reduce corrosion giving the metal a higher degree of wear and damage tolerance. This aspect is particularly useful when Peentex is applied to internal and external cladding where durability is a key requirement.

We are able to accurately control and repeat the peening technique to produce a range of different textures creating highly decorative designs and finishes. One excellent example of our work is the Dublin Spire, erected in December 2003 (photographed on the cover and below) where the ground level section was peened to create a mirrored pattern with stunning reflective qualities. The remainder of the structure was uniformly peened to improve its resistance to environmental conditions.

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Controlled shot peening is the bombardment of a surface with small high quality spherical media in a technically defined and controlled way. Each piece of media striking the material acts as a tiny peening hammer imparting a small indentation into the surface. The local plastic deformation of material around the small indent creates a reactive action from the material core thus resulting in a beneficial surface/sub-surface compressive residual stress.

Peentex finishes are achieved by a combination of controlled shot peening and glass bead peening.
A range of media including steel, chrome steel, ceramic and glass can be used to produce the desired finish. The degree and consistency of texture depends on the base material and condition, size of media, media material and the energy that the media possesses at the point of impact with the substrate.

In order to achieve consistency across the work piece, stringent process and quality control procedures are used to achieve the same results time after time. It is this process quality control that results in a uniform and repeatable Peentex finish.

Go to: Applications and benefits | Why use Peentex finishes

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