A1/A2 cladding panels
Lightweight and strong
Built to last the test of time
All-in-one cladding solutions
Rainscreen Cladding Support 
Non-combustible solutions
Expertise, Support, & Guidance
Working perfectly together
This is a block of text. Double-click this text to edit it.
A1 | Fibre Cement Cladding
A1 | Aluminium Cladding
Aluminium Subframe Systems
Vitreous Enamel Cladding
 
A2 | Fibre Cement Planks
Extruded Aluminium Cladding
Steel Subframe Systems
Extruded Porcelain Cladding
 
A1 | Sheathing Board
This is a block of text. Double-click this text to edit it.
Contact
Call
Contact
Call

Fabrication Guidance

Important information before you cut, bend or groove our products.

Find guidance and tooling information For Valcan Products

If you're unsure about any of the instructions below please get in contact with us and we'll guide you as best we can.
It is possible to process Valcan’s range of panels in both on-site and off-site situations depending on the project requirements, within this page we aim to provide guidance on tooling and processing applications.

For on-site fabrication Valcan can hire out suitable equipment to contractors, if this is of interest, please contact the team on +44(0)1278 428 245.

The settings and information contained within this page are offered for guidance only and do not constitute a guaranteed performance. Each machine will have its own characteristics and maximum performance guidelines as stated by the manufacturer which should be adhered to over and above the settings offered as guidance below.
Valcan have partnered with tools and accessories company Certifix Ltd and CNC tooling specialist company LKH Tools to ascertain best practice in this area. For beam saw cutting the blade will vary from machine to machine and therefore the below information is initial guidance only.
Certifix Ltd
0161 672 3333
www.certifix.co.uk
LKH Tools
0115 666 0060
www.lkgtools.co.uk
Vacuum hold down (where applicable) and extraction will make a huge difference to how the tools/blades will perform in the material. As with any tool/blade, these tools need a securely held material / component to achieve the correct results. The vibration will result in the premature failure of any tool/blade.

VitraDual - Off-Site CNC Cutting & Grooving

Drilling, cut outs and slotting work – dry, no coolant required. Tooling options for 4mm and 6mm diameter:
4mm Diameter
Tools Required:
4mm Diameter – S1-4.0/6-6-50 MP Superior (Available from LKH tools) 
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
1.2 meters per minute
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 2 meters per minute, Increasing to a maximum of 4 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
3mm single pass
6mm Diameter
Tools Required:
6mm Diameter – S1-6.0/6-12-50 MP Superior (Available from LKH tools)
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
1.5 meters per minute
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 6 meters per minute, increasing to a maximum of 12 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
3mm single pass
V Grooving using ball nose cutter – dry, no coolant required:
Tools Required:
B1-10/10-22-55 MP B Superior (Available from LKH tools)
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
1.5 meters per minute
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 3 meters per minute, Increasing to a maximum of 5-7 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
1.9-2.1mm single pass – minimum of 1.0mm of material should remain after grooving completed.

VitraBond - Off-Site CNC Cutting & Grooving

Drilling, cut outs and slotting work – dry, no coolant required. Tooling options for 4mm and 6mm diameter:
4mm Diameter:
Tools Required:
4mm Diameter – S1-4.0/6-6-50 MP Superior (Available from LKH tools)
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
1.2 meters per minute
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 8 meters per minute, increasing to a maximum of 12 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
3mm single pass

6mm Diameter:
Tools Required:
6mm Diameter – S1-6.0/6-8-50 PCD (Available from LKH tools)
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
1.5 meters per minute
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 12 meters per minute, increasing to a maximum of 18 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
3mm single pass
Buy Now:
Contact LKH Tools to discuss PCD tooling requirements
V Grooving using ball nose cutter – dry, no coolant required:
Tools Required:
B2-10/10-10-50 PCD (Available from LKH tools)
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
1.5 meters per minute
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 12 meters per minute, increasing to a maximum of 18 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
1.9-2.1mm single pass between 0.7-1.0mm of material should remain after grooving is completed
Buy Now:
Contact LKH Tools to discuss PCD tooling requirements
V Grooving using 92 degrees V shaped tool – dry, no coolant required:
Tools Required:
ACM 10/10-45-90 DLC (Available from LKH tools)
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
1.5 meters per minute
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 12 meters per minute, increasing to a maximum of 18 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
1.9-2.1mm Single pass Between 0.7-1.0mm of material should remain after grooving is completed

VitraDual - Off-Site Folding

It is possible to fold VitraDual without first grooving, we recommend that an internal radius of 2.5x material thickness (for example 7.5mm internal radius on a 3.0mm panel) is used for best performance however, results can vary from machine to machine depending on the fabricator specifics, we recommend that samples are produced by fabricators and signed off by Valcan prior to production commencement.

Should a fold need to be tighter than our guidance, it is recommended that the VitraDual panels are first grooved and then folded to create a tighter radius as laid out above.

Note:- it is not possible to fold Vitrabond panels without grooving.

VitraDual - On-Site Cutting & Grooving 

It is possible to cut VitraDual and Vitrabond/A2 panels on-site using rail/plunge saws with suitable aluminium blade according to the machine manufacturer and suitable extraction equipment should be used. Saws such as the Festool TS 55, Makita SP600J (others are available too) can be used for straight cuts. Saws such as the Festool TS 55, Makita SP600J (others are available too) can be used for straight cuts.

Grooves in panels can be achieved using the Festool PF1200 or Makita CA5000ZJ with the manufacturer's recommended blades installed. Grooving can also be achieved using hand routers.

