1. Artificial stone
Artificial stone is made of unsaturated polyester resin as a binder, combined with inorganic powders such as natural marble or calcite, dolomite, silica sand, and glass powder. , as well as appropriate amounts of flame retardants, colors, etc., are formed and solidified by mixing ingredients, porcelain casting, vibration compression, extrusion and other methods. Compared with natural stone, artificial stone has bright colors, high smoothness, uniform color, pressure resistance and wear resistance, good toughness, dense structure, durability, light specific gravity, non-absorbent, erosion and weathering resistance, small color difference, non-fading, and radioactive Lower merits. It has the advantage of comprehensive utilization of resources and plays an important role in environmental protection and energy saving. It is also a veritable green building material product. It has become the preferred decorative material for modern buildings.
2. Types of artificial stone
1. According to the materials used in production
Artificial marble is mainly divided into: cement type artificial marble, resin type artificial marble, Composite artificial marble and sintered artificial marble.
Among these four methods of making artificial marble, the most commonly used is polyester artificial marble, which has the best physical and chemical properties, easy design of patterns, reproducibility, and is suitable for a variety of uses. But the price is relatively high; cement-type artificial marble is the cheapest, but has poor corrosion resistance and is prone to micro-cracks. It is suitable for making boards but not for sanitary ware; the composite type combines the advantages of the first two, both It has good physical and chemical properties and low cost; although sintered artificial marble only uses clay as the adhesive, it needs to be roasted at high temperature, so it consumes a lot of energy, costs a lot, and has a high product damage rate.
① Resin type artificial stone The resin type uses unsaturated polyester resin as a cementing agent, and is mixed with natural marble, quartz sand, calcite, stone powder or other inorganic fillers in a certain proportion, and then adds a catalyst , curing agent, pigment, etc. plus artificial stone agent. It is processed through mixing, curing and molding, demoulding and drying, surface polishing and other processes. Products using unsaturated polyester have good gloss, bright and rich colors, strong processability, and good decorative effects; this resin has low viscosity, is easy to shape, and can be cured at room temperature. Molding methods include vibration molding, compression molding and extrusion molding. The artificial stone used in interior decoration projects is mainly resin type.
② Composite artificial stone The binder used in composite artificial stone includes both inorganic materials and organic polymer materials. The production process is: first use cement, stone powder, etc. to make a green body of cement mortar, and then immerse the green body in organic monomers to polymerize it under certain conditions. For boards, the bottom layer is made of stable and cheap inorganic materials, and the surface layer is made of polyester and marble powder. Inorganic cementing materials include fast hardening cement, white cement, ordinary Portland cement, aluminate cement, fly ash cement, slag cement and plaster of paris. The organic monomers can be styrene, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, acrylonitrile, butadiene, etc. These monomers can be used alone or in combination. The cost of composite artificial stone products is low, but its polyester surface is prone to peeling or cracking due to the influence of temperature differences.
③Cement-type artificial stone Cement-type artificial stone is made of various cements as cementing materials, sand and natural gravel particles as coarse and fine aggregates. It is prepared, stirred, steamed under pressure, polished and polished Artificial stone made later. During the preparation process, color materials are mixed to make colored cement stones. Cement-type stone is easy to produce and low-priced, but its decorative properties are poor. Terrazzo and various types of flower-stepped bricks fall into this category.
④Sintered artificial stone The production method of sintered artificial stone
Artificial stone is similar to the ceramic process. It combines feldspar, quartz, diabase, calcite and other powders with red Iron ore powder and a certain amount of aged soil are mixed together. The general ratio is 60% stone powder and 40% clay. The blank is prepared by the mixing method, formed by the semi-dry pressing method, and then heated in the kiln at 1000°C. Roasted at high temperatures. Sintered artificial stone has good decorative properties and stable performance, but it requires high-temperature roasting, which consumes a lot of energy and costs a lot. Because unsaturated polyester resin has the characteristics of low viscosity, easy molding, good gloss, light color, easy to be formulated into various bright colors and patterns, fast curing, and can be operated at room temperature, among the above-mentioned stones, it is currently the most commonly used. It is a resin-type artificial stone produced with unsaturated polyester resin as a cementing agent. It has stable physical and chemical properties and a wide range of applications. It is also called polyester synthetic stone.
2. Classified by product name:
① Acrylic stone: a chemical resin synthetic material, clean, mostly used for kitchen countertops, easy to shape, good waterproofing, no color difference, But easy to scratch.
②Synthetic stone: Made of marble powder and resin, it has a firm texture.
