Marble-Slab Manufacturer Uses Araldite Adhesives

Araldite engineering adhesives from Huntsman Advanced Materials are being used by Stonedil, an Italian manufacturer of thin marble slabs for the European building and construction industry. Stonedil has been producing materials for use in the facades of grand buildings across Europe. Combining traditional materials, such as stone and marble, with highly advanced manufacturing methods, Stonedil claims that it has devised a building solution using Araldite adhesives that gives architects and builders the design edge when it comes to choosing and using marble and stone materials.

The Italian construction company has been using a 'slicing' technique that enables marble to be cut for use in a much wider range of interior renovation projects, including the refurbishment of lifts as well as floor and ceiling structures. Using a metal thread, Stonedil cuts marble into very thin, lightweight slabs, which are just 3cm thick. The company bonds each marble slab to a supporting honeycombed structure using Araldite AW 146 + HV 957.

The honeycombed structure comprises metal and polyurethane panels, which are held together with rivets and screws. Araldite is applied to the metal substrate, then a fabric layer is laid onto the epoxy resin and the marble panel is bonded on top. The resulting panel is said to show exceptional mechanical properties and is capable of withstanding a variety of weather conditions. It has passed standard peel and sheer tests and performs well when faced with degradation caused by wind and extreme temperature ranges up to 140C. Marco Loatelli, director at Stonedil, said: 'Every day, Stonedil produces almost 120m2 of marble and stone.

'Once the automated assembling system is implemented and fully operational, we expect our daily output to be around 300m2. 'Using rivets and screws on the outside of our thin marble panels really wasn't an option. 'These traditional fixing methods would have damaged the integrity of the slabs and undermined the overall look and strength of the material. 'Working with Huntsman and using Araldite as an alternative solution means we can give Stonedil customers an additional level of quality when it comes to one of our core product offerings,' he added.