Diverse applications & design options

High rigidity & low product weight

Easy processing & installation

Durability & corrosion resistance

Metawell® lightweight panels in shipbuilding – Lightweight, rigid, efficient

Metawell® is an extremely lightweight yet highly rigid aluminium lightweight construction panel – ideal for use in shipbuilding, whether for new builds or refitting. Thanks to their special structure with an aluminium corrugated core, Metawell® panels offer high dimensional stability, even in large-scale applications. This allows for larger spans and reduces the need for additional support structures, lowering the overall weight, speeding up installation and improving cost-effectiveness – clear advantages for modern shipbuilding.
For applications that require flexible adaptation to curved or organic shapes, Metawell® Aluflex is the perfect complement, as it can be easily bent into radii and thus follows the shape and design.
With a minimum of 80% secondary aluminium, Metawell® products actively contribute to sustainability. They are corrosion-resistant and 100% recyclable without material separation.

Metawell® & Metawell® Aluflex

Versatile applications of Metawell® in shipbuilding

Lightweight, stable and stylish – perfect for modern, sustainable interior design in new builds and refitts.
Typical areas of application include wall and ceiling cladding, raised and floating floors, column cladding and furniture construction.

Metawell® at a glance

  • Reduce weight, increase efficiency: less weight means better performance and lower fuel consumption
  • Quick and easy installation: prefabricated modules and clever fastening systems save time and money
  • Design freedom: a wide range of designs allows for individual ship layouts and sophisticated interiors
  • IMO-compliant and safe: certified materials guarantee fire protection and safety standards
  • Sustainable & durable: Recyclable materials and a long service life protect the environment and your budget

Ceiling applications

Metawell® is ideal for use in maritime interiors – especially for designer ceilings

Advantages in shipbuilding:

  • Low weight: Low weight per unit area – every gram counts
  • Versatile designs: closed ceilings, grid ceilings, ceiling sails or curved ceiling domes with Metawell® and Metawell® Aluflex
  • Easy installation: Stability combined with low weight enables quick and easy installation
Details

Wall claddings

Metawell® is ideal for large-format wall cladding – especially thanks to its tongue and groove connection option.

  • Design variety: paint finishes, digital printing, foils or HPL – for every interior aesthetic
  • Flexible design: curved elements and balustrades can be created with Metawell® Aluflex
  • Lightweight and easy to install: for quick interior construction with low weight, resulting in a significant reduction in installation time on board
Details
Boden für Schiffe, Schwimmender Boden – Ultra-Light Floating Floor (ULFF )

Raised and floating floors

Metawell® lightweight panels are ideal for raised or floating floors in ships.

Advantages for your project:

  • High point and surface load capacity: Robust enough to safely absorb point loads from high heels or falling objects
  • Highly rigid: Reduces the necessary support spans
  • Lightweight and robust: Up to 75% weight savings compared to other common systems
Details

Column and beam cladding

Metawell® and Metawell® Aluflex enable elegant, lightweight cladding for columns and beams – in straight and curved forms

Advantages at a glance:

  • Mouldable & stable: Metawell® Aluflex makes it easy to create curved elements
  • Design variety: Smooth, printed or coated surfaces as desired
  • Lightweight & easy to install: Quick installation thanks to prefabrication
Details

Other applications

Metawell® is ideal for the lightweight and stable construction of ship furniture, balcony partitions or special fixtures.

Advantages for your project:

  • Lightweight & stable: Reduces weight while maintaining high load-bearing capacity
  • Large format & versatile: For flat furniture parts with minimal installation height
  • Customisable: Surfaces in HPL, foil, digital print or paint
Details

Product features

Outstanding product features of Metawell® in shipbuilding
Lightweight. Stable. Efficient.

Metawell® aluminium lightweight panels set new standards in modern shipbuilding. Their exceptional combination of low weight, high rigidity and complete recyclability makes them the ideal solution for shipbuilding.

Clever system solutions – Thanks to its innovative corrugated core, Metawell® offers high bending stiffness with minimal weight. Whether for floors, walls, columns or ceilings, the panels are suitable for a wide range of applications on board. Optional prefabricated elements facilitate installation and enable modular, quickly implementable solutions.

Corrosion resistance – 5000 series aluminium alloys and the use of an additional primer on all material layers, including the material core, guarantee exceptionally high corrosion resistance.

Easy processing & installation – The panels can be processed on board using standard tools, and the tongue and groove connection method allows large areas to be installed quickly and efficiently.

