Views: 6 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2023-08-16 Origin: Site
The sintered stone produced by new technology can be said to be a revolutionary new decorative material, which promoted the process of home decoration in the Neolithic age. We can see that more and more stone companies are transforming from natural stone, quartz stone or artificial stone to sintered stone. More designers and big brand companies are developing a new application of sintered stone - using sintered stone for household appliance door panels, and even developing sintered stone intelligent furniture.
Sintered stone is a super large new porcelain material made of natural raw materials through special process, pressed with a press of more than 10000 tons (more than 15000 tons), combined with advanced production technology and fired at a high temperature of more than 1200 ℃, which can withstand the processing processes of cutting, drilling, grinding and so on.
What makes sintered stone unique is that it is completely made of natural materials. These materials are made into very strong and durable slabs with countless applications. And this process is called sintering.
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Everything You Want to Know about Sintered Stone
Sintering is a process of combining materials into solids by heat. It is generally considered that sintering is dry smelting; Because the materials used are fused together, but will not become a liquid.
From the first batch of ceramics produced 24000 years ago to the first batch of intact discoveries about 6000 years ago, early sintering was used to make storage containers for minerals excavated from the earth. For thousands of years, sintering technology has been continuously improved to produce stronger, more practical and more cost-effective products.
In the early 1900s, the R & D and improvement of this technology by companies focusing on ceramics attracted the attention of the scientific community and received the support and transformation of teams from all over the world. These teams tried to improve the technology and manufacture stronger metals, better conductors and more reliable machinery. Over the decades, these teams have successfully developed and produced the purest metals and the strongest alloys ever.
It was not until recent years that this technology returned to its roots - using raw minerals and compacting them by heating, compression and vibration to produce the perfect stone, what we call sintered stone.
1. STURDY AND DURABLE
The Mohs hardness of sintered stone is grade 6-7, which can resist scratching and trying to scratch. (The higher the Mohs hardness, the less likely it is to leave scratches on the surface.The hardness of marble is between 2.5-5 and that of quartz is between 5-6.) Sintered stone can also withstand heavy use without showing any signs of wear or damage.It will retain its looks for years to come even with high-intensity use.
2. HIGH UV RESISTANCE
The sintered stone can effectively fight against ultraviolet rays, as it is equipped with water penetration, heat insulation, and frost resistance. Meanwhile, it can maintain the color continuity without fade under long-time wind and sun exposure, a great option for exterior building material.
3. FIREPROOF AND HEAT-RESISTANCE
The sintered stone is classified as A1 fire-rating products which means it is non-combustible. When it directly contact high-temperature objects, there will be no deformation, no physical changes such as contraction, cracking, and discoloration, and no gas or smell in the 2000 ℃ (3632°F) open flame.
4. EASY TO CLEAN
The clean of the sintered stone surface is convenient due to its non-porous structure and low water absorption. Warm water wiping or cleaning is sufficient to keep the surface clean and sanitary. Generally, there is no other special maintenance requirement at a high cost.
5. LIGHTWEIGHT
Sintered stone is lighter than the natural stone of the same size, but it doesn't mean the sintered stone is of poor quality or unreliable. Conversely, the manufacturing process can guarantee its hardness and long-lasting lifespan.
6. HEALTHY AND SAFE
The sintered stone can directly contact with the food, as it is derived from 100% pure natural materials and has reached the food safety level. It is high density with anti-permeability, so it is stain-resistant and can effectively reduce the breeding of bacteria, to ensure the sintered stone will never deteriorate.
7. FLEXIBLE CUSTOMIZATION
The sintered stone can be made of different sizes, textures, and colors, polished or matt, etc. The size of the sintered stone finish can reach 3000*1500mm at present, which can not only speed up the installation process but also enhance the visual effect and upgrade the sense of space.
8. ENDLESS STYLE
Sintered stone can provide innovative elements to architectural decoration design. Variety styles of formats, details, colors, textured surfaces can inspire creativity, to make panel joints, patio, fireplace, TV/Home/Hotel backdrop, and other scenarios more unique.
The popularity of sintered stone has steadily grown in recent years, and it is foreseeable that it will be the trend of the future.
As the sintered stone adds much value to both interior and exterior designs, it enjoys a wide range of applications, usually including indoor living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, balcony, outdoor garden patios, landscaping, gardening, furniture like the countertop, vanity, tabletop, cabinet, and some public premises.
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First of all, the sintered stone is indeed the evolution of porcelain and the result of product update iterations. It may be said that the sintered stone is an upgraded version of porcelain, but it is by no means porcelain. Sintered stone is rock, not porcelain, is slab, not tile. It is a new type of slab. It appears as a slab, regardless of the excellent physical properties of the sintered stone. The slab identity of the sintered stone is the biggest difference from the porcelain. Their differences are mainly reflected in the following aspects.
