A comprehensive one-stop-shop portfolio of rainscreen framing systems – all available within 48 hours – is now available from leading manufacturer and supplier Downer Framing. Forming part of the APS (Architectural Panel Solutions) brand family, the three new framing systems mean that specifiers and contractors need go nowhere else for their rainscreen framing requirements.
The product launch follows hard on the heels of substantial investment in the unveiling of Downer’s new website and the release of Downer Designer, a free-to-use online platform where users can obtain, store and manage static and thermal calculations, tailored to their DOW/individual project.
The three new additions to Downer’s portfolio are the DCS032 horizontal adaptor, DCS033 hook on, and DCS034 soffit framing systems, all of which employ Downer’s HELPING HAND® brackets, combined with extruded aluminium profiles, to meet the principle of a ventilated façade for new-build and refurbishment projects. They are already designed to allow for thermal and structural movement and variation in cavity depth to suit the specific need of projects utilising primary structures of concrete, masonry, SFS or timber in the commercial, education, healthcare, retail, leisure, residential and transportation sectors.
The DCS032 aluminium rainscreen framing system is designed to provide horizontal support to rainscreen cladding panels using a horizontal adaptor, while the DCS033 system is designed to provide support to metal hook-on cassette panels. Last but not least, the DCS034 soffit framing system is designed to provide support to cladding panels on a soffit application, based on Downer DCS034 soffit brackets and extruded aluminium L&T profiles for cavities up to 1000mm.
Downer’s Technical Manager, Juan Barato, said, “We are now truly in the best position to at least compete, if not outperform other manufacturers. These new systems cover off all eventualities and anticipated needs. We can now offer a total and versatile solution, with availability of systems within just 48 hours.”
Downer’s original DCS031 HELPING HAND aluminium subframe system set the benchmark when it was introduced in the UK in 1988. It offers rapid installation and reduced costs and incorporates the now famous HELPING HAND® wall brackets. The company also has the DCS041 system for floor-to-floor spanning of multi-storey buildings. This high-strength, adjustable and highly-wind resistant system is capable of spanning storey heights without the need to introduce intermediate supports.
Downer’s portfolio also features the DCS021 Omega and Zed system, which provide a cost-effective alternative to timber battens (especially when there is a requirement for a fire resistant framework), and the DCS004 secret-fix cladding system for use where specifications dictate a smooth finish, unobstructed by visible fixings.
Specifiers can find out more about Downer Framing’s new systems on its recently redeveloped website www.downerframing.com. For specific project enquiries, contact Sales Director tomwalker@architecturalpanelsolutions.com or call 01424 852641.
