win.door Quanex Building Products Since its founding in 1927, Quanex Building Products has grown and evolved through a series of strategic ac- quisitions. Today, the company is a leading supplier of en- ergy-efficient window and door profiles, window and door screens and insulating glass spacers, including the field- proven Super Spacer® TriSeal™ structural silicone warm edge spacer, which was designed specifically to meet ar- chitectural needs, improve fabricator efficiency and con- tribute to a superior building envelope. Joe Erb, commercial sales specialist, says the com- pany has witnessed a global need for high-performance framing materials and insulating glass from Quanex. “Canada was one of our earliest markets for these prod- ucts because of the cold climate. But, even in the warm and hot climate markets, customers are seeing the sus- tainable advantages of non-metallic framing and insulating glass spacer technologies,” he said. According to Erb, fabricators are investing in their busi- nesses and adopting more efficient technologies to im- prove not only their products, but also their processes. “We are seeing a significant uptick in the number of major fabricators upgrading to full automation with Super Spacer. It is designed for just-in-time manufacturing, re- quires fewer steps and fewer people, allowing companies to operate more efficiently without sacrificing perform- ance and quality.” The automated approach also serves the architectural community and end user well. “Because the product is robotically applied, it is more accurate, providing crisp, clean sight lines with reduced error,” Erb said. “This benefit is even more evident in larger glazing applications where spacer placement accuracy is critical to ensuring the aesthetic the architect demands. The fabricator also benefits because automation increases output and accuracy on the larger glass lites. The net re- sult: a cost-effective, high-performance solution.” With building codes constantly changing and evolving Erb says fabricators who are coming on board with this technology now and those who did so years ago, have po- sitioned themselves far ahead of the curve in meeting de- mands. “Super Spacer has been on the market for 25 years with demonstrated performance architects can trust even in large-scale applications, including structurally glazed high- rises,” Erb said. Quanex uses third-party testing and applies standard test methods across the globe to ensure its products meet international demands. “Adding non-metallic and composite framing profiles help fabricators stay well ahead of the game in terms of energy efficiency, while providing the long-term perform- ance end users desire. When you have a good frame, the right glass, a good seal and it’s all properly installed, there is great benefit to the end user and to the environment,” Erb said. “It’s about a whole building design approach.” Quanex’s Super Spacer TriSeal is a flexible, structural silicone spacer designed to address the design profes- sional and fabricator's need for aesthetics, thermal per- formance, structural strength, enhanced durability and the manufacturing efficiency to keep their projects on budget. With its unique triple-seal design, Super Spacer TriSeal in- corporates an inner acrylic adhesive seal for immediate unit handling and comes complete with a polyisobutylene primary seal for enhanced gas retention and low moisture vapor transmission. Learn more about Quanex’s offerings for the commer- cial market at www.Quanex.com/Architect. The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Summer 2014 – 39