Tag Archives: thermoforming

Solid Surface Countertops for Cabinetmakers

Wood cabinets with solid surface countertops in a recreational vehicle.

Wood cabinets with solid surface countertops in a recreational vehicle.

Countertops made of solid surface material (i.e., Corian® or HI-MACS®) are an excellent choice and an easy addition to the cabinetmaker’s specialty line.  Cabinetmakers are already extremely skilled and detail-oriented in their ability to create cabinetry for any room type using a variety of materials. Yet many may not realize just how easy it is to add a solid surface countertop to a newly constructed cabinet. Doing this adds value to their products, and service to customers, not to mention extra income for the business. Why outsource that extra step, when one already has the skills and tools necessary to easily complete the project?

For those cabinetmakers already offering granite, quartz or other types of stone countertops, consider giving customers another, and possibly more cost effective, choice in countertop material.

Cabinetmakers Already Have the Tools and Skills Needed

Almost all cabinet shops already have the tools necessary to complete a large percentage of all types of solid surface material fabrication projects. Those tools include: Continue reading

SolidSurface.com® Expands Product Lines From Aristech Surfaces LLC

Aristech®'s Avonite Surfaces® Flexible Sheet Sizes

Aristech®’s Avonite Surfaces® Flexible Sheet Sizes

SolidSurface.com now offers Aristech Surfaces’ complete line of Avonite Surfaces® Solid Surface and STUDIO Collection® Design Resin online.

SolidSurface.com® is thrilled to announce the expansion of its online offerings to include the full line of Avonite Surfaces® and STUDIO Collection® products by Aristech Surfaces LLC, a global leader in surface and design materials.  The expanded relationship with Aristech Surfaces® allows online shoppers the ability to view, choose and purchase any of the stunning colors and size options in the Avonite Surfaces® and STUDIO Collection® product families. SolidSurface.com® provides significantly increased exposure and availability to its online audience—an expansion that is a clear win for Avonite Surfaces® and STUDIO Collection® customers.

Avonite Surfaces® Solid Surface

The Avonite Surfaces® family of products sets the new standard, by providing the largest assortment of standard sheet sizes in the industry. Flexible width, length and thickness options are all now available on SolidSurface.com® as a standard offering.  Customers can order online in variable sizes for their Continue reading

Corian® Solid Surface for DIYers

Oh the Things We Can Do!

For all you DIYers out there whose springtime juices are flowing, here are some things you probably didn’t know you could do with acrylic solid surface material such as Corian®, Avonite®, LG Hi-Macs® and many other brands. Simple woodworking tools are all you need to get started.

What is Corian® (a/k/a Solid Surface)?

Solid surface is a manufactured material most commonly used for seamless countertop installations. It is frequently referred to as Corian®, a product developed by DuPont™ in 1964.

Corian solid surface bathroom vanity tops look like marble.

It can be readily cut, routed and sanded like wood and formed into countertops, shower walls, external cladding for buildings, signage, and furniture where non-porosity and infrequent maintenance are highly valued.  These are just a few of the man applications.

Solid surface is made of acrylic resin, polyester resin or a combination of the two that is then combined with filler, color pigments, and acrylic chips. This composition is most frequently extruded or poured as ½” thick sheets that are 30” x 144” and are the same color throughout their thickness.

In addition to being workable like hardwood, it can be heated and thermoformed into curved and molded shapes. It can also be printed on, using dye-sublimation techniques that deposit the ink just below the surface so the image becomes permanent.

What can be done with it?

Thermoform It

Thermoforming (the process of heating and shaping synthetic material) is an increasingly popular way to utilize solid surface to create 3D curves and rounded shapes. This is a realm Continue reading

Fabricator Spotlight: ASST – Fabricating Unique Destinations with Thermoformed Corian® Solid Surface

Featured Project: Terminal F, Philadelphia International Airport

By Andrew Dreves, ASID

Philadelphia International Airport, Terminal F

Philadelphia International Airport, Terminal F

With airport security and travel being about as much fun as a root canal, airport terminals today are striving to become unique destinations people want to visit.  With a reputation for creating visionary environments, Daroff Design, based in Philadelphia had an adventurous solid surface thermoforming project at Philadelphia Airport’s Terminal F and they knew who could help.

ASST had worked with Daroff Design previously on the Baltimore Convention Center and the design firm is well known internationally for high-end public and signature hospitality environments.

ASST (pronounced ASSIST), since its founding in 1998, has become an industry leader in commercial architectural fabrications establishing a reputation for taking on project challenges other solid surface fabricators might avoid.

Schultz Form

With a passion for excellence and an impressive portfolio of successfully completed projects both nationally and internationally, ASST’s in-depth portfolio ranges from curved Corian® benches for the White House Visitor’s Center in Washington DC to an enormous curved solid surface Krion® staircase for a corporate building atrium in Boston. Continue reading

Corian® Represents Solid Surface at Super Bowl 2016

Corian® Solid Surface

Featuring 11 unique gallery and exhibit spaces, the 49ers Museum presented by Sony is a 20,000 sq. ft. facility dedicated to the 49ers past, present and future.

The curved, seamless walls of the new Levi’s® Stadium Museum in Santa Clara, CA, create a clean, uniform look that highlights why DuPont™ Corian® is the obvious choice for designers who want to make a bold statement with a durable solid surface.

The museum’s tall, translucent Corian® panels help capture the feeling and energy of the 49ers’ images projected on them. But they also are durable, which is necessary for an area with high volumes of visitor traffic.

“It is not surprising that Corian® would be featured so prominently in the Levi’s® Stadium Museum,” said John Richard, Global Business Director for DuPont Surfaces. “This type of impressive, large-scale design lends itself to Corian® both because of the surface’s aesthetic beauty and the ability to form it into virtually any shape or design.” Continue reading