For premium aluminium windows: Aura and Roto
Brazilian aluminium specialist Tera Metais has been producing profile systems for facades and windows since the mid-1980s. In 2015, it launched the “Aura” system for premium windows. Since then, the company has worked with Roto to constantly redefine the meaning of industry-leading quality, explains Head of Marketing and Sales Michael Harald Eidinger.
Certified network partners process the thermally separated Aura aluminium profiles that are manufactured in Itatiba, Sao Paulo. They have been trained in how to transform them into custom-made elements with insulating glazing, hardware technology from Roto and modern sealing profiles. Aura elements have since passed important tests in Brazil, Europe and the USA. Eidinger describes the motivation of the initiators of the project: “High-performance windows and doors from Brazil, for Brazil – that was our objective at the start.” Seven years on, the company is now planning to expand outside the country.
“There is a demand for a system like Aura in many countries.”
Since windows which protect against noise usually provide good insulation too, the Aura system can also help to achieve objectives relating to the environment. After all, tightly sealed windows and doors also play a role in reducing energy consumption.
Demonstrating variety
In a number of showrooms, both the network partners and Tera Metais itself showcase the variety of windows and doors that can be produced with the Aura system. Architects and builders alike appreciate the sound technical advice they can obtain there from experts. The team behind the development of Aura is committed to looking for solutions, often in collaboration with Roto, whenever an entirely new design is needed. The wide range and wealth of experience provided by their partner, Roto, prove to be invaluable during this process. Michael Harald Eidinger himself is constantly amazed at how the Aura team and Roto spur each other on. Together, both companies want to show that there are almost no limits for premium window systems. Almost any format, opening type and unusual function is achieved by an optimum interaction between profile, hardware and gasket.
“Roto offers the perfect hardware for any building element.”
Around 8000 elements per year have since been produced by the network partners using the Aura system and Roto hardware. The demand for Lift&Slide and Fold&Slide systems with Roto Patio Lift or Roto Patio Fold is particularly high. Eidinger explains the focus of the collaboration: “In Brazil, builders traditionally prefer elements that are opened by sliding.” However, there are installation situations where Aura advisers recommend using Tilt&Turnwindows and Top-Hung windows. The demand for these is also gradually growing.
Sustainable construction
The manager is certain that the demand formodern aluminium building elements will grow as investors and builders more frequently want high-quality and sustainable constructions. The timeless design and low maintenance requirements of the Aura system help ensure that windows and doors retain their value in the long term. “Large, international investors in particular want their properties to receive a good sustainability rating. Many of them prefer aluminium as a window material because it is robust and can be recycled.”
Proactive advice and design
To ensure that windows in Brazil continue to work properly over many years and decades, system manufacturers like Tera Metais must attribute great importance to corrosion protection, explains Eidinger. “Along the Brazilian coastline in particular, many people are aware of how quickly problematic faults can develop if the window, and especially the hardware, becomes corroded.” The Aura system and the hardware from Roto are also impressive in this context. Proactive consultation relating to corrosion protection therefore forms part of every customer meeting in the showroom. The team of Aura designers and design engineers in Itatiba, Sao Paulo, are just as proactive as the Aura network partners when providing consultation.
“We always want to be a pioneer in this technology, so we can’t rest on our laurels,” Eidinger grins. Together with technology partner Roto, the company is currently planning to launch a new generation of sliding hardware based on the Aura system, with ball bearing roller units that could further improve operating convenience. Eidinger believes that “Roto has developed many extremely interesting hardware solutions in this sector over the past few years.” “And since we are sticking to our aim of being one of the first system suppliers in South America to implement improvements, we are not running out of subjects to talk about. With Roto, we have a committed and reliable partner by our side for dealing with new requirements emerging from the market. We experience this as powerful momentum that we don’t want to miss out on.”
This article was published in Roto Inside 51.