Considering the fact that the market for manufactured natural quartz stone slab is growing rapidly, the profitability of these crystals is also increasing as it follows the same process. Natural stones such as marble and granite have long been used in residential and commercial buildings to enhance their appearance. However, there are a number of disadvantages in using these stones that make factory-made quartz a better alternative to these stones. Some of the major disadvantages include
- Natural stone is susceptible to stains
- They have the natural property of cracking
- they are not too smooth
- they don't have enough flexibility
- They are not seamless, so it is difficult to have length accuracy
Natural stone has been used for a long time due to its durability, strength and other powerful properties, but quartz stone offers a better alternative to these stones because it is stronger and does not have the undesirable qualities of natural stone. 
The sales and consumption of quartz countertops in India and the world has increased significantly over the last decade. This is because the increased efficiency of the quartz stone manufacturing process has led to a decrease in the price of quartz stone. Quartz is a mineral that forms crystals under extreme pressure. As a compound, it consists of one part silicon and two parts oxygen. It is considered to be the most abundant mineral on the surface of the earth. It is one of the most useful minerals due to its unique properties. At the same time, this mineral comes in different colors, transparency and varieties. Amethyst, rose quartz, onyx and tiger's eye are some popular varieties of quartz. It is abundant in sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. It is known to be highly resistant to chemical and mechanical weathering. In terms of use, quartz's color, transparency and luster make it ideal for making gemstones and glass. Due to its heat resistance and electrical properties, this mineral can be used in electronics. 
Quartz manufacturing plant
Manufacturing Quartz business is like a plant that is growing rapidly. Quartz slabs are composed of silica. There are two types of quartz slabs, one consists of polished natural slabs and the other is engineered quartz composite. Quartz is known as one of the hardest natural materials on earth and is similar to granite. Pure natural quartz slabs are very expensive. Engineered materials are 93% to 97% quartz powder mixed with resin, binders, and pigments. This mixture is poured into molds and allowed to harden, then made into the desired shape and style. Quartz stone is mainly used for kitchen and bathroom counters, individual households, commercial enterprises, or other industries. The manufacturing process starts by checking the quality and homogeneity of the raw material, feeding it and mixing it in a mixer, and then mixing it into a substance similar to wet sand. The reason for the widespread growth of the quartz industry lies in some of its best properties, such as its versatility in color. Quartz can naturally form beautiful agates, and since quartz can be ground into a mixture, it is easy to achieve a substantially uniform color. Quartz slabs can be easily mixed with dyes and given any color of your choice to get the best brightness for your counters. The manufacture of quartz stone takes place in many different steps, from the selection of raw materials to mixing, plate pressing, heating, cooling, finishing and final quality control. The most common uses for engineered marble are interior floors and walls, while quartz-based products are primarily used for kitchen counters. Manufacturers see great potential in quartz and have been using it for over 50 years. Quartz counterparts have been in fashion for a long time because they can compete with other natural stone countertops. Engineered quartz is simply a man-made product made from natural materials. The strength of quartz, even in its manufactured form, allows it to naturally resist wear, scratches, dents, and even acid without the need for a sealant. 
Quartz countertops manufacturing process
The quartz stone countertops are made from one of the hardest minerals on the planet in the manufacturing process, quartz countertops are arguably the most durable option for the kitchen. They are also some of the most distinctive. They come in a variety of colors including fire engine red and apple green, as well as earth brown, black, and cream, with shimmer and texture for a granite or marble look. However, unlike natural stone slabs that are quarried, these slabs are constructed in factories. Their main ingredient is ground quartz (about 94%), bound with polyester resins to bind it and with pigments to give it its color. For some designs, small amounts of recycled glass or metal scraps are added to the mix. Resins also help make these counters stain-resistant, scratch-resistant and non-porous, so they never need sealing. In contrast, granite is the king of high-end countertops and typically requires a new protective finish at least once a year. In the past, the biggest knock against quartz was its lack of pattern and color variations of natural stone. But now it's a contentious issue, with all manufacturers offering multi-colored panels with enough spots, swirls, and random patterns to make them nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. They used to be polished only. Now you can get one that is polished, sandblasted, or embossed. So if you're after the look of matte limestone, textured slate, or shiny granite, there's a quartz countertop for you. Natural quartz crystals are mined and then ground into dust or aggregates, which are fused together with a resin binder under high temperature and pressure to form a solid slab. Pigments added during this process give color to the tabletop. 
