When preparing this type of stone product various types of natural stone aggregates are used (quartz, granite, silica sand, marble etc.) and it is also possible to add other original and extravagant stone-like materials (mother of pearl, lapis lazuli, coloured glass, mirrors, metals etc.) giving the finished product its rare beauty and uniqueness.

The final product can be designed and developed satisfying the specific technical and aesthetic requirements of the architect or interior designer by mixing different types of stone materials of different sizes and colours varying the colour, composition and aggregate content of the mix.

BRETONSTONE® plants for manufacturing engineered stone are installed and successfully working in many countries worldwide, with an annual production rate estimated at several million square metres.

The commercial success of BRETONSTONE® slab plants is demonstrated by the substantial and rapid increase in the use of Engeneered stone on the world market used as cladding for houses and offices and high traffic areas such as airports, shopping malls, residential centres, supermarkets, places of worship etc. Considering that the current use of Engineered stone worldwide can be described as outstanding, it still only accounts for a small percentage of cladding materials utilised around the world, however it is more than evident the enormous growth potential Engeneered stone and BRETONSTONE® quartz will have in the near future.

BRETONSTONE® QUARTZ is a Bretonstone product of superior physical-mechanical properties. This specific product is manufactured from over 94% in weight of quartz crystals which thanks to the exclusive vacuum vibrocompression process “BRETONSTONE® SYSTEM” are compressed in a compact arrangement.

BRETONSTONE® QUARTZ is an Engineered stone formed by polymer chains which wrap each single quartz crystal and with a specific adhesion promoter are bonded together forming an impenetrable surface. This type of bonding agent binds the quartz crystal (SiO2) by means of an organofunctional silanes bond and binds the polymer chain by means of an organofunctional bond. The result is a compound material which does not exist in nature and as such is a superior quality product for contemporary construction requirements offering unique and unequalled features.

The exceptional and superior technical features, large slab size combined with beauty and aesthetic flexibility, safe and easy processing and transformation of slabs into furnishing elements with the possibility of coupling slabs to increase thickness, are all assets of BRETONSTONE® QUARTZ a product successful worldwide thanks to its many applications from kitchen tops, vanity tops, to bar counters and worktops in general.

It is for this versatility in a broad range of applications, that this product has surpassed many other alternative solutions including natural stone, ceramics and synthetic materials.

The vacuum effect generated by vibrocompression compacts the aggregate mix and the excellent consolidating capacity created by this process reduces the gaps between the crystals and particles, resulting in a reduction of the quantity of bonding agent required and an increase in the mechanical properties of the final product.

Vacuum compacting prevents macro-porosity in the compacted mix and microporosity in the bonding resins minimising water absorption to 0.02% in weight. BRETONSTONE® slabs thanks to this technology are perfectly homogenous and isotropic with high physical-mechanical properties throughout the entire slab structure.

MINERAL FILLERS

Mineral fillers are mixed with resin to form “resin bonding agents”. These mineral fillers consist of various types of stone materials finely pulverised. Generally micronized silica (silex) or micronized feldspar are used with siliceous aggregates and calcium carbonate with calcareous aggregates. Mineral fillers and stone aggregates are widespread and easy to source raw materials.

BONDING AGENTS AND ADDITIVES

The organic resin normally used as bonding agent is unsaturated polyester resin formulated for the end use of BRETONSTONE® products. The additives, added in small quantities to the mixes to obtain specific results, are catalysts, accelerators for hardening the resin and bifunctional silanes in siliceous aggregate mixes.

COLOURING AGENTS

The stone mixes can be coloured utilising metal oxide pigments.The colouring agents play an important role in the process because combined with the natural colour and size of the particles and thanks to the special mixing, compacting and treating equipment, they offer unlimited choices in colour and appearance of BRETONSTONE® slabs.

The patented technology for moulding slabs in elastomeric moulds using the “Compaction by Vibrocompression Vacuum process” allows manufacturing slabs with different surface patterns and tones ideal for satisfying the most sophisticated and avant-garde solutions.