Category Archives: Aluminum and Glass Storefront Systems

PRL Glass has been supplying Glass Entrance Doors and Fabricated Glass to the Glazing Industry since 1989. In 2005 we launched PRL Aluminum to complement our Glass Door Division. It grew from the need to supply our customers with better service. Although we were growing steadily, we were dependent on other storefront suppliers and extruders for our aluminum extrusions. This limited our service at times when we could not obtain materials as quickly as we needed to satisfy our customer’s requirements. In 2005 we decided to take the bold step of enhancing our product line and service by establishing our own Aluminum Storefront Division. We knew this would give us the opportunity of better controlling our lead times and costs, thus providing a more competitive entrance package for our customers.

We began designing Aluminum Storefront Framing and Storefront Doors. We teamed up with several experienced individuals who joined our staff in this endeavor. We procured an 8” extrusion press and a new 97,000 square foot building to house our new product line. By 2007 we were manufacturing all of our own Aluminum Storefront Doors and Framing Systems. Today our Aluminum Division continues to grow steadily in sales and product lines.

Our first Storefront lines were 1-3/4 x 4 (400 Series), 1-3/4 x 4-1/2 (450 Series) and 2 x 4-1/2 (250 Series) Center-Glazed Frame Systems. Our Door line included Narrow, Medium and Wide Stile doors. We soon added to our product line Offset Glazed Frame Systems 1-3/4 x 4 (401 Series), 2 x 4-1/2 (451 Series for ¼” glass) and 2 x 4-1/2 (201 Series for 1” IG glass). Our storefront products are stocked in clear and dark bronze anodized and mill finish for custom anodizing and painting.

For our door production we stock a full line of hardware including hinges, closers, locks, handles and panic hardware. We also have “stock doors” ready to ship for over-night orders. Our brake metal department produces custom shapes for head and sill flashing as well as special corner conditions or column covers. Our CNC machines provide automated hardware preps for butt hinges as well as custom machining for specialty conditions.

As we continue to improve and develop our product line we have added Sliding Aluminum Door Systems, Bi-Fold Doors and our most recent addition, our rain-screened, pressure equalized Curtain Wall Framing System.

Our Sliding Aluminum Doors include standard bottom rolling, interlocking door systems, as well as our newest addition of Exterior Grade Bottom Rolling and Top Hung Sliding Doors, our “MAX SLIDERS”. Designed and extruded in-house, our Max Sliding Doors have been tested and certified for air, water and stress. We are currently undergoing testing for High Impact certification. While our Max Sliders are design for larger doors, and are made from thicker extrusion than standard doors, our heavy-duty rollers and hardware allow for smooth opening with minimal effort. They are also available with exterior screens. We recently completed a project using over 200 units of our Top Hung Max Sliding Doors at the Solmar Resort in Cabo San Lucas, where we worked in close coordination with HKS Architects from Dallas, Texas. We manufactured the doors, frames, and insulated glass, all in-house, and deliver complete crated units to the glazing contractor for installation. This project demonstrates our motto at PRL to be a “one-stop shop”.

Our Curtain Wall System includes 6”, 7” and 10” mullions and can be used in with a pressure cap application or a silicone butt joint application. Test reports are available upon request for this system as well as all of our systems.

Because of our depth of product knowledge and manufacturing experience we provide complete services to our clients, from the design stage through manufacturing. We have technicians available to provide glass specifications, door and hardware recommendations and framing design recommendations, to assure you are using the correct materials for the job. We are also available to discuss “value-engineered” alternatives for your projects. Our qualified staff includes individuals with years of specialized training in our product lines. We have developed our own line of CAD/CAM software to quickly produce shop drawings and production drawings. We can take your opening dimensions and specifications and determine cut size for metal and glass. All of this ultimately leads to cost savings for you.

The unique advantage PRL offers is that we provide a complete system, glass included with metal fabricated and cut to size. We pride ourselves in being the fastest manufacturer in the industry. Add to this, free delivery included on our full fleet of trucks from San Francisco, to San Diego, to Las Vegas and Arizona.

As we move forward we plan to add more exciting products to our line, continually setting the bar higher. We will combine modern, energy efficient products as well as structural, impact and blast resistant products to meet the challenges of today’s demanding marketplace.