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PianoForte is manufactured by Quarella S.p.A an Italian company and the world leader in the manufacture and finishing of composite stone products. With its five separate factories - four in Verona (Italy), and one in Naron (Spain) - the company produces more than 250,000 tons per year of product, which is roughly equivalent to 4 million square metres of finished product per year (calculated on the basis of an average thickness of 2 centimetres).
Quarella products can be defined as composite materials as they are the product of a combination of two or more different raw materiels. Composite materials are capable of providing physical and mechanical properties that are superior to the materials in their natural form. The combination of materials allows the product to exploit the best properties of each component material while, at the same time, eliminating their less than useful characteristics.
The materials produced by Quarella contain a very high quantity of natural materials and a minumum of bonding agents. Thus the technical features in the finished products are related directly to the constituent natural stone materials, namely granite or quartz. The bonding agent used in the manufacturing process is usually a polyester resin. The production procedures can generally be sumarised as set out below, however, there are specific differences for each particular product.
QUARTZ/RESIN (Small chips)
1. Mixing of the raw materials and spreading of the materials in the slab moulds;
2. Compaction under vacuum of the mixture as as to form uniform slabs;
3. Oven and open air curing of the slabs;
4. Finishing of the slabs (surface finish, cutting into tiles or cut to size);
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