Aluminium composite panel is two thin aluminium skins bonded either side of a plastic core. It stays dead flat, it will not rust, and it takes print and cut vinyl equally well. Fabricated at Ravenhall, with ACM signs from $50.
Aluminium composite panel goes by several names. ACM, ACP, Alupanel, Dibond and Alucobond all describe one thing: a sheet of polyethylene with a thin aluminium skin bonded to each face. The metal gives a rigid, dead-flat surface and a proper weather shell. The core keeps the weight down and lets the sheet be routed and folded like a lighter material. Standard signage stock is 3mm.
Made by Melbourne Trade Signs, a large-format print and signage company on Unit 6/43 Orbis Drive, Ravenhall VIC 3023, in Melbourne’s west. Printed in-house and installed Australia-wide. Phone 0415 743 691.
It is the default whenever a sign has to look right for years rather than months: flat, no rust bleed, no visible fixings unless you want them, and a printed face that holds colour under laminate. What it is not is cheap or temporary. For a six-week promotion, or a builder’s site changing its messaging monthly, ACM buys durability nobody will use, and corflute does that job for a fraction of the money.
We cut, route, fold and print ACM at our Ravenhall workshop, so the panel that gets fabricated is the panel that gets printed and installed. Our own crews handle installation, in Melbourne and interstate for multi-site work. There is no minimum, which means a single reception plaque and a national rollout of shopfront fascias run through exactly the same process.
ACM is specified by overall thickness, by the gauge of the aluminium skins, and by what the core is made of. The core matters most once a panel goes onto a building.
| Panel | Aluminium skin | Core | Typical application |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3mm signage grade | About 0.21 mm per face | Polyethylene | The everyday sign panel: wall signs, site boards, hoarding |
| 3mm heavy skin | About 0.3 mm per face | Polyethylene | Larger panels and anything routed and folded into a tray |
| 4mm architectural | About 0.5 mm per face | Polyethylene | Big single panels and fascia work, where flatness is critical |
| Fire-rated panel | 0.3 to 0.5 mm per face | Mineral-filled | Anything fixed to a building facade. Heavier and dearer |
| Brushed finish | Brushed and coated | Polyethylene | Reception signs, plaques, directory boards, routed lettering |
| Colour-coated | Polyester or PVDF paint | Polyethylene | Where the panel colour is the background and vinyl goes over |
Panels bigger than a single sheet get a deliberate join rather than a random one, usually behind a design element. Working sizes back to fit a sheet is where the saving sits, so send dimensions early.
Two panels the same size can be very different signs depending on how the edge is finished and how the graphics go on. These are the choices that change the look and the price.
Full-colour UV print onto the white face, then an overlaminate for scuff and UV protection. Matt laminate suits shopfronts under downlighting because it kills glare. This is the option for photographic images, gradients and anything past a couple of flat colours.
The panel arrives a solid colour from the factory and the lettering is cut vinyl applied over it. The edge on type is crisper than printing gives, and there is no printed background to fade unevenly. The usual choice for corporate signage in one brand colour.
A directional brushed finish under a clear coat, which reads as metal rather than as a printed panel. It turns up on reception signs, plaques and directory boards. Best with cut vinyl or routed lettering, since a full print over the top hides the finish entirely.
Cutting on a router rather than a blade means the panel can follow any outline: logo shapes, individual letters, rounded corners, service cut-outs. Routed 3mm lettering on standoff pins is a hard-wearing alternative to fabricated metal letters, and it goes up as one drilled template rather than piece by piece.
A V-groove is routed part-way through the back so the panel folds to 90 degrees without cracking the face. Return the edges 20 to 25 mm and you get hidden edges, no visible core, and enough rigidity to hang a large panel without a frame behind it.
An anti-graffiti film lets solvent be used on tags without attacking the print, which earns its keep at street level. For mounting we supply standoff barrels, concealed Z-clips, VHB tape for glass, or fixings with colour-matched caps, pre-drilled here rather than on site.
Fascia panels, under-awning signs, entry signage and tenancy identification. ACM stays flat across a wide span, which matters when a panel sits at eye level and any ripple shows. Folded tray panels are the usual specification here, because the returned edge hides the core and gives a clean shadow line against the building behind it. Panels come pre-drilled to the fixing centres.
