Super durable sublimation films: wood-like effects and extreme performance for aluminium

Lacalum, a coating contractor specialising in the treatment of aluminium profiles and sheets, has been working with I.DEK for over fifteen years to achieve high-quality wood-like effects for architectural projects with a strong visual impact. The combination of Class 2 powder base coats and super durable sublimation films ensures colour stability and resistance to UV rays and atmospheric agents, guaranteeing excellent performance over time.

Have you ever felt an immediate connection with nature while walking among skyscrapers and modern buildings? In contemporary cities, designers and developers are increasingly trying to recreate this feeling through materials and finishes that bring warmth, harmony, and naturalness to built spaces. Vertical forests among skyscrapers, green walls in offices and co-working spaces, façades evoking natural textures: this is not just an aesthetic trend but also a concrete response to people’s desire to live in more welcoming, healthy, and pleasant environments.

Architectural research in recent years has confirmed that the presence of natural elements like wood has a profound effect on the well-being of those who live in or frequent a space. Visual contact with natural materials can improve mood, increase productivity, promote concentration, and create a sense of comfort and security. As a result, buildings are no longer just functional containers but become tools to affect emotions and perceptions, spaces where aesthetics meet health and quality of life.

In many situations, however, real wood is not a viable option: façades exposed to the elements, external doors and windows, and structures that must withstand sun, rain, wind, and temperature changes would be at risk of rapid deterioration, requiring constant maintenance. That is where aluminium comes into play as an extremely light, resistant, and versatile material suited for advanced finishing technologies that can completely transform its appearance. Sublimation, for example, creates surfaces that faithfully reproduce the grain, colour, and visual warmth of natural wood to combine aesthetics and functionality. In this way, aluminium retains its strength and resistance, while the wood-like effect enriches the environment with naturalness and visual comfort, contributing to its occupants’ well-being.

Lacalum S.L. (Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain) has been a benchmark contractor specialising in the coating and surface treatment of aluminium profiles and sheets for over twenty years. It stands out for its ability to apply a wide variety of colours and finishes, from standard to special hues and with the most realistic wood effects. Thanks to its long-standing collaboration with I.DEK (Legnano, Milan, Italy), Lacalum offers a complete range of sublimation films that faithfully reproduce the grain and texture of wood, combining aesthetics and durability. In the last few years, it has further expanded its offering thanks to I.DEK’s Qualicoat Class 2 powder coatings, which it also uses as base coats for the sublimation process, and SD (Super Durable) series sublimation films. This combination of products creates finishes that enhance the aesthetics of profiles and sheets while ensuring high resistance to atmospheric agents, UV rays, and temperature fluctuations.

At the heart of it all are customers

Founded in 2000 in the Torrehierro industrial park in Talavera de la Reina, Lacalum has built a solid reputation over the years thanks to the quality of its finishes, the precision of its processes, and its constant attention to customer needs.

“In 2011, it changed ownership,” says Jesús Pulido Barrado, one of Lacalum’s current owners. “Together with my partner, Jorge Fernández Mercado, who was already working with me in the company, I took over the reins following the economic crisis of 2007-2008 and steered Lacalum towards stable and solid growth. It was not easy to get through that period, but for us, service could never be compromised. Therefore, from the very beginning, our guiding principle has been clear: to put our customers and their needs at the centre of our daily work, guaranteeing quality, professionalism, and reliability.”

“We are exclusively a contracting company,” explains Pulido Barrado. “Our success does not come from producing our own materials, but from the care, passion, and attention to detail that we put into every project. Everything that enters our factory comes from our customers, and our strength lies in transforming it with impeccable service and the highest finishing quality. We offer a wide range of solutions, from standard to special colours and from glossy to matte finishes, including wood-effect ones. It is this level of customisation and precision that sets us apart in the market and makes our company a trusted partner for every project.”

To date, Lacalum is the only totally independent company (not belonging to any large industrial Group) in central Spain specialising in contract coating of aluminium products. “Our autonomy allows us to offer tailor-made, flexible, and rapid solutions, always adapted to the specific needs of each project,” states Jesús Pulido Barrado. “Our customers know they can count on us not only for excellent results but also for a comprehensive service paying attention to every detail, where precision, quality finishes, and daily dedication really make the difference.”

Description of the coating cycle

“We receive components already machined by our customers: our work only focuses on finishing, which may consist of applying powder coating only or a base coat followed by wood-effect decoration,” illustrates Pulido Barrado.

In both cases, the parts are hung on a bridge crane and subjected to a dip pre-treatment process consisting of seven stages: an initial acid attack, several rinses with mains and demineralised water, and a passivation step with chemicals developed by Proquimia. “In the first stage, i.e. acid attack, we use a chemical designed specifically for aluminium sheets, as these extremely delicate products require thorough surface preparation to ensure a perfect finish,” adds Pulido Barrado.

After pre-treatment, the profiles are unloaded from the overhead crane and taken manually to the drying oven before entering the coating line. This includes a manual loading and unloading area, a Gema OptiCenter booth equipped with eight reciprocators per side for the automatic, dense-phase application of powders, and a curing oven where the components dwell for approximately 22 minutes, with times varying depending on the type of product applied. “Our catalogue includes an extensive range of powder coatings, from RAL colours and standard finishes to special and textured finishes, which are currently among the most popular on the market. The choice depends on customer requirements.”

