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In contrast to standard reflectors, designed by ACL Lichttechnik GmbH
and available to every customer, custom-made reflectors are exclusively
made for specific customers. The latter are made on the basis of specifications
like technical drawings provided by the customer. However, ACL-Lichttechnik
GmbH is increasingly asked to also design custom-made reflectors prior
to the series production. The tools necessary for custom-built reflectors
are the customer‘s property.
Manufacturing options
ACL-Lichttechnik GmbH can choose from a wide range of possibilities to custom-build reflectors and housings of any kind. You distinguish between the manufacture of rotational symmetrical reflectors and housings on the one hand and angular reflectors (e.g. square reflectors and linear louvres) on the other hand.
Manufacturing round reflectors and round housings
In order to manufacture rotational symmetrical aluminium reflectors and housings from untreated aluminium ACL-Lichttechnik GmbH takes advantage of the latest machine and manufacturing technology.
Rotational symmetrical reflectors and housings are either made on spinning lathes for manual operation or on special CNC-controlled automatic spinning lathes. The starting material, called round plate, soft spinning aluminium of various grades and thicknesses, is spun against a metal form (volume body). After concluding the spinning process the starting material has taken on the shape and the surface texture of the metal spinning form.
In one or more further manufacturing steps these raw reflectors and raw housings are fitted with fixation holes, lamp holes, stamps etc. This is done on hydraulic presses or by means of pneumatic tools. Every tool is manufactured by ACL-Lichttechnik GmbH in-house on their own CNC-lathes and milling machines achieving the highest precision.
In contrast to the housings which are ready for despatch now round reflectors require chemical refinement. For this ACL-Lichttechnik GmbH prefers chemical polishing of the crude reflectors using the Erftwerk process (using nitric acid - fluoride-type solutions) followed by anodising and final sealing.
Manufacturing one-part or multi-part angular reflectors
Unlike in the case of spun rotational symmetrical reflectors ACL-Lichttechnik GmbH takes advantage of strip-anodised aluminium of different grades for manufacturing rectangular and square as well as linear reflectors and linear louvres. Depending on the complexity of the reflectors and the estimated lot sizes either laser machining with the subsequent tool-dependent further processing or - especially in case of substantial orders - the completely tool-dependent manufacturing process is chosen. The most important tool categories, which can incidentally all be made in-house, are punching, canting, bending, cutting and stamping tools.