When the mechanical properties of the two traditional sanitary ceramic masses – namely vitreous china and fine fireclay – are compared, the performance of SaphirKeramik is unique even in international comparison. The comparative values measured by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Berlin (BAM) for SaphirKeramik are, at anaverage of over 120 MPa; comparable with carbon steel and twice as high as for vitreous china. LAUFEN was awarded the Swiss Design Prize 2017/18 for the development of SaphirKeramik.
„Aspects such as ecology and sustainability may not have been the focus of attention in the development of SaphirKeramik, but they contribute significantly to the positive overall image of the material,“ the jury commented. In doing so, it acknowledged the additional advantages of the material: Lower material costs, for example, which are also due to a simplified structure of the ceramic parts, as well as the advantages in terms of environmental protection and sustainability, since fewer raw materials and less energy are used in the firing, production, and transport of SaphirKeramik.
„New materials have always been one of the most important driving forces behind the development of design. With SaphirKeramik, the traditional Swiss brand LAUFEN has succeeded in creating an equally surprising and remarkable innovation whose effects on sanitary ceramics can only be estimated to a limited extent today. The composite material, which does not require chemical additives, wows with its specific properties – hardness, bending strength – and offers the enormous economic advantage of being suitable for processing using traditional production processes.“ These were the words the jury used to elaborate on their decision to award SaphirKeramik the Swiss Design Prize.
