A Silent Open Concept
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THE MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO NICKEL AND ITS APPLICATIONS |
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THIS SO-CALLED SILENT SINK was developed in Japan to reduce noice in open-concept kitchens. |
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AN EXAMPLE of the type of open-concept kitchens where the silent sink could be used. |
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CLEANING THE SINK is made easier by a smooth, hydrophilic coating which is baked onto the surface during
manufacture. |
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A Japanese sink brings traquilty to the home by Dr. Gerry Crawford
Nickel Magazine, December 2006 -- Two Japanese companies -- Cleanup Corporation and Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co. Ltd. – have developed a quieter stainless steel kitchen sink. It cleans easily to prevent scratching and suppresses the disturbing noise of running tap water and clanking dishes and utensils. The “quiet sink” is especially desirable in the open-concept homes currently fashionable in Japan.
Fastidious Japanese housewives brush their sinks frequently with special detergents and complain when they become dull with scratch marks. Also, as open kitchens become more popular, noises from the sink can easily disturb conversation and quiet in other parts of the house.
The new sink is produced by press-molding embossed patterns on to the bottom of S30400 stainless steel, as shown in the accompanying photograph. The embossed projections, with a height of 0.1 millimetre (mm), are coated with multiple layers of transparent, silicate-containing material. This material is baked on at temperatures exceeding 200° C, resulting in a surface hardness of greater than 9H, and although the finished thickness of the coating is only 500-1,000 nanometers, it neither peels nor whitens over time. That’s because the bond between the coating and the stainless steel is strong and stable.
The coating is also smooth and hydrophilic so that grease and other cooking wastes are less likely to stick to the sink. As a result, light wiping with a sponge and water is all that’s needed to clean the sink. Abrasive cleaners are no longer necessary to polish the surfaces.
Cleanup Corporation solved the noise problem by applying its unique sound-damping technology to the underside of the sink so that reading and conversation are not disturbed in open-kitchen homes.
Cleanup is a major producer of domestic and commercial stainless products, including worktops, sinks, storage cabinets, bathtubs, vanities, cooking equipment and utensils, roofs, walls, fences, signs, and monuments.
The company specializes in developing technology and design, commonly in co-operation with other enterprises, including Inco’s stainless steel colouring technology and ICI’s acrylic resin molding technology, both from Britain, and Blum’s drawer and metal rail designs from Austria.
Cleanup is seeking business partners interested in marketing its Super Silent e-Sink and related technology.
PHOTOS: Nickel Institute Japan
Tetsuyoshi Kohga |
