Process for reclaiming and recycling solid surface

Abstract

Processes for reclaiming and recycling solid surface into a desired manufacturer's solid surface manufacturing process and methods used therein; specifically methods for identifying a manufacturing source of a test sample of solid surface comprising an acrylic polymeric matrix and alumina trihydrate (ATH), including generating a reference set of characteristics related to either (1) the percent area covered by the ATH particles, the ATH particle count, and the minor axis length of a best-fit ellipse to ATH particles, or (2) the aluminum, calcium, and zinc concentration in reference samples of solid surface from multiple known manufacturing sources, or some combination of (1) and (2); obtaining the test sample and non-destructively determining certain characteristics of the test sample; comparing those characteristics with the appropriate reference set; and identifying the manufacturing source of the test sample.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.