1. The raw material is different: the raw materials of sintered stone are made of quartz, granite and clay. They are new materials with high-tech achievements and belong to a new category of building materials to a certain extent. The raw materials of porcelain are mostly mixed with clay and quartz sand, which is a kind of acid-base resistant porcelain or stone after grinding, mixing, pressing, glazing and sintering.
2. The development process is different: porcelain is made of refractory metal oxides and semi metal oxides through the process of grinding, mixing, pressing, glazing and sintering. Sintered stone is made of natural raw materials through special process, pressed with a press of more than 15000 tons, combined with advanced production technology and fired at a high temperature of more than 1200 ℃.
3. The appearance is different: the sintered stone is mainly of large size, with a thickness of 3-20mm. The grain is mainly imitation natural stone, and the body is consistent with the surface color to form a whole body; The size and specification of porcelain are relatively small, the thickness is usually 9-12mm, and the lines are relatively rich. Imitation stone lines, wood lines, metal lines and other personalized lines can not form a whole body with the surface of porcelain.
4. The performance is different: the performance of sintered stone is comprehensive and excellent including waterproof, fireproof, high temperature resistant, low temperature resistant, acid and alkali resistant, anti-seepage, abrasion resistant, scratch resistant, impact resistant, can contact with food, no radiation, environmental protection, 100% recycling, durable and non fading. The performance of porcelain is also different according to different types, but in contrast, the performance of porcelain is far less comprehensive and excellent than sintered stone.
5. The application scope is different: the application scope of sintered stone is wide, the overall decoration effect is strong.The lifelike marble lines, whether in large-scale space or home decoration, the visual effect highlights the atmosphere and the space grade can be improved. It can also be used as table decoration material in kitchen and bathroom space. And that's not what porcelain can do.
See 8 Factors You Should Consider when Buying Sintered Stone Table and Why Choose a Sintered Stone Dining Table for more information.
Granite, like quartzite, is essentially a burning stone of nature. For millions of years, minerals in the earth's crust have been fused by intense heat and pressure. Granite is very hard, and its Mohs hardness is usually 6-7. At the same time, it is also UV resistant, natural and heat-resistant, and can be used for countertops.
The difference between these natural stones and sintered stone lies in their composition. The formation of granite is uncertain. It is composed of randomly selected natural minerals of the earth, and the composition is too complex. The sintered stone is carefully composed of selected clay, silica and other elements. Compared with it, the sintered stone is more exquisite and meets the common needs of people yearning for and pursuing beauty.
In addition, the biggest weakness of granite is its natural porosity. Impurities in granite components will form micropores, which will make its surface easy to be contaminated with dust and dirt, and darken its color with the passage of time. Sintered stone overcomes this problem thanks to the pollution-free sterile production environment and vibration compression process. The process compactly compresses the particles to the degree that the material is almost impermeable, and the water absorption is only 0.02%.
See Sintered Stone Tiles VS Other Material Tiles for more information.
Quartz usually also takes advantage of the strength of natural quartz and is carefully designed to form a non porous and easy to maintain surface. Both sintered stone and quartz are man-made materials, which can produce highly consistent and beautiful design, and provide a variety of surface effects for selection, such as smooth surface, matte surface, etc.
In terms of composition, quartz accounts for an average of about 93% of quartz crystals, supplemented by unsaturated resin and color additives. Because the resin is added in the production process, the quartz sand is closely combined, so generally speaking, the quartz is not recyclable. However, the sintered stone is the only artificial stone composed of 100% natural minerals without resin adhesive, which means that the material can be decomposed and reused. In fact, the material recovery and secondary utilization have already been realized in the production process of sintered stone, so the environmental protection of sintered stone is better than quartz .
On the other hand, quartz perfectly integrates man-made technology with natural minerals to form a surface resistant to chemicals, abrasion, scratch, impact and thermal shock. Nevertheless, quartzite is inferior to sintered stone in some aspects.
For examples,the heat resistance of quartz is lower than that of sintered stone, and most quartz on the market do not have UV resistance. In addition, compared with the 3mm thick lightweight type of sintered stone, quartz is really bulky.
See Transform Your Home with Sintered Stone Slab for more information.
At present, in addition to being unable to replace special-shaped stone products, sintered stone, with its various Super Properties, can replace all places where ceramics and stone plates can be decorated.In the future, it can enter all major fields of building materials and home furnishings. Moreover, as a new building material, sintered stone will be paid more attention today when people attach more importance to environmental protection.
If you are in the market for sintered stone products, WIFi Ceramics is the best option for you. What you can get is not only high-quality sintered stone products but one-stop solutions! You don’t need to worry about anything anymore. We can take care of it all for you! Contact us now.
