KMEW facade panels (read "Kei Em Yu") have been produced in Japan for over thirty years. The company appeared as a result of the merger of two large corporations that produce, among other things, building materials: Kubota and the well-known Panasonic. Seven factories produce about 40 million m2 panels per year, which are supplied to the domestic market and around the world, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Korea and Russia. KMEW panels differ from similar European materials in a number of features.
The porous structure makes the panels lightweight and frost-resistant
First of all, the panels are composed of several layers. The basis is autoclaved fiber cement, about the properties of which a lot has been written - it is an environmentally friendly, non-combustible, strong and durable material that does not deform when humidity or temperature changes. In addition to the four traditional elements - quartz sand, cement, cellulose fibers and water, the Japanese add elastic microgranules and also achieve a porous structure. This makes the panels lighter - only 15 kg / m², and resistant: if water somehow gets into the microcracks, and then freezes and expands, then this load will be taken over by void bubbles, thereby preventing material destruction.
Self-cleaning and color protection
This is followed by a reinforced organic acrylic coating that gives color. The last layer - hydrophilic or photoceramic - is special.
Hydrophilic layer retains on its surface the thinnest film of moisture, which does not allow particles of exhaust gases, dust or organic matter to settle and accumulate. Therefore, when it rains, all the dirt is easily washed off. Thanks to the hydrophilic layer, you don't have to worry about how to keep the panels clean, even with a pronounced embossed texture - they clean themselves. That preserves the aesthetic appearance and reduces the cost of building maintenance.
Photoceramic spraying protects the color layer from mechanical damage and ultraviolet radiation. Laboratory tests have proven that the shade will remain bright for about 50 years: according to the developers, the composition of the spray is similar to the composition of a sunscreen. Photoceramics also knows how to get rid of dirt, and at the same time also cleans the air: photocatalysts break down harmful compounds into neutral ions. The company's specialists have calculated that a facade of 170 m2clad with such panels purifies the air like 12 poplars. The more sunlight, the more intensively the plates clean their surface and the surrounding air.
Thus, by combining the characteristics of all layers, KMEW panels are not afraid of corrosion, harsh climatic conditions, fading, rotting, fungus and burning.
Variety of textures and colors
Another serious feature is the variety of textures and colors, there are about 400 options. If the European facade panels are mostly plain-colored, then among the Japanese ones, on the contrary, it is difficult to find a flat surface. In the KMEW collections there are most of the textures imitating stone - there are 246 of them, but there are also a lot of plaster, wood, brick, as well as linear panels.
The color scheme, although restrained, is very variable, and continues to expand according to the request of the Russian market. In some collections there are particularly expressive shades, the depth of which is achieved by the flame spraying method.
Another feature of Japanese panels is the horizontal joint with a lock and sealed vertical joints, which makes the seams almost invisible. The panels can be combined, mounted vertically and horizontally.
Seradir V: for buildings of any height
KMEW panels are divided into two main lines - Seradir and Neoroc, each has its own subtypes, which differ in thickness - 14, 16 and 18 mm, as well as the type of coating and the method of fastening.
The Seradir V ("Vi") series is suitable for the construction of buildings of any height. It consists of 14mm thick panels with hydrophilic acrylic coating and invisible clamp fastening. The seismic resistance of these panels corresponds to 9 points, they also meet the requirements for wind load adopted in Russia and withstand temperature extremes. It is not surprising that among the objects faced with KMEW panels, many are located in zones with a special climate - in Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Murmansk, St. Petersburg.
The Seradir V line includes twelve textures of various colors, which makes it possible to make the facades of large residential complexes diverse. For example, for the capital
Residential complex "Moskvichka" where it was required to veneer about 100,000 m2 facades, the authors of the project used two textures and three colors: dark blue and orange plaster with the texture of rice paper and white Roman brick.
Neoroc: for low and medium-rise buildings
The Neoroc range is suitable for cladding buildings no higher than 24 meters, that is, approximately eight floors. It includes panels with a thickness of 16-18 mm, with a relief texture, designed to be viewed from a relatively close distance.
The standard size of the panels is 455 x 3030 mm, only Seradir V differs, it is slightly smaller - 455 x 3000 mm. The panels can be cut with a diamond disc, like any other fiber cement, to the required size.
In general, the characteristics of KMEW panels make them versatile: they are suitable for apartment buildings, cottages and townhouses, sports facilities and shopping centers, industrial buildings and museums. ***
The KM-Technology company began supplying Japanese KMEW panels to Russia in 2008. According to Kirill Antokhin, Deputy General Director for Sales, “At that time it was an innovative and exclusive facing material, close to the premium class in terms of its qualities. The niche was practically free. However, even now no one has such a wide palette of colors and textures, which are complemented by the simplicity of the layout on the facade and invisible fixings."
The cost of KMEW panels is not much higher than that of Russian fiber cement - from 1314 rubles per m2… The maximum delivery time for material from Japan is three months.
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