Lapitec Obtains CE Mark as Only Sintered Stone on the Market
This achievement finally brings to light a previously nonexistent product category for sintered stone, an Italian invention.
Since 2012, when the first Lapitec slab was produced after 20 years of research and development, sintered stone — an Italian invention — has come a long way and its quality is now recognized in over 70 countries by project, design and construction professionals. Sintered stone offers unique characteristics in terms of strength and aesthetics, with a 100% mineral ecological core that does not use petroleum derivatives and features a special formula free of crystalline silica. The technology behind Lapitec, which is protected by 25 international patents, involves refining minerals at 1,500°C and compacting them under vacuum, followed by sintering at 1,200°C, to produce large, full-body slabs.
Prior to the advent of sintered stone (which has distinct properties from ceramic, natural and composite stones), no other material on the market possessed similar characteristics. Consequently, it was subject to different building regulations across various EU nations. This has now changed, as the European Commission and European Organization for Technical Assessment have adopted a new European Assessment Document (EAD) that defines a new product category known as Sintered Stone.
Following tests*** and the completion of an appropriate Declaration of Performance, Lapitec is the only material that currently meets all the requirements of the newly adopted EAD. As a result, it has been granted the CE mark for the building category. Thus, Lapitec is essentially the first and only sintered stone available on the market today.
“Today we celebrate a great milestone,” declares Lapitec Sales Executive Francesco Giannini. “While the CE mark certifies the truth of Lapitec’s performance claims that we have always shared, it also defines once and for all when a surface can be called sintered stone. All too often, other materials are wrongly promoted as sintered stone, and this new step will shed light on a long-standing problem that undermines the market niche that we have been presiding over for more than a decade.”
*** The material was tested at a TAB Technical Assessment Body in accordance with EAD 090142-00-0404, resulting in the acquisition of ETA European Technical Assessment 23/0194.
About Lapitec
Lapitec is a material for architecture, interior and product design, made entirely of a blend of natural minerals without petroleum derivatives, and produced through a production process covered by 25 patents. It is entirely free of crystalline silica thanks to the use of Biorite® – a mineral component patented by the company – which makes it even safer and more sustainable. It is available in large slabs with three possible thicknesses (12, 20 and 30 mm), in 18 different shades and 6 surface finishes, with wonderful full-thickness veining. Lapitec is a ‘full-body’ sintered stone, identical on the inside and the outside with no enamel or digital printing on the surface, a characteristic that allows it to be processed throughout its thickness, with consistency in appearance and performance. Non-porous on the surface, it is also resistant to temperature changes, frost and high temperatures, UV rays, scratches, chemicals and can be used in direct contact with water. Its high performance, sustainability and availability in XXL sizes make it extremely versatile for use in ventilated facades and roofing, indoor and outdoor horizontal and vertical surfaces, swimming pool cladding and yacht upholstery, and kitchen and table tops.
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