The development of Chinese artificial marble began in the late 1970s. At that time, samples, technical materials and complete sets of equipment were introduced from abroad. It entered a period of rapid development in the 1980s. Nowadays, it has become a decorative material widely used in the fields of construction and industry.

Artificial marble has many advantages. Firstly, it has high strength, low water absorption and good stability. It is corrosion-resistant and has strong anti-pollution ability, and can adapt to a variety of complex environments. Secondly, it is relatively easy to manufacture. The production process and equipment are not complicated, and the raw materials are easily available. Moreover, its color and pattern can be designed according to needs, and it can also be made into products with complex shapes. Furthermore, its bulk density is smaller than that of natural stone. Generally, it is 80% of that of natural marble and granite, and its thickness is only 40% of that of natural stone, which can greatly reduce the weight of buildings and facilitate transportation and construction.

Types and Characteristics of Chinese Artificial Marble

Artificial marble can be divided into the following types according to the raw materials used:

Cement-based artificial marble: Using cement as a binder, it has the advantage of low cost, but its surface gloss and other properties are relatively weak.

Resin-based artificial marble: Resin is used as a binder, and it has the best physical and chemical properties. Its patterns are easy to design and reproducible, and it is suitable for a variety of purposes, but its price is relatively high.

Composite artificial marble: It combines the advantages of resin-based and inorganic binder types. It not only has a good decorative effect but also has a low cost and small deformation, and has excellent bonding performance with walls.

Sintered artificial marble: Adopting the ceramic production process, it has stable performance and good durability. However, due to the high energy consumption of high-temperature sintering, high cost and high product breakage rate, it is rarely used in practice.

Market Application of Chinese Artificial Marble

In the construction field, artificial marble is widely used for the exterior wall decoration of hotels, theaters, office buildings, high-end residential buildings and large stores. There are many varieties of colors, patterns and specifications, which can meet different decoration styles and needs. Meanwhile, it is also widely used in various decorative appliances, such as floors, sanitary ware, statues, door and window frames, etc. In the industrial aspect, internationally, more attention is paid to utilizing its excellent physical and mechanical properties, chemical stability as well as the characteristics of fast curing and easy pouring to develop its applications in the industrial field. For example, it is used as part of polymer concrete to repair bridge pavements, etc.

How to Identify High-quality Chinese Artificial Marble

When identifying it, you can start from the following aspects: First, look at the patterns. Natural marble has a bright color and large areas of natural patterns. The color of artificial marble is turbid, and its patterns are mostly made by engraving molds, with fewer patterns and repeatability. Second, use reagents. When dripping dilute hydrochloric acid, natural marble will bubble vigorously, while artificial marble will bubble weakly or not at all.

Development Trends of Chinese Artificial Marble

In the future, Chinese artificial marble will continue to develop in terms of performance improvement and environmental protection. On the one hand, cheaper and high-quality binders will be further developed, and industrial waste will be fully utilized to reduce costs while protecting the environment. On the other hand, in view of the shortcomings of artificial marble such as low hardness, poor wear resistance and low flame retardancy, methods such as selecting high-strength fillers, optimizing the preparation process and adding flame retardants will be adopted to improve it so as to meet the market demand for high-quality decorative materials.