On a project running two or three years, corflute has to be replaced several times over. A routed ACM site board carrying the builder and consultant branding stays legible from first fence to handover. We usually build these as a permanent panel with a changeable insert area, so trade listings update without a whole new board. Corflute still covers the messaging that changes weekly.
Development boards along a hoarding line, display suite signage, lot numbering and directional panels across an estate. Buyers see these, so the finish is part of the sell. We produce them as a numbered set, which lets a site manager install them in order without working out which board goes where. Our crews handle the install where access is difficult.
Bay numbering, condition-of-entry signage, dock identification, speed and safety panels. ACM does not rust, needs no frame, and survives a clip from a forklift better than the alternatives. For sites carrying a lot of regulatory content, our safety and parking sign ranges already have the standard wordings drawn up. Post-mounted panels ship pre-drilled to your bracket centres, so nobody is drilling aluminium at height on site.
ACM work is usually routed as well as printed, so we need to know where the panel gets cut and folded as well as what goes on the face. Vector artwork makes both jobs straightforward.
A logo and a description of what the sign should say is enough to start. We handle the layout, the cut paths and the fold allowances, then send a proof with the panel drawn to scale.
ACM takes longer than a printed board, because there is fabrication in it: routing, folding, laminating and often hardware. Doing all of that ourselves means the schedule is ours to manage. Give us your date and we will tell you honestly whether the fabrication fits. Collect from Ravenhall, delivery through metro Melbourne and regional Victoria, or freight interstate.
ACM signs start from $50. The final price depends on the size, the finish (printed, cut vinyl or brushed), routing or folded edges, fixings and whether we install it.
Send the size, where it is going and your artwork, and we will price it within two business hours.
Aluminium composite material. You will also see ACP for aluminium composite panel, plus brand names like Alupanel, Dibond and Alucobond meaning the same thing.
Construction is identical across all of them: a polyethylene or mineral core with thin aluminium bonded to each face. What varies is skin gauge, the paint system and the core formulation. For signage what matters is thickness, skin gauge and core type, not the brand name.
Seven to ten years on a wall is a fair expectation in Melbourne, and plenty of panels do longer. Nothing there is promised, because exposure decides it.
The aluminium does not rust and the panel will not warp. What ages is the graphics. A laminated print on a north wall softens in colour before one under an awning does. Cut vinyl usually outlasts a print. Bayside panels pick up salt and want an occasional wash.
Standard signage ACM has a polyethylene core, which is combustible and not suitable for many facade applications. Mineral-core panels exist for that reason.
That call is not one we can make from a quote request. It depends on the building class, the height, where the sign sits, and what the surveyor or certifier requires. Ask the builder first, and tell us at quoting stage, because it changes both material and weight.
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons ACM is used for signage. A router cuts a V-groove through the back skin and most of the core, leaving the face intact, so the panel folds cleanly.
Returns of 20 to 25 mm hide the core and stiffen the panel enough to hang it without a frame. The fold is planned before printing, since the graphic carries around the corner. Bending an unrouted sheet creases the face permanently.
Yes. CNC routing cuts any closed vector path, so letters, logo silhouettes and shaped panels are straightforward in 3mm.
Routed letters usually mount on standoff pins or a hidden backing plate, which gives depth and shadow without the cost of fabricated metal. The limits are stroke width and counters, since fine script is fragile in 3mm. We flag those spots and thicken them slightly, or mount on a clear backing panel.
Yes, and it is the most common installation we do. The method depends on what sits behind the surface.
Into solid brick or block, mechanical fixings with the right plugs are fine, either exposed with colour-matched caps or hidden behind standoffs. Render over polystyrene cladding is the one to watch, since render alone will not hold a load. Onto glass or flat shopfront metal, structural VHB tape avoids drilling.
Still deciding? See our sign materials guide and the sign and banner sizes guide.
Warning, mandatory and prohibition signage produced on ACM or metal, with the standard Australian wordings and pictograms already drawn up, sized and ready to print.
See the detail →Condition-of-entry notices, bay numbering and towing warnings in ACM or metal, sized and pre-drilled in the workshop here to suit posts, walls or the brackets you already have.
See the detail →The alternative for reception and interior work, where you want depth, translucency or a polished edge instead of a flat metal face on the wall.
See the detail →Browse the full list on our A–Z of everything we print, or see how this fits into signage in Melbourne.
Send the size, the wall it is going on and a photo if you have one. We will spec the panel and come back inside two business hours.