OUR MANUFACTURING PROCESS
All of our aluminum and fibreglass parts, as well as the wood mouldings, are made elsewhere to Entreprises Marchand’s very strict directives. We choose the best materials to fabricate and offer the best products to our clientele.
As you have noted while reading our documentation, fibreglass is at the heart of our products. It is the most important component of our mixed material doors and windows. It was chosen for its physical and mechanical properties.
Indeed, fibreglass is excellent since when exposed to weather, it is very resistant to moisture and corrosion. Furthermore, its low thermal conductivity, dimensional stability to diverse temperatures and its durability make it a superior material.
Fibreglass fabrication consists of pulling strands of glass, that are themselves bathed in a polyester resin. The coated strands are assembled with a mould and pulled thanks to heat, which is why it is called pultrusion. The process is identical whether the product is made to order or mass-produced.
HERE ARE THE SIMPLIFIED STEPS IN MANUFACTURING OUR PRODUCTS.
Step A: Pretreatment.
From the moment we receive our primary materials, they go through pretreatment, an important step to ensure that the surface is ready to be painted.
Step B: Cutting the materials.
To ensure that the product is perfect and adapted to openings and other specifications, Entreprises Marchand use a digitally controlled machine that is called a CNC in industry jargon. This tool makes all the components of our doors and windows to very precise parameters and ensures minimal errors in tolerance.
Thanks to this high performance tool, Entreprises Marchand commands a customizing technology that allows us to be very precise with each of our products, whether on a small or large scale.
Step C: Assembly.
The materials are assembled in a specific sequence, starting with the assembly of the frames or shutter(s) – window(s) or door(s) depending on the order. With mixed material fabrication, fibreglass is the first element to be assembled, followed by the aluminum and the wood finishes; then, the sealed glass units are installed; the hidden hardware and finally, the installation of the shutters (doors or windows) inside the frame.
Step D: Finishing.
It is obligatory to paint aluminum in our factory with an oven-baked paint.
Furthermore, if you desire a practically maintenance free interior finish (painted or varnished), the door, windows and interior mouldings will be painted or lacquered in our factory.
The interior finish, whether it is lacquered on the fibre or painted on the wood, uses a 5-step process that gives an impeccable and durable result.
Step E: Installing the visible hardware.
For doors, the door-knockers, handles and other accessories are installed at this point and for the windows, the mosquito screen and the handles to open the shutters are installed. And voila, the doors and windows are ready to be delivered!
The only thing left to do is watch the impeccable installation work done by Entreprises Marchand!
