design provisions for sandwich panels, but they are discussed in the Aluminum

Design Manual, Part III, Section 6.0.

ACM is easy to work with: panels can be routed, punched, drilled, bent,
and curved with common fabrication equipment, and manufacturers provide
concealed fastener panel attachment systems. Installed costs naturally depend
on volume, but for more than a few thousand square feet are under $20/ ft2
[$200/m2], about 20% of which is for installation.
3.2 COATINGS AND FINISHES
A variety of finishes are available for aluminum. Factors in the selection of
the type of finish include the usual suspects: cost, appearance, and durability.
The primary purpose of this book is to provide guidance in structural design,
but sometimes design engineers inherit the challenge of specifying a finish,
so we�ll give you a little orientation.
Common finishes include mill finish (generally, a fancy way to say ��bare
aluminum��), anodizing, painting, and mechanical finishes. Some considerations
in their use are discussed in this section.
An identification system for aluminum finishes is given in the Aluminum
Association publication Designation System for Aluminum Finishes (14). This
system identifies the finish by its mechanical, chemical, and coating
characteristics,
and examples of its use are given below.
3.2.1 Mill Finish
The Aluminum Association publication Specifications for Aluminum Sheet
Metal Work in Building Construction (21) states:
��One of aluminum�s most useful characteristics is its tendency to develop an
extremely thin, tough, invisible oxide coating on its surface immediately on
exposure to air. This oxide film, although only 2 to 4 ten-millionths of an inch
thick on first forming, is almost completely impermeable and highly resistant to
attack by corroding atmospheres.��
This aluminum-oxide film does not weather away or stain adjacent materials.
Whereas most steel must be coated for protection, aluminum is generally
coated only when a certain appearance is desired. When aluminum is left in
its natural state, its initial bright appearance will weather through shades of
gray.
When a coating is desired, aluminum may be anodized or painted. Coatings,
however, may impose a maintenance concern that would not be present
with mill-finish aluminum since coatings must be maintained. Coatings also
affect the price and delivery schedule of aluminum components. Anodizing
is limited to pieces that will fit in anodizing tanks and cannot be done in the
field. Tank sizes vary by anodizer, with lengths up to 30 ft [10 m] commonplace.
Few tanks, however, are deeper than 8 ft [2.5 m], so anodizing limits
shop-assembly sizes. Painting of aluminum is also typically performed in the
factory to take advantage of controlled conditions. This limits the size of an
assembly to that which fits in paint booths and ovens. Simply using aluminum
in the unadorned state in which it leaves the mill (i.e., mill finish) eliminates
these limitations on assembly sizes.
Mill finish may be specified under the Aluminum Association system by
the designation ��Mill finish AA-M10 as fabricated.��
3.2.2 Anodized Finishes
Anodizing is a process that accelerates the formation of the oxide coating on
the surface of aluminum, producing a thicker oxide layer than would occur
naturally. An anodized coating is actually part of the metal, and so has excellent
durability. One of the primary advantages of anodizing is its resistance