Maximum design freedom – Metawell® can be used flexibly. Metawell® Aluflex is the perfect addition for curved or organic shapes. The panels can be customised and coated in a variety of ways – entirely according to your requirements.

Metawell® technical data at a glance
Lightweight design. Strong construction.

Below is an overview of which panel is best suited for which applications. Further technical data can be found in the respective data sheets in the download area.

Panel type Wall Ceiling Floor  Special Weight [kg/m²]
Alu hl 05-02-05 hl / H6 x x 3.8
Alu hl 08-02-05 hl / H6 x x x 4.6
Alu cc 08-02-05 hl / H6 x x 4.6
Alu hl 10-03-10 hl / H6 x 6.9
Alu hl 05-03-05 hl / H10 x x 4.4
Alu hl 08-03-05 hl / H10 x x x 5.2
Alu hl 03-L03-03 hl / H12 x 3.3
Alu hl 10-03-10 hl / H11.5 x 7.2
Aluflex hl 05-02 hl / H4.7 x 2.2
Aluflex hl 05-03 hl / H9.2 x 2.9

Maximum design freedom with Metawell®
Versatility in surface design

Metawell® is not only lightweight and stable – it is also extremely versatile in terms of surface design. Whether for interior design, wall cladding or design objects on board: Metawell® offers opportunities for customisation.

Lamination & coating

Laminate panels (e.g. HPL)
For particularly heavy-duty applications. Important: Counter-lamination in case of changing climatic influences to prevent warping.

Foil lamination
Self-adhesive decorative folis or transfer adhesive foils enable quick and easy design. Metawell® Aluflex can also be finished in this way.

Mineral material
Reduction of material thickness from 12 mm to up to 3 mm. Use in hygiene areas.

Printing & painting

Spray painting
For individual coloring, even in small quantities. Adhesive-coated panels can be painted directly without extensive pre-treatment (max. 100 °C!).

Coil coating
Perfect for large series with particularly uniform colouring – thanks to pre-coated aluminium coils.

Powder coating
Available on request – offers high durability and an elegant surface appearance.

Digital printing
Ideal for large-scale, brilliant designs. The high flatness and low thickness tolerance enable razor-sharp print images on specially coated panels.

Innovative lightweight construction solutions in shipbuilding with Metawell®

Why is weight reduction so important in shipbuilding? Quite simply, less weight means that ships can operate more efficiently and in a more environmentally friendly manner. The use of innovative lightweight construction solutions such as Metawell can significantly reduce the weight of ships. This has several advantages:

  • Fuel savings: A lighter ship requires less energy to move. This leads to considerable fuel savings and thus lower operating costs.
  • Environmental friendliness: Lower fuel consumption also means lower emissions – an important contribution to protecting our environment.
  • Improved performance: Lighter ships are more agile, have a higher load capacity and can transport larger loads more efficiently.

With Metawell®, we focus on innovative lightweight construction solutions that not only save weight but also increase the stability and safety of ships. This allows you to benefit from sustainable, economical and high-performance ship designs.

Weight reduction compared to other materials with the same rigidity:

Weight reduction compared to other materials with HPL:

Weight reduction through the use of different Metawell® panel types:

Easy processing and installation of Metawell®

Easy processing with standard tools

Metawell® not only offers outstanding material properties, but also scores highly with its particularly simple and flexible processing. Whether for fabricators or for adjustments directly on board, its quick handling and adaptability make Metawell the first choice for shipbuilding and modifications. By using standard tools, projects can be implemented efficiently and easily adapted during ongoing operations. This not only guarantees quick installation, but also long-term cost-effectiveness.

Easy handling with standard tools – Metawell® can be easily processed using standard tools such as saws, drills and milling machines – no special machinery is required.

Flexibility in adjustments – Even after installation, Metawell® elements can be easily adjusted. This allows for quick responses to unforeseen changes and requirements during operation.

Quick and cost-effective installation – Thanks to clever system solutions, installation is quick and easy. This reduces labour and costs – both during construction and when making subsequent changes.

Economic efficiency and sustainability – Its ease of processing and flexibility result in lower production and maintenance costs, making the entire project more economical. In addition, Metawell® is fully recyclable, contributing to sustainable shipbuilding.

Processing instructions & Downloads

We provide the following technical information to ensure safe and efficient processing:

Processing instructions
Shaping Metawell® Aluflex
Tongue & groove connection

Approvals for Metawell® in shipbuilding
Approved. Tested. Safe.