③Microcrystalline stone: The main components are similar to glass products. It has a smooth surface, gorgeous color and hard texture. It is mainly used for laying floors, but because of its hard texture, it is not easy to reprocess and the price is higher.
④Terrazzo: However, its corrosion resistance is poor and micro-cracks are prone to occur. It is suitable for use as plates but not for sanitary ware.
3. Classification by properties:
(1) Classification by solvent type
Water-based protective agent for artificial stone
A. Water-based protective agent: A protective agent that completely uses water as the diluent is called water Basic protective agent. This kind of protective agent generally has less odor, low toxicity, does not burn, and has high safety performance. For example: "Green Angel" HB-S101, 103, 103A, etc.
B. Solvent-based protective agent: Protective agents that use solvents other than water as diluents are called solvent-based protective agents. It can be divided into water-soluble solvent-based protective agent and oil-soluble solvent-based protective agent. For example: "Green Angel" HB-S301, 302, 401, etc. Water-soluble solvents refer to a type of solvent that is completely miscible with water. Such as alcohols; oil-soluble solvents refer to a type of solvent that is compatible with oily substances but incompatible with water. Such as benzene, ketone, ester, etc. Protective agents that use water-soluble solvents as diluents are called water-soluble solvent-based protective agents; protective agents that use oil-soluble solvents as diluents are called oil-soluble solvent-based protective agents. Solvent-based protective agents generally have a strong odor, are relatively toxic, are flammable, and have a density generally <1.
C. Emulsion type protective agent: It is made by using oil-soluble solute and water as diluent, adding emulsifier and stirring at high speed to emulsify. Its color is milky white, has little odor, is non-flammable and has relatively low toxicity.
(2) Classification according to solubility performance
A. Oil-based protective agents: Protective agents that can be dissolved by oil-soluble solvents are called oil-based protective agents. Such as: oil-soluble solvent protective agent, etc. This type of protective agent generally has strong penetrating power, but is relatively toxic, flammable, and has a strong smell. Suitable for protective treatment of stone front and dense surfaces. For example: "Green Angel" HB-S301, 401, 502, etc.
B. Water-based protective agent: Stone curing agent that can be dissolved by water is called water-based stone protective agent. Such as water-based protective agents, water-soluble solvent-based protective agents, emulsion-based protective agents, etc. This type of protective agent generally has relatively weak penetration (except for water-soluble solvent-based protective agents), but its toxicity and odor are relatively small, and it is non-flammable. Suitable for protective treatment of loose stone surfaces. For example: "Green Angel" HB-S101, 103, 107, etc.
(3) Classification by solute composition
A. Acrylic protective agent: A protective agent with acrylic resin as the main active ingredient (solute) is called acrylic stone protective agent. It has sealing properties. When applied to the stone surface, it will form a film and have a light-shaping effect. However, it has insufficient aging resistance and will deepen the color of the stone after application. It is suitable for protective treatment on rough stone surfaces or stone bottom surfaces that need to be sealed (interface destructive ability must be tested). For example: "Green Angel" HB-S601, etc. It is a second generation protective product. (The first generation is wax)
In addition, there are protective agents that use epoxy resin or other resins as the main material. Their performance and characteristics are generally similar and will not be described again here.
2. Characteristics of artificial stone
(1) Rich colors and everything you need. There are solid colors, such as: white, yellow, black, red, etc. There is also hemp color. On the basis of the solid color board, particles of different colors and sizes are added to create various colorful effects. There are so many varieties and so much room for choice.
(2) No radioactive pollution. The materials of artificial stone have been strictly screened and do not contain radioactive substances, so consumers can use them with confidence.
(3) Moderate hardness and toughness. Natural stone has high hardness and brittleness, is not resistant to impact, is easily broken, and has better impact resistance than natural stone.
(4) Easy to process and produce. The hardness and toughness of artificial stone have been adjusted to a certain range.
It can be processed like hardwood. All woodworking tools and mechanical equipment can be used for the production and processing of artificial stone. It can be bonded (using special glue, all kinds of countertops can be connected "seamlessly"), can be bent, and can be processed. into various shapes, which is unmatched by natural stone.
(5) The structure is dense and clean. Natural stone has natural micropores. When making cabinet countertops, nutrients such as vegetable soup can easily penetrate into it and breed bacteria; while artificial stone has a dense structure and is There are no micropores, liquid substances cannot penetrate, and bacteria cannot grow in it. Therefore, it makes sense for some businesses to hype artificial stone as "antibacterial stone".