RICHLITE FABRICATION GUIDE CIRQUE DISTRIBUTION Enhancing innovative design through sales, distribution and support of premium architectural, maker and specialty building materials. TABLE OF CONTENTS FABRICATION GUIDE and OVERVIEW.......... 4 TROUBLESHOOTING.............................26 DELIVERY, HANDLING and STORAGE.......... 5 CANTILEVER GUIDELINES...................... 27 PLANNING.......................................... 7 PROPERTIES.......................................28 CUTTING ............................................ 9 MSDS................................................29 ROUTING............................................ 11 WARRANTY........................................30 DRILLING .......................................... 13 IMPORTANT LINKS...............................33 CNC MACHINING.................................. 14 SEAMING........................................... 16 ASSEMBLIES....................................... 18 SURFACE FINISHING............................. 19 APPLIED FINAL FINISHES.......................22 CARE and MAINTENANCE.......................24 RICHLITE FABRICATION GUIDE The.following.document.describes.how.Richlite.paper.composite.is.received,. handled,.and.fabricated..These.guidelines.should.ensure.that.your.experience. with.Richlite.is.informed.and.positive..Richlite.is.not.like.any.other.material.avail- able.and.by.following.the.instructions.below,.it.is.not.difficult.to.fabricate.and. the.results.are.tremendously.rewarding. Please.note,.these.are.general.guidelines.and.it.is.recommended.that.any.fab- rication.techniques.be.tested.by.the.individual.fabricator.as.each.situation.may. have.differeing.parameters.that.will.affect.performance...These.guidelines.do.not. imply.any.warranty.of.work.provided.by.independent.companies.and.are.super- seded.by.the.Richlite®.material.warranty.. FABRICATION GUIDE 3 FABRICATION OVERVIEW Richlite® is a versatile material that can be used in numerous applications and multiple fabrication settings. Provided.only.as.a.sheet-good.with.factory.surfaces.and.factory.rough. edge.cuts,.Richlite.is.a.laminate.made.from.paper.saturated.with.a.phe- nolic.resin.and.is.used.in.a.number.of.applications.including:.wainscot- ing,.flooring,.shelving,.window.sills,.industrial.parts,.countertops.and. exterior.rainscreens...Its.structure.behaves.and.wears.like.ultra.hard. wood.and.is.considered.structurally.superior.to.stone.and.solid.surface. Woodworking.tools.and.solid.surface.tools.with.sharp.carbide.bits.are. preferred.but.wet.tools.will.work...Richlite.doesn’t.melt/burn.away.like. plastic.or.burn.away.like.wood..It.is.not.a.heat.sink.like.metal.and.heat. can.build.up.quickly.and.ruin.tooling.like.metal.blades.and.bits..Be.care- ful.with.feeds.and.speeds.from.hand.drilling.(push.hard.and.spin.slow). to.CNC.. Countertops.work.best.at.full.thickness.at.1/2”,.3/4”,.1”,.1.25”..You.can. stack.or.mitre.an.edge.but.generally.it.is.more.cost.effective.and.easier. to.fabricate.with.a.full.thickness.countertop..The.material.is.through. body.color.and.seams.are.visible.but.should.not.be.felt..It.is.extremely. important.to.get.the.deck.seams.as.level.as.possible.and.use.plastic. biscuits.or.splines.made.from.Richlite...You.can.double.stack.an.edge. Typical.solid.surface.adhesive.will.NOT.work.on.Richlite.. Richlite.can.be.sanded.down.but.it.will.alter.the.initial.quality.and. look.of.the.brand.new.product..Sand.the.edges.as.much.as.you.please. but.sanding.the.deck.or.surface.should.be.kept.to.a.minimum.and.NO. SANDING.should.be.done.on.any.surface.exposed.to.the.elements. “Less.is.more”.when.it.comes.to.sanding.. The.most.durable.finish.we.have.is.a.completely.unsanded.mill.finish. material.with.Richlite.Color.Enhancer.applied..The.worst.mistake.you. can.make.while.fabricating.the.material.is.oversanding..The.second. worst.is.not.wiping.off.the.color.enhancer.in.a.timely.fashion.. FABRICATION GUIDE 4 ORDERING, DELIVERY, HANDLING and STORAGE DELIVERY Richlite.is.drop-shipped.from.the.Richlite.factory.(Tacoma,.WA).. •.Richlite.material.is.shipped.on.heat.treated.pallets,.covered.in.ply- wood.and/or.Cor-X. •.A.forklift.will.most.likely.be.required.at.the.receiving.location..Full. pallets.are.approximately.3,000.Lbs...Single.sheets.are.heavy;.400. pounds.for.a.1”x.5'x12'...Pallets.are.banded.with.metal.strapping.and.re- quire.tin.snips.to.open. •.Consider.accessibility.to.site.or.shop,.including.hours.of.operation.as. there.will.be.additional.charges.for.Limited.Access.Deliveries,.Lift.Gate,. Residential.Delivery,.Notification/Appointment.Required...If.not.notified. prior.to.shipping,.additional.charges.will.be.incurred.from.the.freight. company. HANDLING •.Although.they.are.impact.resistant,.when.sheets.rub.across.one.an- other.they.can.get.