Manufactured quartz crystals
The manufactured synthetic quartz is a single crystal grown using hydrothermal synthesis. Synthetic quartz crystals are produced in a vertical autoclave (high temperature and high pressure furnace) by hydrothermal synthesis. The autoclave is divided into two compartments by baffles: an upper compartment and a lower compartment. The seeds are placed in the upper compartment (growth zone) and the material (lascas) is placed in the lower compartment (dissolution zone). The diluted alkaline solution is then poured into the remaining 60% to 80% headspace and the autoclave is covered and heated with a heater. When the temperature in the upper and lower chambers of the autoclave reaches 300-320°C and 380-400°C respectively, the lye expands and compresses, the internal pressure reaches 130-145 MPa. At these high temperatures and pressures, the material in the lower chamber of the autoclave dissolves in an alkaline solution and becomes a SiO2-saturated solution. This saturated solution rises due to convection caused by the temperature difference between the upper and lower chambers of the autoclave. When the solution reaches the upper compartment of the autoclave, due to the lower temperature in the compartment, the solution becomes supersaturated and, depending on the degree of temperature difference, SiO2 crystallizes on the seeds. The solution then returns to the lower compartment of the autoclave and dissolves the material, becoming a saturated solution of SiO2 and rising due to convection, repeating the cycle. The repetition of this process results in the continuous growth of synthetic quartz crystals. 
Processing of quartz
Quartz comes in a wide variety and has specific physical, chemical, and electrical properties, which needs different types of processing that make it highly available in a wide range of industries and sectors. Quartz sand is a useful raw material for the construction industry. Silica sand is widely used for the production of molds in glass and ceramics, as well as for metal casting. Quartz sand is considered an excellent abrasive for blasting and grinding and sawing grain. Also used as refractory lining of induction furnaces, commonly known as silica lining material. Quartz has many commercial uses, so quartz must go through a careful and extensive process to ensure maximum product yield. Quartz processing typically includes crushing, grinding, washing, and screening. These steps remove physically relevant and water-soluble impurities and provide a relatively uniform and small particle size material for its future use. Quartz treatment: Crushing and Grinding - Usually, large pieces of ore are broken down into smaller particles, requiring two or three stages of crushing. Scrubbing - Scrubbing refers to the removal of thin-film iron, cohesive and cloudy impurity minerals on the surface of quartz sand through mechanical force and friction between sand grains and further crushing of unaggregated mineral aggregates. Wet screening - High capacity wet screening provides a wide range of sizing and sorting tasks. Wet screening units are designed to screen out fine particles and efficiently classify oversized particles. Sand Dehydration - Minerals must be purified to meet user specifications. Dewatering screen technology delivers market-ready minerals directly from the conveyor belt. 
Stone manufacturing process
Each natural stone needs to go through a different manufacturing process according to its unique properties in order to make it useable. The very name "quartz" is of Slavic origin and means "hard". Mohs hardness is a measure of the hardness of a geological material, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the hardest, with quartz ranking around 7 in terms of toughness. This means that it can scratch glass and steel. It has high crush resistance and high melting temperature and is resistant to chemicals, heat, and weather. This makes quartz ideal for applications such as hydraulic fracturing, molds, and sandblasting. Quartz is formed when silicon and oxygen combine in the earth. It is found in massive form in late lava-magmatic deposits such as pegmatites and is often found with other materials such as spodumene (a lithium ore), feldspar, garnet, and mica. Since quartz is one of the main constituents of continental rocks, it is found in abundance as silica sand after millions of years of orogenic cycles and erosion. It is usually extracted from the ground by surface mining methods using backhoes and bulldozers. After being removed from the ground, quartz is typically subjected to a series of size reductions through crushers such as jaw crushers, cone crushers, impact crushers, and hammer crushers. Bar and ball mills are often used to further reduce the size to separate the quartz from other minerals. The quartz is then concentrated, typically by foam flotation or gravity-based processing, such as Hydrosizers™ or spiraling. Silica sand is usually cleaned using equipment such as abrasive pools to remove surface impurities such as iron stains. Quartz (and silica sand) are key ingredients in many products. Mostly, quartz is sold by particle size. These uses may include sand for concrete, golf courses, baseball fields, volleyball courts, oil and gas production (fracking sand), foundry sand, sandpaper, glass, fiberglass, and water treatment systems. Quartz can be ground using jet mills and attritors to make the finer size (also known as silica powder) required for putty, paint, and rubber fillers. 
Quartz slab design
As we said before, pigments are used in the structure of artificial quartz stone slab, which can make each design and texture unique. To this end, quartz engineered stones come in a variety of colors and designs. The range of colors is so large that you will have no problem choosing a harmonious color that matches your interior design. The most popular color for quartz is white or its darker shades such as cream, bone, or shell. Some quartz stone models for cabinets come in two or more colors, which will create a very beautiful and artistic design on the stone surface. These combinations may include two complementary or contrasting colors or a dark and light spectrum of the same color. Based on the things mentioned above, you can surely guess what endless variations of quartz countertop designs and colors are available. 
Quartz stone size varies from factory to factory. The usual and standard dimensions of the quartz slab are 300 x 140 cm. Quartz slabs are available in thicknesses of 12 or 20 mm. Quartz stones in these sizes are suitable for kitchen cabinets. Another piece of quartz is 320 x 155 for the top of the island. Quartz slabs with these dimensions make the island fully integrated and seamless.
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