Giesse treatments and finishes
The highest standards for accessories
High performance and eco-friendly
The next few years will be of crucial importance for the environment, especially in relation to global warming. The major industrialized countries have set reduction targets for the use of polluting substances in industrial production. The response to such policies has focused on the search for eco-friendly materials, treatments and processes, while maintaining product quality and reliability.
Giesse R&D has led to consolidation of the pre-treatments and treatments employed in our products, and to the development of new eco-sustainable finishes which nonetheless maintain the high standards of the company’s production. This has led to the launch of a new series of products and components which enable us to obtain qualitatively superior results, with effective wear and corrosion resistance, using non-noxious materials and treatments with a low environmental impact.
The project
The establishment of CE certification for windows, combined with the need for products of increasingly lower environmental impact, has led Giesse to develop and use eco-sustainable technologies for all its products, while maintaining the high performance required by the company standard.
Indeed, although the construction industry is not presently governed by regulations as restrictive as those in the automotive industry, which require that all components must guarantee extended service life, Giesse nonetheless wishes to offer future-oriented and eco-sustainable products.
Excellent design and fabrication are not sufficient to obtain an outstanding product; quality starts with the raw materials. For this reason, Giesse searches worldwide for the best materials to provide unbeatable performance in all conditions, thus guaranteeing constant service life for all its products.
Environmental certification
In march 2009, Giesse obtained UNI EN ISO 14001 certification, the standard governing the environmental aspects of all production processes, from TÜV Italia for its Budrio plant.
ISO 14001 certification is a concrete demonstration of the company’s commitment to the identification, control and reduction of the environmental impact of its processes, products and services, and attests the reliability of its Environmental Management System.
The standard requires the company to set out its objectives in writing and to implement the Management System to achieve them. The standard specifies the following principal components of such a system: environmental policy; planning; actuation and operation; controls and corrective actions; management reviews.
The certification is based on Management’s basic commitment to legislative conformity, continuous improvement and prevention of pollution. These activities include data collection, verification of conformity to established environmental standards and legislation, identification and evaluation of environmental issues, assignment of priorities and identification of significant environmental aspects.
On this basis, Giesse has now further optimized its consumption of natural resources and implemented measures to ensure that all suppliers and partners are aware of environmental issues by giving priority to those whose processes are positive in this regard.
Giesse’s commitment has been acknowledged and certified by TÜV Italia, the independent certification and inspection agency operating in Italy since 1987, subsidiary of the TÜV SUD group (established in 1866), today one of the largest and most authoritative certification and inspection agencies, with 600 offices and over 13,000 employees around the world.
Raw materials
Aluminium
Giesse uses first quality aluminium alloys with excellent workability, extruded and die-cast, for obtaining a wide range of geometrics with constant, narrow tolerances. The result is outstanding design and ergonomics.
Zamak
Zamak’s mechanical properties are outstandingly suited to parts subject to wear and required to resist mechanical deformation. In enables the fabrication of very precise, geometrically complex parts, very thin walls and robust threads, and ssures constant qulity in both large and small production runs.
Brass
Brass has mechanical properties comparable to those of steel, but with unique ductility and inalterability over time. It can also be worked into a vast variety of shapes and finishes, making it ideal for the EVODESIGN product range.
Stainless steel
Giesse products are designed to provide constant performance throught their service life. This is why we make extensive use of high quality stainless steel. Mechanical strenght, corrosion resistance, hygiene and ease of cleaning -all these make it the ideal material for severe environments like the seaside and chemical an industrial settings. It also suits exceptionallu smooth and shiny finishes, which makes it a favourite of designers.
Plastic polymers
Giesse uses avant-garde polymers, the result of in-house research projects and collaborations with leading chemical companies.
Treatments
Pre-treatments
Surface finish is a fundamental component of Giesse product quality. This often applies to the finish of concealed components of the basis for aesthetic finishing processes. The corrosion resistance of surface finishes is decisive for the quality of the product, inasmuch as it determines its service life, even under conditions of mechanical wear. All Giesse processes pay special attention to the environment and use exclusively materials which respect the rigorous standards governing safety in the workplace and protection of the environment. In order to prepare the surface of components for final finishing, Giesse uses surface pre-treatment processes.
Tumbling
All semi-finished aluminium and zamak parts are subject to tumbling before finishing. This process eliminates surfaces defects due to fabrication processes (vibratory finishing) and areas prone to rusting, and smoothes out surfaces in preparation for finish application.
Chrome III passivation
All products which are used outdoors and subject to the aggressive action of urban or saline atmospheres are treated with chrome III passivation. This process improves the adherence of powder coatings and significantly increases corrosion resistance. This is achieved by chemically converting the aluminium surface with a layer based on trivalent chrome. The process does not employ hexavalent chrome and thus has a lower environmental impact than traditional products and is non-toxic. This enables conformity with environmnetal standards and health and safety policies.
GS Silver Plus surface treatment
GS Silver Plus is an eco-sustainable finish for zamak whose corrosion resistance has been tested to 500 hours in saline mist. Is is also available for steel components.
GS Silver Plus is a treatment designed to protect surfaces previosuly treated with chrome III passivation. The GS Silver Plus top coat is an innovative sealing process which obtains superior results, including improved distribution of the seal layer and elimination of accumulations in concave sections.
