Corian
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Corian is the brand name for a solid surfacing material created by DuPont. It is composed of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate. It is said to be a thermosetting plastic, but can be thermoformed by heating it to 300°F (149°C), allowing unique shapes to be created. Its primary use is for kitchen worktops and bathroom vanity tops, but is also commonly used as a wall cladding in moisture applications (wet walls). Solid surface materials are very versatile and can be joined, shaped and finished to create many products.
Corian is manufactured in three different thicknesses: 6 mm, 12.7 mm and 19 mm. When fabricated into work surfaces, a MDF subframe is used to create a thicker work surface. Work surfaces are usually fabricated to 38 mm in thickness; this includes 12.7 mm Corian with a 25 mm subframe. All thicknesses feature consistent color and patterning throughout the material, as with all solid surfacing materials. This allows scratches, stains and light scorches to be removed with sandpaper. However, doing this tends to scuff up its matte coating so the preferred method is to use a scotch brite pad and an abrasive cleaner like Ajax or Comet so the finish blends better. . Joints can be made inconspicuous by joining them with an acrylic resin which settles into the joint and is then belt sanded and polished to create the seamless joint. Corian was first sold in 1967.[1]
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[edit] Residential applications
Today, Corian is used widely for kitchen countertops and is available in a variety of colors and patterns. It has found an unusual use in the manufacture of string nuts for guitars, where its hardness, ability to take precise cuts and whiteness are advantageous.
[edit] Direct competition
Meganite solid surface has 80 closely replicated color matches with similar chemical makeup as Corian.
The LG Group markets its 100% acrylic solid surface under the LG HI-MACS brand. It is manufactured in both Korea and in the US just outside Atlanta, Georgia. LG HI-MACS offers similar styles,quality and colors to DuPont.
Samsung's Staron solid surface is a competitor. Wilsonart has its Gibraltar solid surface. LivingStone Surfaces made by US Surface Warehouse (USSW) is another competitor. Pinnacle solid surface is another brand, manufactured by Hanwah of South Korea.
A more expensive, different approach to the countertop industry is Avonite. Avonite manufacturers two types of solid surface, a polyester base, and an acrylic based material. The 100% polyester allows for greater depth of colour, but is a more brittle product due to the lack of ATH filler. The trade off is that 100% polyester scratches clear, no white lines, making for less maintance. Avonite makes a filled polyester that is just as tough as 100% acrylic, in fact, 100% acrylic would be to weak to use without the ATH filler.
Velstone solid surface materials were established in Castleblayney, Ireland in 1991. Velstone is one of the few solid surface brands to have the BS476 Part 6 Class 0 and BS476 Class 1 fire ratings. Most solid surfaces carry a Class 1 fire rating except for the 100% polyesters which carry a Class III fire rating.
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