Powder Coating for Aluminium Office Partitioning

Back to case studies

Overview

Vista Partitions is a manufacturer and distributor of demountable aluminium-framed office partitioning systems, supplying commercial fit-out contractors and interior designers across the UK, UAE, and Egypt. Their product range includes glazed screens, door frames, acoustic single & double glazed doors, partition profiles, and associated hardware, that has been specified on commercial fit out & architectural projects. Finish consistency and colour accuracy are functional requirements because when Vista’s systems go into a project, the powder coat has to be right first time, every time.

The partnership

Custom Wytelyne has been their powder coating partner for over 20 years. When Lynette Willard, Director of Operations at Vista Partitions, helped establish the business, there was no question about who would handle their coating.

“I have been using Custom for over 20 years, so when we set up Vista Partitions it was the only company we considered for our powder coating, as we knew the quality and service was excellent. They also have a lot of experience powder coating aluminium for the partition industry, and this can be easy to get wrong, but their knowledge and understanding have always made it easy for us to work together, to deliver great service and a finished product.”

Lynette Willard, Director of Operations, Vista Partitions

Project specifications

Client: Vista Partitions

Application: Demountable aluminium-framed office partitioning systems, glazed screens, door frames, acoustic single & double glazed doors, and partition profiles

Material: Aluminium extrusions

Coating system: Architectural-grade powder coating via Custom Wytelyne’s 7-stage chromate pre-treatment system, applied to BS EN 12206-1:2021

The challenge

Aluminium partitioning for commercial interiors carries demands that go well beyond basic corrosion protection. When a partition system is installed in a commercial office or retail environment, the powder coat is the only visible surface. There is no tolerance for inconsistency in colour, gloss level, or film thickness. Since Vista’s systems are often specified in project-specific RAL colours, batch-to-batch repeatability is critical.

The partition industry also demands a high level of technical understanding from a coating partner. Aluminium extrusions used in partitioning systems are typically complex profiles with tight internal geometry that can include cavities, channels, and sharp transitions, which all make uniform coating coverage and pre-treatment penetration genuinely difficult to achieve. Done poorly, the result is coating failure at the edges and joints, and these are the most visible parts of any installed system.

Vista needed a partner who understood these requirements from the outset and could be trusted to maintain the same standard across every batch, week after week.

How powder coating delivers results

Pre-treatment as a foundation

Custom Wytelyne operates the only dedicated aluminium pre-treatment system in Kent, a fully controlled 7-stage chromate process with a final de-mineralised water rinse. For architectural aluminium, this is the critical stage. The chromate conversion coating creates a molecular bond between the aluminium substrate and the powder coat, delivering the corrosion resistance and adhesion performance required by BS EN 12206-1:2021. The final DM rinse eliminates dissolved salts and mineral contamination that would otherwise cause blistering or underfilm corrosion. These defects may not appear immediately but will compromise the finish over time.

As an approved applicator of AkzoNobel’s Interpon architectural-grade powder coatings, Custom Wytelyne works to manufacturer specifications throughout. We use controlled oven-drying, electrostatic application, tightly monitored cure cycles, and temperature profiling to verify cure quality on every batch.

 

Colour and finish as a specification

Vista’s work frequently involves project-specific colour requirements, including brand RAL colours for commercial clients. Colour accuracy and gloss consistency are treated with the same rigour as any other technical parameter, so we make sure that film thickness measurement, gloss level verification, and cross-cut adhesion testing are all documented and traceable.

 

A structured service that becomes part of Vista’s production

One of the most practical expressions of this partnership is the weekly collection and return schedule. Custom Wytelyne collects new material from Vista every Tuesday and returns coated items within the same week, giving Vista a dependable one-week turnaround they can build their own production planning around. Over 20 years, this rhythm has become part of how Vista operates.

Proven performance

All coated aluminium is tested in accordance with BS EN 12206-1:2021, the European standard for organic coatings on architectural aluminium. Quality tests include:

Test	Standard	Requirement
Adhesion	Cross-cut adhesion	No flaking or detachment
Film thickness	BS EN 12206-1:2021	Controlled to specification
Gloss level	BS EN 12206-1:2021	Within specified tolerance
Impact resistance	BS EN 12206-1:2021	No cracking or delamination
Corrosion resistance	Neutral salt spray / Humidity	Pass
Cure verification	MEK solvent rub	Full cure confirmed

 

The result

Vista Partitions is Custom Wytelyne’s largest client by revenue. That revenue is a consequence of a relationship we built on consistent delivery. We promise and we deliver the same quality, the same turnaround, and the same technical understanding, every week for over two decades.

For Vista, the value is the certainty that the coating and the relationship provide. When material goes to Custom Wytelyne on a Tuesday, it comes back coated to specification, on time, ready to ship to the next project.