Composite panel, usually called ACM or ACP, is the rigid board we print when a sign has to stay flat, look premium and be fixed to a wall rather than propped in a window. It has largely replaced painted steel as the default material for permanent fascia and building signage in Australia, and it is the most rigid, most weather-resistant board we run on the flatbed.
This guide covers exactly what we print it on, how long the printed panel lasts outdoors in Australian conditions (which is not the number on the datasheet), what shapes we can rout it into, and what we don't do with it.
What composite panel is
Composite panel is two thin aluminium skins bonded to a solid polyethylene core. The aluminium gives it a dead-flat, dimensionally stable face that doesn't bow with heat or take on moisture; the plastic core keeps it light enough to handle and cut without industrial metalworking gear.
We print on one grade only: 3mm ImageBond Lite, with two 0.21mm aluminium skins and a factory paint coating designed for direct UV printing. It weighs 4.3 kg per square metre, so a full 2400 x 1200mm panel is around 12.4kg, roughly four times a 3mm corflute sheet of the same size. It is rated for -30°C to +70°C.
We stock 3mm only. It gives the best balance of rigidity and weight for signage, and 3mm is what most sign shops fix to walls and fascias with tape, screws or standoffs.
Printing and finish
We print direct to the panel on the Durst flatbed with UV-cured ink. The result is a clean satin finish with sharp detail. We don't apply a laminate or clear coat over the print; the UV ink is the finished surface.
Colour is CMYK, with Pantone C spot colours matched through our profile at the RIP. Because the panel has a solid white factory-coated face, there is no white ink pass and no substrate showing through, unlike clear or coloured stocks.
How long it lasts outdoors
This is where the datasheet and reality diverge, and it matters for how you sell it.
The panel itself is engineered for up to 8 years outdoors, and the manufacturer's datasheet quotes 8 to 10 years. That figure is for the unprinted panel in a middle-European climate, and the datasheet says outright that performance drops in high-temperature, south-facing or horizontal installations. Australian sun is harder on it than that test condition.
The printed UV ink layer is the limiting factor: up to 2 years of outdoor exposure under normal Australian conditions. After that the print can fade or degrade while the panel underneath is still perfectly sound.
So the honest scoping is: composite panel is a long-term indoor material and a medium-term outdoor one. For a shopfront that needs to read well for five or more years, budget for a reprint, or specify a vinyl-applied panel from another supplier rather than direct print.
Shapes, routing and holes
Every panel is router-cut on the Zünd. Rectangles are the default; we also cut circles, ovals and simple custom contours.
The limit is simple convex shapes with up to five points. Clean outlines, no intricate detail, no concave notches. A shield or a hexagon works; a detailed silhouette or lettering cut-out does not. If the job needs a detailed shape, foamed PVC is the better board for indoor work.
Routed holes for fixings are cut at the same time as the outline, 6mm minimum diameter, set up in the artwork with the Thru-cut spot colour. Keep holes well clear of the edge; a thin web of aluminium and core will tear.
What we don't do
- Double-sided. Composite panel is single-sided print only. The rear stays plain so it sits flat on the router bed and against the wall.
- Drilling, taping, lamination or framing. We print and route. Fixing tape, standoffs, rails and frames are yours to add.
- Other thicknesses. 3mm only.
- Express production. Orders are queued in order of artwork approval, no jumping the line.
- Guaranteed fire compliance. ImageBond Lite carries a B-s1, d0 fire classification, but this is a print-only signage panel, not a certified construction product. If the job needs a certified fire rating, cladding-grade material from a specialist supplier is the right answer and we'd rather say so than have it fail an inspection.
Turnaround and pricing
Orders under $1,000 plus GST are produced within two business days of artwork approval. Add one business day for each further $2,000 plus GST.
Pricing is sheet-based rather than per square metre. Panels are printed and cut from full sheets, so the price holds flat across a quantity range and steps up when another sheet is needed. It can look odd next to square-metre pricing, but it reflects the real material, machine and waste cost, with nothing hidden in a rate.
For a job going on a building, order a small printed sample first. It costs little and it settles colour, finish and edge quality before the real run.
Artwork setup
Composite panel follows the same file rules as every rigid board: PDF at 100% size, trim box equal to the finished size, at least 3mm bleed, fonts outlined, CMYK with Pantone C spots, 300dpi imagery, a Thru-cut spot stroke for any custom shape or hole, and the finished size and quantity in the file name. Check that any elements set to overprint are intended; they will print over the colours beneath them. The rigid board artwork setup guide walks through each rule.
FAQ
Is composite panel the same as ACM or ACP? Yes. Aluminium composite material and aluminium composite panel are the same product. We call it composite panel on the portal.
Can it go outdoors? Yes. The panel is rated for up to 8 years; the printed surface is rated for up to 2 years in normal Australian conditions. Sell it as long-term indoor or medium-term outdoor.
Why only 2 years when the datasheet says 8 to 10? The datasheet figure is for the unprinted panel in a European climate. The UV print on the face is what fades first, and Australian sun is harsher than the test condition.
Do you offer 2mm or 4mm? No. 3mm ImageBond Lite only.
Can it be double-sided? No. Single-sided print only.
What's the biggest panel you print? 2400 x 1200mm.
Can you rout a detailed shape or cut-out lettering? No. Simple convex shapes up to five points. Detailed shapes belong on foamed PVC.
Do you drill fixing holes? We rout them, not drill them. Minimum 6mm diameter, set up in the artwork as Thru-cut circles.
Is it recyclable? Yes. The aluminium skins and polyethylene core both go through standard metal and plastic recycling streams.
Key takeaways
- One grade: 3mm ImageBond Lite, two 0.21mm aluminium skins on a polyethylene core, 4.3 kg/m², max 2400 x 1200mm.
- Direct UV print on the Durst, satin finish, no laminate.
- Panel lasts up to 8 years outdoors; the print lasts up to 2 years in Australian conditions. Scope it as long-term indoor, medium-term outdoor.
- Router-cut to simple convex shapes with up to five points, plus routed holes of 6mm and up.
- Single-sided only; no drilling, taping, laminating, framing or express.
- Two business days for orders under $1,000 plus GST; sheet-based stepped pricing.
Ready to order composite panel?
Composite panel print only is live in the trade portal with live pricing by size, shape and quantity. Upload the PDF and prepress checks it before it goes to the flatbed.