“In the case of sublimation, the base coat application phase is the start of the process. The parts can be coated with either traditional or Class 2 powders, depending on the degree of resistance and stability required by each customer,” indicates Lacalum’s owner.

At the end of the coating cycle, components that only require powder application are unloaded, checked by operators, packaged, and shipped, whereas those requiring wood-effect decoration reach the sublimation line. “To offer our customers both quality and speed of service, we work in three shifts and handle up to thirty colour changes per day to ensure delivery the very next day,” says Pulido Barrado.

Lacalum also has a second carousel coating line, designed to handle high-volume jobs or orders with special characteristics.

When aluminium turns into wood

Currently, wood-effect decoration accounts for approximately 20-25% of Lacalum’s work volumes. “This percentage varies depending on market trends and local contexts,” explains Pulido Barrado. “In luxury residential areas or seaside resorts, for example, wood-effect finishes are particularly popular for façades, pergolas, gates, and railings. A significant example is the Dunique project in Marbella (Spain), which we recently completed in collaboration with architectural firm Miaz y Diaz (Marbella) and its customer Alu Stock S.A, for which we chose the products developed by I.DEK to achieve wood-effect finishes with a striking aesthetic impact and perfectly integrated with the surrounding environment. In contrast, in large cities such as Madrid, which is currently our main target market, the demand for decorated aluminium is more limited.”

“To perform this decoration cycle, after powder coating and curing, we unload the components and transfer them manually to the sublimation area. Here, our operators manually apply the decorative film, ensuring it adheres correctly to the entire surface of the component. The parts then enter a vacuum machine to ensure the film adheres evenly to the powder base coat. The final stage takes place in the sublimation oven, where heat and pressure transfer the film’s pigments into the paint layer, permanently fixing its design. Once cooled to room temperature, the profiles are checked, packaged, and prepared for delivery.” With this technology, the grain, shades, and texture of wood are replicated with remarkable faithfulness while also ensuring resistance to atmospheric agents, UV rays, and temperature fluctuations.

Decorating aluminium with light colours is now possible with super durable sublimation films

“In sublimation processes, using light hues for the powder base coat on which the sublimation film is applied has always been a challenge. Neutral and bleached colours, which are currently in high demand in the furniture and architecture sectors, are difficult to maintain over time with traditional technologies, especially in terms of resistance to atmospheric agents. Standard films applied on light backgrounds tend to show signs of colour degradation quickly under UV rays; this problem is less noticeable on dark backgrounds, where any colour alterations are partially concealed,” notes Ambrogio Cacia, the owner of I.DEK.

To meet this need, I.DEK has developed its SD (Super Durable) sublimation film collection. Thanks to pigments with extremely high colour stability, designed to degrade ‘in the same shade’ as the base coat, the resulting decorations maintain visual consistency even after long periods of exposure to sun, rain, and temperature changes. The result is a finish that not only faithfully reproduces the grain, colours, and texture of wood but also preserves all its beauty and integrity over time. Indeed, when combined with Qualicoat Class 2 base coats, the SD series films allow obtaining Qualideco Class 1 certification even on light-coloured bases.

“A few years ago, we added the SD sublimation films developed by I.DEK to our catalogue, complementing the range of standard films we have been using for over fifteen years. Whenever possible, we recommend the SD series to our customers,” emphasises Pulido Barrado. “These coatings provide superior quality and protect the components from discolouration or other problems caused by external agents. No one wants to be left with a compromised result after a few months or years: this range of super durable products guarantees long-lasting performance, impeccable aesthetics, and greater peace of mind for customers.”

“We have devoted a lot of time to developing these products, carrying out numerous tests and trials,” Cacia states. “Accelerated ageing tests have demonstrated this line’s exceptional resistance properties: over 1,000 hours of exposure to UV rays, equivalent to approximately 3 years in the equatorial region or 5 years in Europe, without any deterioration in aesthetic quality.”

“Lacalum has also obtained Qualicoat Seaside certification, the highest quality level required for the treatment of painted aluminium intended for architectural use,” concludes Pulido Barrado.

A collaboration that makes a difference

The partnership between Lacalum and I.DEK has lasted for over fifteen years and, as Pulido Barrado points out, “We are absolutely satisfied: every time we meet, the I.DEK team presents us with new developments, innovations, and future projects. This innovative company is always up-to-date with new technologies and market trends, and it is capable of developing concrete solutions and innovative ideas. Even when some products are not directly applicable to our processes, we appreciate the continuous updating and the ability to constantly bring new ideas to the table. Our partnership is simply extraordinary".

“Every year and a half or two, we review market trends and adapt our colour chart. Some effects and finishes are removed because they are no longer in demand, whereas new colours are tested with our customers to gauge their reception. This is the case, for example, with the SD series – and customer feedback has been very positive.” Lacalum’s top priority is to meet customer needs and guarantee absolute quality. That is why it also has an in-house laboratory where all materials undergo thorough checks and tests.

Sustainability is another pillar of this company. Its coating line is equipped with a purification system for the cleaning water used in the pre-treatment phase. Photovoltaic panels on the roof cover part of its energy requirements. And a Green Stripping system from Proquimia removes paint from load bars using environmentally friendly chemicals.