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Hi Guys,
Im back In China working multiple projects and kicking it at my home in Jiangmen in my spare time.
Anyway, about 5-6 years ago, I travelled the length and breadth of China looking for a decent quartz product and couldnt find any.
How times have changed! In the past week Ive had the pleasure to visit 2 quartz factories and I must say I was amazed.
The quartz products were non porous, 93-94% quartz, high quality and the manufacturing equipment was immaculate.When I get these projects completed I will forward along the name of the distributor. These plants are going to rock the world! (Pardon the pun).
Okay, this time for the win…
Is the 93% figure based on weight?Because I don’t see how 7% poly resin could hold together that much quartz.
Andy,
There’s a Vietnamese company the states it uses the “Bretton process” right on it’s website, but I don’t think they pay the licensing fees.And I’ll re ask this just for the bump – Is the 93% figure a measurement of weight or volume?
I say weight, because I do not see where that much volume of quartz can be successfully held together buy that little amount of resin. Not enough to easily support a twelve inch overhang.
Why wouldn’t 1% hold all the material together? Particle board is 98.2% solid. I know it is different material… but I imagine we would be surprised at the total amount of binder that holds different material together to form another material…
Wow, this site sure does accumulate a lot of posts quickly!
Kelsey ,
You are correct as usual, the resin is the glue or binder that holds it together. It is very strong as physical property testing can confirm.
Tom,
of “Quartz” (pardon the pun) its weight per cent. One always uses weight per cent in formulation because volume changes with respect to temperature, but weight is fairly constant (unless it boils, decomposes or sublimes).Also when you mix 2 liquids, say 1 liter of liquid A, plus 1 liter of liquid B, you descend into the Dante’s inferno of partial molal volume considerations (one liquid is soluble so hides inside the other) so 1 liter plus 1 liter sometimes equals 1.8 or 1.9 liters.
A while back I figured out the 7% resin weight percent, and converted it to volume at STP (standard temperature and pressure) and posted it on here somewhere. I can’t remember the result but That 7 percent becomes double digit volume per cent!
Ok let me give it a go, and do it again, it’s a simple quick calculation. In addition to quartz and UP resin there is also a small amount of promoter (cobalt octoate, etc.), some catalyst (usually Methyl ethyl Ketone peroxide, or MEKP), a difunctional agent that bonds the quartz to the resin, and some colorant. But mostly its quartz and resin.
So if we neglect the several percent of other smutz in there and just say quartz and resin at a 93/7 ratio it’s easy to figure out. We also can neglect partial molal volume because the quartz is a solid and has no solubility in the resin. We also can neglect any hydrophobic, or hydrophillic interactions, which should be negligible.
Quartz has a density of 2.65 Gms /ml
UP (unsaturated Polyester resin) has a density of 1- 1.3 Gms ml. Let’s take 1.15 for a moderate case
93 grams quartz / gms /ml = 35.094 ml
7 grams resin / 1.15 gms / ml =6.087 ml
Approximate Volume per cent of resin = 100 x (6.087/ (6.087 + 35.094)) = 14.78 percent. Check my math because Im typing quick, but that looks correct.
If the resin is lighter than 1.15 Gms /ml (which it often is) that number is even higher!
Tom,
I think the plant you are speaking of in Vietnam is the Vicostone plant, owned by the large Vietnamese construction group VinoConex. It’s located up north, a ways (several hours drive) out of Hanoi. I was there several times in 2007 and 2008! It is a Breton plant, with Breton equipment, multiple lines and last time I checked it was listed on the Breton site! But maybe that’s changed!Well I have to run, I Hope this helps!
Norm, does the fabnet have a “Lenny to English” translation guide?
I know what he was talking about, but have no idea what he said..LOL
Thanks for the info Lenny. I have been told that some quartz will burn/discolor more easily during the polishing process than others . So one could assume it has to do with more of less percentage of the resin?
Lenny, I ran into someone this past weekend you used to work with, they said you got blamed alot, maybe they said you were the source of,… most practical jokes that ever happened at the ISSFA training facility? Could this be true?
LOL!Check your math?
That’s like Plato asking Fatty Arbuckle to check his logic.
The Brand Name that quartz is marketed under here is Chroma. Good to know they are following the rules. I wouldn’t want to work with a material that is getting around the system.
Awesome info, Lenny. You are the man.
Posted By Norm Walters on 02 Sep 2010 05:42 AM
Lenny, I would say that was your most valuable post to date.
Norm,
Ive been told my post a few years ago with addys, phone numbers and driving directions to Guangdongs most sizzling massage parlors was my most valuble post to date!
Kelsey,
Ive heard about some quartz scorching? (heating up?) while polishing. That could be higher resin percentage, or it could be the type of resin. For example some manufacturers use the cheapest commodity UP (unsaturated polyester) resin that can be had to manufacture quartz. It has limited heat resistance when compared with other more highly engineered UP resins.
Also I would hope everyone is wet polishing this stuff. You get a better finish and water has excellent heat transfer capabilities keeping the heat off the top while refinishing.
Yep we did used to joke around alot at ISSFA. It was those long hours thart drove us crazy. I guess you heard about the liquid nitrogen smoke bomb!
Tom, thanks for the kind words!
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