For the Festool TS 55 saw the blade to be used is the HW 160×2.2×20 TF52 blade and part number 496306. For the Makita SP6000 the blade to be used is the B-09307 165x20mm 56T blade.

The panels to be cut or grooved on site should be placed face down on a clean and level surface, it is recommended that this be an MDF board. The cutting board should be swept of cutting swarf and grit between panels being cut/processed.

For cutting of VitraDual and Vitrabond/A2 panels, the blade should extend approximately 2mm past the sheet into the face of the MDF cutting board – with a suitable sharp blade, a single pass should be achievable.

For grooving, the blade should leave minimum of 1.0mm of material after processing – with a suitable sharp blade, a clean groove should be achieved in a single pass.

VitraDual & VitraBond - Drilling

Drill panels 1 at a time using hardened steel bits. All panels should have a minimum of 1 fixed point per panel and for the rest sliding points, the fixed point should be central as the panel dimensions allow.

Drill bits for VitraDual and Vitrabond/A2 are available from our VitraFix product range.

VFDB4.9-VD – VitraFix Drill Bit, 4.9mm for VitraDual
VFDB7.0 – VitraFix Drill Bit, 9.5mm for VitraDual

A larger floating hole size may be required under the facade designer's requirements, please call Valcan to discuss specific requirements.

Ceramapanel - Cutting

Ceramapanel can be cut off-site using a variety of tools including beam saws and CNC flatbed routers.

Please note that the Ceramapanel Natural+ and Painted range of boards will need any cut/drilled faces to be sealed with the Ceramapanel Edge Sealant, this is supplied FOC with the panel order, if extra is required please contact the Valcan team on +44(0)1278 428 245 to discuss your requirements. Ceramapanel Natural boards do not require sealing.

Quality Poly Crystalline Diamond (PCD) tools are recommended for cutting of fibre cement panels, these provide durability and long life as well as smoother, cleaner and more accurate cuts.

Below you will find details of CNC tools and saw blades suitable for processing Ceramapanel fibre cement panels.

For CNC cutting, a 6mm PCD bit can be used, no coolant is required, and guidance on settings is as follows. A good suitable extraction system will be required.
6mm PCD bit
Tools Required:
6mm Diameter – S1-6.0/6-14-50 PCD P – Fibre Cement Board (Available from LKH tools)
RPM:
24,000 RPM
Max Plunge Rate:
Use ramp plunge – 1 meter per minute – DO NOT USE FOR DRILLING
Max Feed Rate:
Start at 1.2 meters per minute, increasing to a maximum of 2 meters per minute.
Max Depth:
12mm single pass
Buy Now:
Contact LKH Tools to discuss PCD tooling requirements

For saw blade cutting, the blade should extend approximately 5mm below the panel and only 1 panel should be cut at once. As initial guidance, for a 300mm diameter blade, the thickness would be 3.2mm with 6 cutting teeth and a saw speed of 2000rpm, feed speed will depend on the machine. The information for saw blades shown is guidance only and may vary from machine to machine, it is important that the operator of the saw has a good knowledge of the equipment and how the settings affect the cutting of various materials.

Ceramapanel - On-Site Cutting

On-site cutting can be achieved using rail/plunge saws with suitable fibre cement blades according to the machine manufacturer's guidance and suitable extraction equipment should be used. Saws such as the Festool TS 55, Makita SP600J (others are available too) can be used for straight cuts.

Certifix Ltd offers a range of PCD saw blades from both Dart and Makita:

Makita PCD Saw Blade for Fibre Cement
PCD Saw Blade for Fibre Cement, 160mm
PCD Saw Blade for Fibre Cement, 165mm
The panels to be cut on site should be placed on a clean and level surface, it is recommended that this be an MDF board. The cutting board should be swept of cutting grit and dirt between panels being cut/processing.

The blade should extend approximately 5mm past the sheet into the face of the MDF cutting board – with a suitable sharp blade, a single pass should be achievable.

Ceramapanel - Drilling

Drill panels 1 at a time using hardened steel bits. All panels should have a minimum of 1 fixed point per panel and for the rest sliding points, the fixed point should be central as the panel dimensions allow.

Drill bits for Ceramapanel are available from our VitraFix product range.

VFDB4.9 – VitraFix Drill Bit, 4.9mm for Ceramapanel
VFDB9.5 – VitraFix Drill Bit, 9.5mm for Ceramapanel
If a panel needs to have 2 fixed points by design, these fixed points should be located on separate carrier rails and located as near as possible to the horizontal central line as, if no central row of fixings is available, use the nearest row. If more than one rail is available behind panels, use the centre most rails for fixed points.

On panels with no centre rails, the standard T rails should be swapped out for two separate L rails to prevent fixings of adjacent panels to the same carrier profile. Another alternative is to use a top-hat profile for fixing.

If you are looking to purchase any of the tooling or equipment listed on this page, please contact the Valcan team at +44(0)1278 428 245 or enquiries@valcan.co.uk and we’ll be happy to assist with supply and support.
DISCLAIMER – where Valcan supplies panel only, it is the fabricators responsibility to ensure that they test the fabricated panels and that they are fit for purpose. Any details and advice given on this page is for guidance only and should be checked by the fabricator as suitable for the project requirements.
Valcan is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 and all products sold are fully recyclable
Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest industry updates and information.
Let's Start
Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest industry updates and information.
Let's Start
Website
 By
Back to top
menucross-circlechevron-down-circle

Your selected samples

Complete sample order
If you require more than 3 samples please contact us
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram