Architectural sheet metal, one detail at a time
26 short lessons in 6 tracks, written from the same published standards, codes and manufacturer data the Design Center uses. Each lesson ends with a short check; finish every lesson in a track for a certificate.
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5 lessons · about 24 min
Foundations
The metals, how they are sized and finished, which may touch, and how far they move.
0 of 5 complete
5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Sheet metals and where each is used
Galvanized, Galvalume, aluminum, copper, stainless and zinc: what each one is and the numbers that name it.
Not startedStart →5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Gauge, thickness and weight
Why gauge runs backwards, why the same gauge is a different thickness in stainless, and how to work out what a piece weighs.
Not startedStart →5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Finishes and reading a color chart
PVDF and Kynar 500, AAMA 2605, SMP, mill and anodized finishes, and how to read the McElroy and PAC-CLAD charts.
Not startedStart →5 min · 8 slides · 4 questions
Dissimilar metals
Which roofing metals can touch, which cannot, and how to separate them.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Thermal movement
How far a metal run moves between its temperature extremes, and why the guides leave gaps.
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4 lessons · about 22 min
Roof edge & wind
ES-1 edge metal, how edge wind pressure is found, choosing the edge, and FM Approvals.
0 of 4 complete
7 min · 10 slides · 4 questions
ES-1 edge metal basics
What the ES-1 standard tests, how to read a published Drexel rating, and what an authorized fabricator is.
Not startedStart →6 min · 8 slides · 4 questions
Wind loads made simple
How ASCE 7 edge pressures are found, why corners matter, and where the 2.0 safety factor comes from.
Not startedStart →5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Choosing coping, gravel stop or fascia
Three roof edges, what each one does, how each is tested, and the size limits Drexel publishes.
Not startedStart →4 min · 6 slides · 4 questions
FM Approvals and RoofNav
How FM Approvals relates to ES-1, how to read an FM rating, and how to look an assembly up in RoofNav.
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8 lessons · about 37 min
Flashing details
Counterflashing, step and base flashing, through-wall, drip edge, valleys, penetrations, hems and copings.
0 of 8 complete
5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Counterflashing and reglets
Base flashing, the counterflashing that laps it, and the reglets and receivers that hold the top edge.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Step and base flashing
Step flashing at a sloped sidewall, base flashing at a low-slope wall, and the crickets that keep water moving.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Through-wall flashing and end dams
Where through-wall flashing goes in a masonry wall, how it is shaped, and why every end is dammed.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Drip edge sequencing with underlayment
What the IRC asks of a drip edge, which goes on first at eaves and rakes, and the Drexel sequence on a membrane roof.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Valleys
Open and closed valleys, how wide the metal is, how it is lapped and held down, and the shapes to start from.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Penetrations and pitch pockets
Pipes, curbs and irregular supports: how each is flashed, and why a pitch pocket is the last resort.
Not startedStart →5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Hems, seams, laps and sealants
The three hems FlashDraft draws, the common seams, which way laps go, and the sealants that suit each metal.
Not startedStart →7 min · 10 slides · 5 questions
Coping installation sequence
Drexel's Snap Coping-Max/Max-C sequence, step by step, and how the Econo Coping differs.
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2 lessons · about 9 min
Drainage
Gutter and downspout sizing from area and rainfall, and scuppers with their conductor heads.
0 of 2 complete
5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Gutter and downspout sizing
Flow from area and rainfall, where the rainfall number comes from, and how gutters and downspouts are laid out.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Scuppers and conductor heads
Primary and overflow scuppers through a parapet, and the conductor heads that take their water into a downspout.
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4 lessons · about 19 min
Specifying & submittals
Writing a Division 07 section, reading a bend schedule, building a submittal package, and Texas codes.
0 of 4 complete
5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Writing a Division 07 specification
Where sheet metal sits in MasterFormat, the three parts of a section, and what each part should name.
Not startedStart →5 min · 6 slides · 5 questions
Reading a bend schedule
Legs, turns, included angles and bend lines - how FlashDraft and the Profile tool describe a piece.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Building a submittal package with AFS tools
What an AFS submittal package holds, how it keeps product data, shop drawing and evidence apart, and where to build it.
Not startedStart →5 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
The Texas code landscape
City and county authority in Texas, the TDI windstorm program on the coast, and how to find the code a project is under.
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3 lessons · about 12 min
Ordering with AFS
Measuring a profile, the ways to send one to AFS, and what happens after you order.
0 of 3 complete
4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Measuring a profile in the field
What to measure on an existing piece - legs, angles, hems and girth - and the shop limits to check it against.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
Photo to Quote, Scan to Quote and FlashDraft
The ways to send AFS a profile, what each one needs, and the statuses FlashDraft shows as you draw.
Not startedStart →4 min · 7 slides · 4 questions
What happens after you order
Shop drawings, lead times, pickup, delivery and tracking - as AFS describes them on its site.
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How the lessons are made
Every slide that states a fact names its source: public standards pages, manufacturer data sheets, government sources and AFS's own fabrication data. Standards are paraphrased and cited, never copied. Each lesson shows whether AFS has completed its technical review.
Certificates record completion of AFS Learning Academy lessons. They are not AIA continuing education (CES) credit.