Building the Finest Architectural Stone Cladding Panels in the World
The Aluminum Substrate
Rigid, light weight and with 60 times the impact strength of solid granite, our advanced performance aluminum honeycomb panel is the heart of the StonePly panel. We could have used a resin base to the honeycomb, but chose aluminum instead. This creates another layer of protection and a non combustible backing.
The Stone
To the aluminum honeycomb panel we attach the natural stone of your choice. The panel provides the strength and rigidity, the stone provides the beautiful and weather resistant surface. The bonding is done with aviation epoxies. The same high strength epoxies used on aircraft traveling at incredible speeds.
Welding Stone to Aluminum
We wanted to build the finest quality panel, so the epoxy adhesive that bonds the stone to the panel has a tested capacity of over 45,000 lbs per square foot. We achieve the incredible strength and durability by use of pressure to infuse the epoxy into the pores of the stone itself and onto the aluminum. Epoxies are used on aircraft traveling at mach speeds and thus wind speeds above the speed of sound. In fact, even though a 300 mph tornado (the highest F5) exerts a wind pressure of 404 psf that is less than 1% of the StonePly epoxy bond strength capacity.
| Wind Speed (mph) | Pressure (psf) |
|---|---|
| 70 | 22 |
| 100 | 50 |
| 150 (Category 5 hurricane) | 100 |
| 300 (F5 tornado) | 404 |
| Bond Capacity of StonePly Epoxy: | 45,000 |
The stone clad, super-strong, super-stiff StonePly panels are large missile impact resistant, easy to handle and simple to install.
Quality Inspection
From selection of the natural stone to finished panel, quality is checked each step of the way. Once shop drawings and samples are approved, the production process begins. The natural stones are carefully selected and hand checked for quality and appearance. We carefully select the 35,000lb stone quarry blocks. The massive blocks are then sawn into slabs revealing the interior beauty of the stone. These slabs are sorted, examined and selected before the next step of bonding the slab to the aluminum under heat and pressure. The slab is then sawn yet again and polished, honed or finished per the client’s request. Finally, each finished StonePly panel is examined by our inspectors before crating for shipment.
Testing and Quality Control
Inside our testing facility it rains every day, there is an earthquake every half hour and hurricane force winds occur on a regular basis. These are just part of the rigorous testing procedures that StonePly panels are subjected to. The goal is to ensure that every panel is perfectly able to meet the less rigorous conditions outside the testing facility.
Over Engineered
Some would say StonePly panels are "over engineered", that this type of strength, durability, weather resistance and attention to detail is not needed for architectural cladding. We believe that when your goal is to create the finest cladding in the world, it is better to always pursue perfection, than to risk not being good enough.
