The Advantages Of Choosing Aluminium Roller Shutters For Your Shopfront

If you own and/or operate a high street shop, you'll know all too well how important it is to draw customers in with well-designed window displays; unfortunately, large windows also present a large target for thieves, and without proper protection, the windows in your shopfront can be very vulnerable to smash-and-grab thieves operating after dark.

Consequently, most high street shopfronts are fitted with sturdy roller shutters, which protect your shop's windows from intruders and vandals when you're not around to keep an eye on things. These shutters come in a variety of forms, but aluminium roller shutters are some of the most practical and useful, particularly when compared to cheaper shutters made from galvanised or painted steel. Here are some of the key advantages of investing in aluminium roller shutters for your shopfront:

Durable

While not quite as strong as steel shutters, aluminium roller shutters are still capable of withstanding a severe beating without giving way, and they are more than capable of fending off intruders wielding sledgehammers, angle grinders and other heavy-duty breaking-and-entering equipment. The sturdiest aluminium shutters can even withstand vehicle collisions during ram raids and are ideal for shopfronts located by busy roads.

Rustproof

Painted and galvanised steel shutters derive a certain level of rust protection from their coatings, but once the layer of paint or zinc plating starts to wear away, the metal beneath is left vulnerable to rapid, damaging corrosion. This can severely undermine the security your shutters provide and will also make them look distinctly unsightly. Aluminium shutters are invulnerable to rust even without these protective coatings, as the metal produces its own layer of rustproof aluminium oxide when exposed to air. 

Low maintenance

Since aluminium roller shutters do not require protective coatings that need to be regularly renewed, they have very low maintenance requirements. Occasional cleaning to remove dirt deposits and graffiti is generally all that is needed to keep aluminium roller shutters in good condition.

Variety of designs available

Although aluminium shutters do not require protective paint coatings, they can still be painted in a wide variety of colours if you wish to make your shopfront more distinctive and attractive outside of business hours.

Lightweight

Aluminium is considerably lighter than steel, and a set of aluminium roller shutters will be significantly lighter than a set of steel shutters of comparable size and thickness. This makes manually operated roller shutters much easier to raise and lower at the start and end of business hours, and it allows motorised shutters to use less-powerful and more-economical motors, lowing your shop's overall energy consumption. Reduced weight also makes aluminium shutters easier to fit, especially if you are installing particularly large shutters on windows that span two or more storeys.