Rainscreen & Cassette Panels
Plate rainscreen panels with formed returns and folded cassette panels — the planar metal skin of an open-joint, back-ventilated facade, bespoke to size.
Architecture · Building Envelope
Architectural
Architectural
Facade Panels
Fabrication
Custom architectural facade panels — perforated cladding, rainscreen panels, sunshades, and louvers in aluminum, stainless, and weathering steel. Laser-cut patterns, formed returns, PVDF/anodized finishes for commercial facades. We fabricate the metal panels and brackets; your contractor handles waterproofing and installation. Start with the architectural facade panel RFQ checklist before releasing the panel and finish schedule.
✓ Laser-cut patterns
✓ PVDF / anodized
✓ Bespoke to drawings
RFQ pattern tolerance
Drawing
Open Area
RFQ
Finish & Design Life
Authority
Fire Classification
Bespoke
Any Pattern
01 / What We Fabricate
The Metal Skin of the Building
A modern facade is precision sheet metal — perforated panels, folded cassettes, and sunshades that give a building its face while shading and screening it. We fabricate those panels and their brackets, to the architect's drawings.
Perforated & Patterned Panels
Laser-cut and CNC-punched perforated panels with drawing-defined open area and custom patterns — for solar shading, screening, airflow, and dramatic light-and-shadow facades.
Sunshades & Louvers
Sunshade blades, brise-soleil, and louver assemblies — horizontal, vertical, or cantilevered — that control solar gain and glare while shaping the facade.
Column Covers & Trims
Column cladding, fascias, soffits, copings, and trim — the formed metal details that finish a facade cleanly around its structure and edges.
Our scope: the metal panels and brackets
We fabricate the facade metalwork — rainscreen and cassette panels, perforated panels, sunshades, louvers, column covers, and the attachment brackets/subframe — laser-cut, formed, and finished in PVDF, anodized, or powder coat. Bought-out and site elements such as the air/water barrier membrane, insulation, sealants and gaskets, glazing, the structural wall, and the on-site installation are provided by the contractor or facade installer. We fabricate to the architect's drawings and panel schedule.
02 / Panel Types
Facade Systems for Every Design
We fabricate the metal for the full range of facade and screening applications, to your design and finish.
Perforated Perforated Facade Panels
Custom-perforated panels that tune daylight, airflow, and privacy while creating dynamic shadow patterns — for facades, parking screens, and feature walls.
- Open area Drawing-defined
- Pattern Custom, drawing-defined tolerance
- Use Facade, screen
Rainscreen Rainscreen & Cassette
Plate and cassette panels with formed returns for open-joint, back-ventilated rainscreen facades — crisp, planar surfaces with concealed or expressed joints.
- Type Plate, cassette
- Joint Open / concealed
- Edge Formed returns
Sunshade Sunshades & Louvers
Brise-soleil and louver systems — fixed blades in horizontal, vertical, or cantilevered arrangements — to cut solar gain and glare and shape the facade.
- Type Blade, airfoil, grille
- Layout Horiz/vert/cantilever
- Use Solar control
Column / 3D Column Covers & 3D Panels
Round and square column cladding, plus three-dimensional formed and bas-relief panels — for lobbies, facades, and transportation hubs.
- Form Round, square, 3D
- Use Lobby, facade, hub
- Build Seamless forming
03 / Technical Capabilities
Drawing-Defined Facade Metalwork
Pattern, finish, fire and wind requirements come from the architect, facade engineer and released project specification. We fabricate the defined metalwork scope.
| Materials | Drawing-specified aluminum; stainless; weathering (corten) steel; zinc |
|---|---|
| Panel Types | Plate rainscreen, folded cassette, perforated, sunshade blade, column cover, 3D |
| Perforation | Laser/CNC-punched to drawing-defined tolerances and open area; round, square, slotted, custom patterns |
| Forming | Press-brake formed returns and folds; rolling for curves and column covers |
| Attachment | Brackets/subframe for rainscreen (hook-on, tab-and-slot, helping-hand); thermal-break aware |
| Fire | Solid aluminum non-combustible (Class A / Class 1); fire-rated finish options |
| Finishing | PVDF/Kynar (20–30 yr color), anodized, polyester powder coat; metallic and texture |
| Standards Awareness | Built to architect drawings; ASTM/BS performance and wind-load geometry awareness |
| Applications | Offices, retail, airports, hotels, stations, parking structures, schools, civic |
We fabricate the facade metalwork to the architect's drawings. The air/water barrier, insulation, sealants, glazing, structural wall, and installation are provided by the contractor or facade installer.
04 / Manufacturing Process
From Sheet to Facade Panel
A facade panel lives or dies on pattern precision, finish durability, and flatness. Our process delivers panels built to the architect's exact intent.
01
Shop Drawings & DFM
Work from the architect's drawings and panel schedule — confirm material, pattern, panel sizes, returns, attachment, and finish, and develop shop drawings.
02
Laser Cutting & Punching
Fiber laser cutting and CNC punching of panels and perforation patterns to the released drawing and agreed inspection plan.
