EMECO vs. IMITATION ALUMINUM CHAIRS AND STOOLS

Washington Post Article (Link)
New York Times Article (JPG File)

• Extruded Shapes:
(These are used in the back, rear legs, and leg bracing.)

EMECO: Aluminum is bent and fabricated in the T-0 temper, (very soft), resulting in smooth, unwrinkled inside contours, without “orange peel” or other surface distress. After assembly, these parts are thermally treated to bring them up to the T-6 temper, resulting in full strength and hardness.

IMITATION: Aluminum is bent and fabricated in the T-4 temper, (half-hard), the maximum hardness that will bend without breakage. Inside edges of bent areas are typically wrinkled because half-hard aluminum cannot be bent smoothly. There is no additional heat treating done, so the metal remains in the half-hard condition.

• Seat Pans and Front Legs:

EMECO: Aluminum sheet is sheared and formed in the T-0 temper in hardened steel tooling in high-tonnage slow-stroking presses. This minimizes distortion and thinning of metal in the corners of the parts, resulting in extremely strong, homogeneous components. After assembly with the extruded shapes, thermal treatment brings these parts to T-6.

IMITATION: Sheet is cut and formed in the T-0 temper using short-life tooling, resulting in partial tearing and extreme thinning of metal in the corners. There is no additional heat treating, and the main structural member of the chair is left in the soft state, making it susceptible to bending or failure under normal usage.

• Welding:

EMECO: All welds are full-penetration heli-arc, normalized, along with the entire chair, to an annealed condition. The entire assembly is then thermally treated to a full T-6 condition.

IMITATION: Most welds are only partial penetration welds. The rest are tacks used for assembly convenience. The weld itself is of sufficient strength, however, the metal surrounding the weld (the heat-affected zone) is completely soft, and is left in that condition.

• Finish:

EMECO: Exposed surfaces on the chair are hand-ground, detailed and anodized for appearance and durability. A nickel-acetate seal is used to further strengthen the anodic coating.

IMITATION: Exposed surfaces use a combination of sanding and paint to give the appearance of grinding and anodizing. These are then coated with a thin clear polyester to simulate a smooth, homogenous surface. This coating will not last in direct sunlight, when abraded, or after a year or two of normal usage.

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