Bretonstone, also known as vibro-compression under vacuum, is a patented technology invented in the early-1970s by
Breton S.p.A.
Nowadays most manufacturers of engineered stone use Bretonstone.
History
In the early-1970s Marcello Toncelli, founder of Breton, started developing the Bretonstone system, which allows to produce a
solid surface
Solid surface is a man-made material usually composed of a combination of alumina trihydrate (ATH), acrylic, epoxy or polyester resins and pigments. It is most frequently used for seamless countertop installations.
Solid surface was firs ...
similar to granite, using small stone aggregates and stone-like materials. The composite material is manufactured in slabs, which can be worked as natural stone, instead of blocks that should have been cut.
Basically the vibro-compression vacuum technology, used by Bretonstone system, consists of blending the natural aggregate of stone with a
polymer
A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
mix (usually unsaturated polyester
resin
In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on n ...
), taking away air with a vacuum, and catalyzing the molded product whilst vibrating and applying pressure to this mix. Then the mixture is heated, and the output is a slab of non-porous and quite stable engineered stone.
The following improvements led the agglomerated stone to obtain the same hardness as granite, when siliceous stone or
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...
were added in the mix.
The
agglomerate produced with the Bretonstone system looks like natural stone and varies in look according to the types of stone aggregates and stone-like materials used in the process. Some types of agglomerate are:
* granite-looking
* one-color
* veined marble
* exotic granite
* with colored glass inserts
* with crystal fragments
* with mirrors pieces
* with semi-precious stones
* with brass filings.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official Website
Industrial processes