“rubs”.or.dry/slick.looking.areas..A.wipe.down.with. a.clean.soft.cloth.and.water.will.take.care.of.most.rubs.or.dry.looking. areas..Grit.between.the.panels.is.to.be.avoided.at.all.costs.and.don’t.al- low.the.corners.to.drag.across.the.surface.of.the.panels.below. •.Be.careful.of.the.factory.edges.as.they.are.quite.sharp. INSPECTION Every.effort.has.been.made.to.provide.high.quality.material,.free.of.de- fects..However,.you,.the.fabricator,.must: •.Inspect.material.immediately.upon.receipt. •.Conduct.a.final.(pre-cutting).inspection.prior.to.fabrication. •.List.of.what.to.look.for: . Color:.Color,.shade.and.grain.of.the.panel.may.vary.from.samples.. Patina.and.oxidation.will.affect.product.color.(lighter.colors.in.particu- lar)..See.product.details.document.for.more.details. Striations:.Striations.are.normal.in.the.product..Striations.appear. as.mottling.running.in.a.grain.pattern.following.the.length.of.the.panel.. FABRICATION GUIDE 5 INSPECTION (continued) . Striations.(continued):.Occasionally,.slightly.darker.straight.lines. will.appear.running.the.length.of.the.panel..These.are.normal.lines.initi- ated.from.the.paper.making.process.(unfortunately,.there.is.very.little. Richlite.can.do.with.these.lines). Wrinkles:.These.will.generally.appear.as.a.very.dark.jagged.line. running.diagonally.across.the.panel..This.is.not.normal.and.should.be. returned.as.warranty. Surface.Conditions:.Most.marring.or.light.scratches.can.easily.be. cleaned.up.with.a.wet.rag..Please.contact.your.distributor.if.you.see. bigger.bumps.or.divots.. Thickness:.Tolerance.is.+/-.4%.. REPLACEMENT If.the.material.is.defective.or.flawed.you.can.either.avoid.flaws.via.part. placement.on.sheet.or.order.replacement.material.and.initiate.a.request. for.credit..Do.not.notify.the.factory..Notify.your.Richlite.distributor.via. e-mail.and.include: •.Photos.of.the.material.in.question. •.A.copy.of.the.invoice.for.the.effected.material.(PO#,.SO#,.Invoice#,. Etc.).should.be.listed.on.the.invoice. •.A.written.description.of.the.defect. •.Any.other.pertinent.information. Your.distributor.will.respond.with.either.a.return.authorization.and/or. approval.or.denial.of.a.credit..Credit.memos.will.typically.include.the. original.cost,.plus.freight.for.the.replacement.material.and.freight.for. the.returned.material.(if.applicable)..The.credit.memo.will.be.issued. upon.confirmation.the.warranty.material.was.returned. IMPORTANT.NOTE:.Richlite.does.not.supply.credits.for.fabrication. or.material.handling.costs..Pre-fabrication.inspection.is.critical.to.insure. that.defective.material.is.not.fabricated. STORAGE •.Do.not.store.Richlite.uncovered..Place.a.piece.of.7mm.plastic.or.the. Cor-x®.that.came.with.the.shipment.on.top.of.the.Richlite. •.Store.between.40-80.degrees.Fahrenheit. •.Do.not.over.stack...Richlite.weighs.6.5.lbs.per.square.foot.at.1”.thick. •.Store.flat,.do.not.store.on.edge. FABRICATION GUIDE 6 PLANNING SELECTING THE "A" SIDE There.is.no.“A”.or.“B”.side.to.Richlite..Evaluate.both.sides.of.the.sheet. to.determine.which.side.is.more.desirable.to.use..Small.voids.and. bumps.may.occasionally.occur.on.the.surface.of.the.panels..Those.that. cannot.be.avoided.will.require.extra.care.when.sanding. COLORS Different.colors.have.different.attributes.during.fabrication..Black.is. the.most.forgiving.in.all.aspects...The.dark.colors.will.stack/seam.with. a.less.noticeable.line..The.pattern,.striations.and.mottling.are.more. noticeable.in.the.lighter.colors.and.the.seam.will.be.more.noticeable. Also,.keep.in.mind.that.the.surface.color.is.not.the.same.as.the.edge. GRAIN DIRECTION Richlite.has.a.mottled.appearance,.which.patterns.in.a.striated.effect. lengthwise..This.feature.is.most.apparent.in.the.lighter.tones,.but.can. be.seen.in.darker.colors.including.black..Consider.the.effect.of.grain. direction.when.planning.cuts. SEAM PLACEMENT Seams.will.show.and.will.look.similar.to.those.of.wood.or.veneers.and. should.be.incorporated.into.design.layout..For.both.structural.and. aesthetic.reasons,.seams.should.be.placed.at.natural.positions.such.as. corners.or.midpoints..Structurally,.the.seams.may.be.placed.exactly.at.a. 90.degree.(perpendicular).corner...Consider.the.impact.of.the.striations. when.determining.seam.placement. EDGE DESIGN Any.edge.treatment.or.design.can.be.applied.to.Richlite..All.common. profiles.available.to.fabricators.in.both.wood.and.stone.tooling.can.be. applied.to.Richlite.countertop.edges. THICKNESS The.minimum.recommended.thickness.for.horizontal.use.is.3/4”..1/2”. can.be.used.only.with.proper.engineering.and.fastening.to.insure.ma- terial.stability..Material.thickness.less.than.3/4”.is.typically.suitable.for. vertical.use.only,.such.as.in.back.splashes.or.wainscoting..A.double.. FABRICATION GUIDE 7 PLANNING (continued) THICKNESS (continued) stacked.edge.requires.a.special.technique.different.than.solid.surface..A.