03
Forming
Press-brake forming of returns, folds, and cassettes, and rolling for curves and columns — accurate to keep large panels flat and true.
04
Welding & Assembly
Welding and assembling cassettes, sunshade blades, column covers, and brackets — with welds dressed for the finish and a clean architectural appearance.
05
Finishing
PVDF/Kynar, anodizing, or powder coat in the specified color and coating schedule. The finish supplier and facade contractor own durability claims.
06
Inspection & Packing
Dimensional and pattern inspection, finish and flatness check, and protective packing with panel marking for site sequencing.
05 / Why It Matters
What Makes a Facade Panel Right
A facade is permanent, visible, and exposed for decades. Four things separate panels that realize the design from ones that disappoint or fail.
Pattern Precision
Pattern datums and tolerances must be defined on the released panel schedule. Inspection follows the agreed method and sampling plan.
Finish Durability
UV, rain and pollution exposure inform the specified coating system. The architect, finish supplier and facade contractor own service-life requirements and finish qualification.
Flatness & Fit
Oil-canning and misfit ruin a facade's crisp look. Accurate forming and stiffening keep large panels flat, and precise sizing makes them align across the facade grid.
Fire & Performance
Facades must meet fire and wind requirements. Solid aluminum is non-combustible (Class A), and panels fabricated to the engineered geometry support the assembly's wind and weather performance.
Customer Project
Architectural Facade Panels: Color and Flatness Control
Materials, fabrication decisions and results for an anonymous customer project.
Component reference image
The Customer Challenge
Color differences, panel waviness and inconsistent mounting brackets complicated installation and appearance acceptance.
Project Measurements & Details
ΔE ≤1.5Color difference
≤2 mm/mPanel flatness
≥40 μmFluorocarbon coating
Results apply to the project configuration described on the linked page.
Read the Customer Project → 07 / Why Choose Us
Why Architects & Contractors Choose DRAmetal
01
Precision patterning
Laser and CNC perforation to drawing-defined pattern tolerances and the agreed inspection plan.
02
Specified finish systems
PVDF/Kynar, anodized and powder-coat options can follow the released coating specification; no fixed color-life result is claimed.
03
Full panel range
Rainscreen, cassette, perforated, sunshade, louver, and column cover — one fabricator for the whole facade.
04
Flat, true panels
Accurate forming and stiffening to avoid oil-canning and keep large panels crisp and aligned.
05
Material choice
Aluminum, stainless, weathering steel, and zinc — the right material and patina for the design.
06
Shop-drawing support
We work from architect drawings and develop shop drawings, with consistent quality from sample to full facade.
08 / Related
Explore More
09 / FAQ
Architectural Facade Panel FAQ
Do you install the facade, or fabricate the panels?
We fabricate the facade metalwork — rainscreen and cassette panels, perforated panels, sunshades, louvers, column covers, and attachment brackets/subframe — to the architect's drawings. The air/water barrier membrane, insulation, sealants, glazing, structural wall, and on-site installation are handled by the contractor or facade installer. We fabricate to your panel schedule and can develop shop drawings.
Can you match a custom perforation pattern?
We laser-cut and CNC-punch custom patterns to the released tolerance, in round, square, slotted, or fully bespoke shapes, with open area defined by the released panel schedule. Send us the pattern and panel schedule and we'll reproduce it consistently across the whole facade so it reads continuously.
What materials and finishes do you offer?
Drawing-specified aluminum, stainless, weathering (corten) steel, and zinc. Finishes include drawing-specified PVDF/Kynar, anodized aluminum for a metallic look, and polyester powder coat in a wide color range, including metallic and textured options.
Are the panels fire-rated?
Fire classification applies to the specified facade assembly, finish, backing and governing code; it cannot be established from the sheet material alone. The project designer, facade contractor and authority having jurisdiction determine the required testing and acceptance. We fabricate the released metal panels and can provide only the material or finish records agreed in the RFQ.
Do you provide the attachment system?
We fabricate the attachment brackets and subframe components (hook-on, tab-and-slot, or helping-hand style) to suit the rainscreen design and are aware of thermal-break requirements. The installer coordinates anchoring to the structure and the air/water barrier behind the cladding.
What do you need to quote, and what's the MOQ?
Send architectural drawings (DWG/DXF or dimensioned PDFs), the panel schedule, finish/color (e.g. RAL or PVDF code), and quantity. We support projects from a single feature wall to full building facades and will confirm pricing and lead time for your project. Use our facade panel RFQ checklist to identify mounting interfaces, pattern continuity, inspection and packaging inputs.
Get Started
Need Architectural
Need Architectural
Facade Panels Fabricated?
Send us your architectural drawings, panel schedule, and finish. Our engineering team will review the submitted information and, where the scope is complete, provide a DFM review, a material and finish recommendation, and a quote for the facade metalwork.
✓ RFQ-based DFM review ✓ Laser-cut patterns ✓ PVDF / anodized ✓ Bespoke to drawings