GB-60™
GB-60 refers to a custom Zahner-developed mechanical finish for metal with a diffused non-directional appearance. The finish can be used on stainless steel, aluminum, copper, light interference stainless steel and more.
The GB-60 process was first developed for architectural applications requiring diffused reflectivity. The metal surfacing process was developed as a premium non-directional surface with ambient reflectivity. The resulting stainless steel is further refined through a process of testing various grades to bring the highest level of quality in an efficiently produced material surface. This surface is available in sheet, plate, and handrail tubing in any thickness. Sheet materials come in standard typical maximum widths, and are available in several alloys based on performance in different environments. Zahner also creates custom shapes and applies the surface to three dimensional forms and unusual shapes.
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HISTORY OF BEAD-BLASTING IN ARCHITECTURAL METAL
In the late 1800s, a patent was filed by Benjamin Chew Tilghman for an abrasive blasting technique to be used on bottles, cleaning boilers, and bringing out the grain in wood. Tilghman had supposedly seen the effect of wind-blown sand on glass while a general in the United States Army.
Nearly a century later in the 1990s, the bead-blasting technique had been used in a number of industries. However, architectural metals at the time were limited to directional finishes such as the tried and true No. 4 finish on stainless steel. The issue with these finishes is that they reflect light in a linear pattern, as opposed to scattering light, which gives reflected light a more sensual glow.
In the early 1990s, the architects at Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) were developing a palette for the IBM Headquarters in Armonk, New York. The goal was to create a modern non-directional finish which would reflect light in a more satin or matte effect.
There were no manufacturers or mills providing a metal surface in this fashion, so KPF Associates worked with A. Zahner Company to develop the finish as an in-house product. The building was completed in 1997, uses this finish.
