The use of solid surface material began at the end of the 1960s. The pioneer here was the DuPont company with its Corian® brand.
This type of material is particularly convincing because of its extraordinary technical properties, coupled with a very high-quality appearance and a pleasant, velvety feel.
Solid, non-porous, impact-resistant, heat-resistant, jointless processing and easy to clean are just some of the typical attributes of the material. In addition, the material can be reworked at any time so that it appears as good as new even after years of use.
What solid surface materials have in common is that they consist of about two thirds of the mineral filler aluminium oxide trihydrate (ATH). The remaining third consists mainly of binders, i.e. resin systems.
A differentiation is mainly made between the following groups of solid surface materials:
Acrylic-bonded solid surfaces
These include, for example, Corian® from DuPont, Hi-Macs® from LX Hausys, Staron® from Lotte Chemical, Krion® from Porcelanosa, Hanex® from Hyundai and Avonite® from Aristech. Acrylic-bonded solid surfaces can be easily thermoformed.
Polyester-bonded solid surfaces
These include brands such as VARICOR®, Marlan® and Avonite®.
Due to the resin, thermal formability is a little more limited. However, a major advantage is that complex moulded parts can be cast efficiently. Technical properties such as fire behaviour and disinfectant resistance make this resin system a favourite in many demanding applications.
Copolymer-bonded solid surface materials
VARICOR® has been using copolymers for many years to combine the technical advantages of different resin systems and thus offer a technically very high-quality product.
The following applies to all groups: The material can be processed with the usual machines and tools used in the carpentry trade and can be joined almost invisibly with colour-matching adhesives.
Due to the special, above all hygienic material properties, solid surface materials are used in a wide variety of areas where the highest demands are placed on the materials used.
