Acrylic Solid Surfacing Materials

The properties of acrylic solid surfacing materials make it suitable for a great variety of applications, with a broad range of design options available on account of the shape and surface of the material. It is almost as hard as stone and yet can be processed like wood. The solid, homogenous material does not flake and combines low flammability with non-fading and easy-to-clean characteristics. It was first introduced by DuPont in 1967, under the brand name Corian®. Mainly used for kitchen worktops to start with, many innovative interior and exterior design applications have in the meantime been realised with this type of material, as illustrated by the examples in the article – including furniture objects, shop designs or façade cladding. The diversity of design is surprising: panels can be shaped two- or three-dimensionally by milling or hot forming; the surface can be ground, polished or engraved; translucent effects are achieved by partial reduction of material thickness.