Mirror-Polished Stainless Steel Brake Metal for the AC Hotel
Client: Glass Subcontractor for AC Hotel Project
Location: AC Hotel, [Frisco, TX)
Scope: Custom brake metal fabrication for mirror-polished stainless steel cladding
Project Overview:
Astro was contracted by a glass subcontractor on the AC Hotel project to supply custom brake metal for the hotel’s interior design. The subcontractor required mirror-polished stainless steel brake shapes to clad certain architectural elements of the hotel, creating a sleek, modern aesthetic.
Given the nature of the project, the client provided drawings detailing the required shapes, and Astro was tasked with fabricating the brake metal to the exact specifications. Once the metal was manufactured, the subcontractor picked it up at Astro’s facility and handled the installation themselves. The finished installation was an impressive application of brake metal, which is often challenging to photograph due to its reflective properties.
Design and Collaboration:
1. Client Specifications and Drawings:
The glass subcontractor provided detailed drawings outlining the exact shapes and sizes needed for the project. These drawings specified the precise dimensions for the brake metal elements that would clad various surfaces in the hotel’s design.
- Custom Fabrication Needs: Brake metal typically refers to metal sheets bent or “broken” into specific shapes or angles. Astro worked with the subcontractor to interpret these specifications and create the required mirror-polished stainless steel brake metal for this project. The unique challenge was achieving a highly reflective finish while ensuring the metal could be bent and shaped without compromising its appearance or integrity.
2. Fabrication Process:
Once the measurements and design were finalized, Astro’s team began the fabrication of the mirror-polished stainless steel brake metal.
- Material Selection: Stainless steel was chosen for its durability, aesthetic appeal, and ability to achieve a high-gloss, mirror-like finish. Astro sourced high-quality stainless steel sheets that would withstand the bending process and the high-visibility location of the AC Hotel’s common areas.
- Precision Bending: The sheets were then fed through a brake press to form them into the exact shapes specified by the subcontractor. This included precise angles and bends to fit the clad architectural features perfectly. Because of the highly reflective finish, great care was taken to avoid imperfections during fabrication.
Installation and Challenges:
1. Pick-up and Client Installation:
Once the brake metal was fabricated, it was ready for pickup by the glass subcontractor. The subcontractor took possession of the finished materials at Astro’s facility and handled the on-site installation at the AC Hotel.
- Self-Installation: While Astro was responsible for the fabrication and finishing, the subcontractor was tasked with the installation. Given the nature of the materials, which included large sheets of reflective metal, the installation required precision to ensure the pieces were placed and secured without any warping or misalignment.
- Challenges of Brake Metal in Installation: Brake metal can be challenging due to its reflective surface, making it difficult to ensure that seams and edges align perfectly, especially when dealing with large surfaces like walls or panels.
The Finished Product and Photography:
1. Reflective Quality of Brake Metal:
One challenge with mirror-polished stainless steel is its reflective quality, which makes it difficult to photograph effectively. The glass subcontractor, however, provided Astro with finished photos of the installed metal at the AC Hotel, showcasing the impressive application of brake metal in the project.
- Photographic Challenges: The stainless steel’s reflective surface made capturing clean, distortion-free photos challenging. The mirror-polished finish tended to pick up surrounding light and reflections, creating a highly reflective surface that required careful lighting and camera angles to showcase the metal properly without distortion or glare.
2. Client Feedback and Final Outcome:
The finished photos sent by the client clearly showed the beauty and precision of the custom brake metal installation. Despite the challenges of photographing such a reflective surface, the images captured the seamless integration of the custom metal into the hotel’s design. The result was a high-end, modern aesthetic contributing to the AC Hotel’s luxurious ambiance.
- End Result: The mirror-polished stainless steel brake metal added a sleek, modern touch to the hotel’s interior and helped tie together the overall architectural and design elements. The reflective finish contributed to the hotel’s contemporary style, and the high-quality craftsmanship ensured that the metal installation would stand the test of time.
Conclusion:
Astro’s role in the AC Hotel project highlights the company’s ability to provide custom metal fabrication solutions that meet functional and aesthetic needs. By working closely with the glass subcontractor, Astro delivered mirror-polished stainless steel brake metal that perfectly matched the AC Hotel’s interior design requirements.
This project also underscores Astro’s expertise in producing challenging materials, such as highly reflective brake metal, and overcoming the unique challenges associated with their installation and photography. The final result was a seamless integration of the brake metal, contributing to the sophisticated atmosphere of the AC Hotel while maintaining the high-quality standards expected of custom metalwork in commercial projects.
Keywords:
Astro Sheet Metal
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Architectural metal
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Custom brake metal
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Shearing
Forming
Laser cutting
Welding
Refinishing
Autodesk Inventor
CAD Design
Submittal drawings
Mockup samples