Approvals and fire protection are key issues in shipbuilding design. Our lightweight aluminium panels are MED-compliant, confirming that Metawell® is safe and reliable for use in maritime applications. Certification according to MED/3.64 Type C separating surfaces (Directive 2014/90/EU or IMO/SOLAS, steering wheel, EC type examination certificate or Wheelmark) is available.

Metawell® products are corrosion-resistant, low-maintenance and durable
Long-lasting protection and maximum safety

Metawell® products are made from particularly corrosion-resistant aluminium alloys and, thanks to their complete primer protection, are ideal for use in shipbuilding.

Corrosion protection at all levels: Every aluminium layer – even the corrugated core material – is coated on both sides with a specially developed corrosion protection primer. This protective coating clearly distinguishes Metawell® from other products, in which the core material often remains untreated.

Strong hold thanks to perfect adhesive bonding: The primer not only protects against corrosion, but also forms the essential basis for a durable and stable adhesive bond – a decisive prerequisite for the longevity of our products.

High-quality alloy for demanding applications: Both the cover sheets and the core material are made of aluminium from the 5000 alloy series with a magnesium content of over 2.7%. These alloys are considered particularly corrosion-resistant and are therefore ideal for use in the maritime sector.

Metawell® as a recyclable lightweight construction material
Sustainably designed. Efficiently manufactured.

Metawell® aluminium lightweight construction panels offer a future-oriented solution for modern shipbuilding – sustainable, resource-efficient and economically convincing. Thanks to their material, construction and the use of recycled aluminium, they are a good example of sustainable lightweight design.

life cycle Aluminium Metawell

100% recyclable – no need to separate materials: Metawell® products can be completely and easily recycled at the end of their life cycle – without having to separate the materials first.

Made from approx. 80% recycled aluminium: Our products consist of around 80% secondary aluminium – saving natural resources and reducing the carbon footprint.

Less material. More efficiency: Thanks to the intelligent design of Metawell®, less aluminium is used.

Resource-saving production: Continuous manufacturing ensures a particularly efficient production process with minimal material waste.

‘Material bank’ for your ship: Aluminium retains its value. At the end of its service life, Metawell® can be sold as a high-quality secondary raw material.

Sustainability in operation.

The use of Metawell® lightweight construction solutions in shipbuilding is not only a technical optimisation, but also an active contribution to sustainable shipping. Thanks to significant weight savings, reduced emissions, lower maintenance costs and high recyclability, Metawell® makes a valuable contribution to ecological and economic efficiency – throughout the entire service life of a ship.

Weight saving potential – Floating Floors

In order to substantiate the above business case on weight savings, reduced fuel consumption and CO2-footprint, Sika has ordered an independent study from GSR Services on this data. The study compares two different Sikafloor® Marine floating floor systems when used in a large cruise ship newbuilt construction. GSR Services GmbH compared the Sikafloor® Marine Litosilo Steel, which has a total weight of 48.1 kg, to the Sikafloor Marine UL-FF 2.

1. FUEL SAVINGS MGO (MARINE GAS OIL) (GSR STUDY)
Comparing the installed power with related fuel consumption per sailing day results in a daily MGO consumption of approximately 257 tons with the conventional floating floor system. With the new floating floor system UL FF-2, a reduction of 0.41% equals savings of approximately 1.05 to of MGO fuel per day (or 383 tons/year – depending on sailing days). With a view on MGO prices of 1.100 $/t at the time of data collection, this corresponds to a daily saving of 1.158 $ (up to 422.670$/year – depending on sailing days).

2. FUEL SAVINGS LNG (GSR STUDY)

The specific fuel consumption including operational pumps for one full sailing day results in a daily LNG-consumption of approximately 194, a reduction of 0.41% of installed power saves approx. 0.8 to of LNG per day (approx. 292 t/year – depending on sailing days).
With a view on LNG fuel prices of 3000$/t at the time of data collection1, this corresponds to a daily saving of 2.389 $ (up to 871.985$/year – depending on sailing days). It is to be noted that LNG bunkers are available in different qualities mirrored in ‘lower heating value’ which has been taken into consideration for the calculation.

1 www.shipandbunker.com, 05.08.2022

Weight reduction floating floor

Downloads

The figures are for guidance only. The suitability of the panels for specific applications should be checked in advance. For project-specific orders, panels from 5 to 22 mm can be manufactured. Please contact us.

* material available only project related

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