The protection gives the surface an active and highly effective resistance to corrosion even following thermal shock at 120°C, and has been developed in response to the need for corrosion resistance while controlling the coefficient of friction.
The GS Silver Plus top coat enables parts to be installed on window frames while improving resistance to wear and UV radiation, thus providing the best available finish combined with high resistance to corrosion. This enables our accessories to be used in the most challenging locations, with extreme, highly aggressive atmospheric conditions.
Finally, the silver colour of Silver Plus enhances the shine of the treated surfaces.
Treatments advantages
The use of high quality raw materials, combined with the surface finishes listed above, means that Giesse products are graded Class 4 for EN 1670, in line with European standards governing window frame accessories.
Class 4 (resistance superior to 240 hours in saline mist) corresponds to exceptional corrosion resistance and suitability to use in severe climatic conditions.
Aesthetic finishes
The resistance of aluminium and aluminium alloy parts is given by the dense layer of oxide which rapidly forms in an oxidizing environment and which, since it covers the surface, protects it against subsequent attack.
Anodising and electrocolouring
Giesse employs cutting edge technology to anodise and colour parts with processes which provide extended lifetimes and elevated resistance to corrosion, thanks to an oxide layer of, on average, 12-13 microns.
Coating
All Giesse products are treated and painted in-house, in an almost fully robotic system, using exclusively thermosetting powder paints which are non-toxic and non-noxious, and hence non-polluting and eco-friendly (TGIC free).
On powder-coated products, Giesse also offers the possibility of adding Antigerm™, the unlimited antibacterial protection.
Metallic painting
Metallic liquid paint with corrosion and mechanical resistance (grid test) in line with Giesse powder coating standards. Test run on our products have yielded a film thickness in the range 60 to 100 microns, depending on part geometry. The polyester powder was found to comply with standards BS 64/96, BS 64/97, GSB/RAL RG631 and AAMA 603.8 regarding resistance to lime and detergents.
Base Painting
Base Painting (Giesse code 005) is a passivation treatment of chromium VI free that keeps over time the surface characteristics suitable for subsequent painting. Base Painting provides an effective protective layer which gives to pre-treated components, once painted, excellent corrosion resistance and a strong adhesion of the paint to improve the quality of the final finish. Base Painting is suitable for all aluminium and zamak alloys and casting and it is ideal for both liquid and powder coating and it is compatible with all pre-treatments which provide a step of cleaning with acid attack.
Base Painting treatment consists in subjecting the raw component to a pretreatment, which cleans the workpiece and prepares it to the phase of chromic conversion based on chromium III high resistance and totally free from chromium VI. This pre-treatment protects the surface until the final painting is done, ensuring a strong adhesion of the paint and improving the quality and performance of the final finish.
Base Painting allows to paint the product as if it was a raw product, thus
avoiding having to worry about the possible excess of the thickness of the paint, through the settings of the parameters (eg. guns, electric conduction), which could cause problems with mechanical coupling of the painted components. Accessories with Base Painting are ready to be painted, with Giesse warranty of the best surface pretreatment.
Base Painting can be also coupled to cycles of pre-treatment coating which provide a step of cleaning with acid attack.
Download the Base Painting brochure
Base Oxidation
Base Oxidation finish (Giesse code 006) is instead in a tumbling treatment in order to obtain the maximum smoothing component surface suitable for the subsequent anodic oxidation.
Finishes
Trend – High end finishes
Trend is the range of finishes designed by Giesse to accessorize modern windows designed with a steel and varnished wood finish.
Beautiful
A modern, high-end design offering the best finishes to match the modern surface treatments of aluminium profiles.
Constant over time
Giesse has always sought quality raw materials and performed highly protective surface treatments. The attention that Giesse reserves for the materials has allowed us to create the TREND finishes with the highest level of quality aesthetics.
High corrosion resistance
Over 240 hours of resistance to exposure to salt spray in accordance with EN 1670 (Class 4) corrosion testing.
Best surface treatment
Each product is subjected to the best possible surface treatment, thus ensuring maximum protection in accordance with the industry’s performance standards. This is with the aim of safeguarding perfect maintenance for the components in view, such as hinges, cremone handles, window handles and door handles.
Finishes shown here are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the actual product.
Please contact your Giesse sales representative to receive the Giesse Colour Chart, which includes real samples.
Download the TREND brochure
Painted finishes
Thanks to the extra-thick film and dense reticulation, the powder paints are able to achieve their full potential in terms of adherence and resistance to corrosion. Powder paints can be used to create a complete range of surface finishes with varying degrees of shine, as well as an array of special effects and metallic finishes.
Finishes shown here are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the actual product. Other colours available.
Please contact your Giesse sales representative to receive the Giesse Colour Chart, which includes real samples.
Oxidate/Electrocolour finishes
Anodic oxidation or anodization is a process carried out on surfaces in aluminium and its alloys. This process results in the formation of an extremely hard and compact oxide layer, on average 12-13 microns thick, which increases the durability of the treated materials and makes them exceptionally resistant to atmospheric agents.
Finishes shown here are for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the actual product. Other colours available.
Please contact your Giesse sales representative to receive the Giesse Colour Chart, which includes real samples.
Special orders
Finishes which are not available can be created at the customer’s request after feasibility has been assessed, since some finishing treatments can only be applied to certain types of material and not others.
The 300 (oxidised) and 600 (powder painted) finishes are generic options created to manage these cases, known as “custom orders”.
Contact us for more details