Elsek & Elsek Group

MARBLITE PRODUCTION

At the production of Mermerit, resinous modified with acrylic is used as raw material and natural mineral and pigments are used as filling material. It was first used for the production of washbasins and bathtubs, but now it is used for the production of various products such as kitchen, bathroom collusions, kitchen sinks, droppers, pediments.

Our product is quite durable to chemical materials (acid, alkali, oil), heat and fire because of its content. The surface of the product is smooth, water-resistant, fireproof and hygienic. It can be elsek_marbeliteproduced in the desired colour, shape and dimensions, besides it has the advantage of monolithic kitchen sink, back baseboard and front sticks.

It is an ideal material for residents, offices and hotels because it is not damaged from acids like lemon and vinegar, easy to clean, durable to heat, not damaged and faded when a hot stuff is put on, does not allow stain an bacteria since its surface and joints are perfectly smooth. It is cleaned easily with simple cleaning materials (liquid is better). A possible detrital on the surface can be removed by sanding. The surface will immediately be smooth again.

Granite type products keep their first features for many years and there is not any change at the colour and the surface. The Mermerits which are produced in two types as granite and marble, have various kinds of colour selections. Marbelite transforms ordinary plain concrete into a beautiful practical surface of natural stone, slate, brick, tile or paver look.

Marbelite surface materials offer higher strength properties than conventional concrete and are more flexible and durable.

THE PROCESS

MARBELITE PRODUCTION:

Since 1972, Marbelite has been casting bathroom fixtures in the USA. We brought that technology to East Africa. Each piece is hand crafted and made to your specifications. Elsek’s commitment to excellence has earned us a reputation that our customers have come to know and trust.
Due to secret chemical composition of the product we are not able to give more detail about the material.

A. Clamping

The clamp frame needs to be sufficiently powerful enough to ensure the plastic sheet is firmly held during the forming process. It can handle the thickest material likely to be formed on the machine – up to 6mm with a single heater and up to 10mm with the twin heater machines. If an automated process is used the operation of the moving parts must be guarded and interlocked to avoid accidental damage. In addition, a safety guard must be provided to protect the machine operator at all times.

B. Heating

Heaters are generally infra-red elements mounted within an aluminum reflector plate. In order to obtain the best vacuum forming results, using any material, it is essential that the sheet is heated uniformly over its entire surface area and throughout its thickness. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to have a series of zones that are controlled by energy regulators. Ceramics do have some disadvantage in that their high thermal mass makes them slow to warm up (approx. 15 minutes) and slow in their response time when adjustments are made.

Pyrometers enable accurate heat temperature control by sensing the melting temperature of the sheet and interacting with the operating process control. Precise temperature readout is also available with a computer controlled system working in unison with the pyrometers. Twin heaters are also recommended when forming thicker materials as they assist in providing more uniform heat penetration and faster cycle times.

By close control of areas of heat intensity, heat losses around the edges caused by convection air currents and absorption from clamp areas can be fully compensated for and consistent results achieved on a continuous basis. Cost savings can also be considerable if quartz heaters are specified, as there is an adjustable percentage power drop when the heaters are in the rear position during the forming process.

C. Vacuum:

Once the material is suitably pre-stretched a vacuum can be applied to assist in forming the sheet. A dry vane vacuum pump is used to draw the air trapped between the sheet and the mould. The vacuum pump should be capable of maintaining a differential pressure of approximately 27” mercury. With larger machines a vacuum reservoir is used in conjunction with a high volume capacity vacuum pump. This enables a two stages vacuum to be applied ensuring rapid moulding of the heated sheet (before the sheet temperature drops below its ideal forming temperature).

D. Cooling and release

Once formed, the plastic must be allowed to cool before being released. If released too soon then deformation of the moulding will result in a reject part. To speed up the cooling cycle high speed, fans are fitted and activated once the part is formed. A spray mist option is also available whereby nozzles are attached to the fans and a fine mist of chilled water is directed onto the sheet. This, in conjunction with the fans can speed up the cooling cycle by up to 30%. Mould temperature control units are also available which regulate the temperature within the mould ensuring accurate and consistent cooling times when cooling crystalline and crystallizing polymers such as PP, HDPE and PET.

E. Trimming and finishing

Once the formed part has cooled and been removed from the machine the excess material is removed. Holes, slots and cut-outs are then drilled into the part. Other post-forming processes include decoration, printing, strengthening, reinforcing and assembly.

A variety of different trimming methods are used to trim the product from the sheet. The type of equipment best suited depends largely on the type of cut, size of the part, draw ratio, thickness of material and the production quantity required. Thin gauge parts are normally trimmed on a mechanical trim press – otherwise known as a roller-press.

MARBELITE PRODUCTION:
Since 1972, Marbelite has been casting bathroom fixtures in the USA. We brought that technology to East Africa. Each piece is hand crafted and made to your specifications. Elsek’s commitment to excellence has earned us a reputation that our customers have come to know and trust.
Due to secret chemical composition of the product we are not able to give more detail about the material.

elsek_Acrylic_strip_bg