#DISCOVER SAMBONET: Special Finishes

Special finishes to enrich our flatware collections

Research and development is a fundamental part of Sambonet’s philosophy. The dedication spent in this direction reflects on the new technologies used in the stainless steel production. Vintage, Antique, Satin and PVD are just some of the finishes that – thanks to the latest generation machines – enrich our flatware and holloware collections.
The Vintage finishing is the outcome of a particular mechanical process which, through a series of industrial scraping treatments, give to the surfaces an original “worn out” effect. We start the procedure by putting the stainless steel flatware in a tumbling machine,  a special tank containing recycled plastic stones that rub together by a vibration which revolves up to 1500 revolutions per minute, and give the particular finishing to the products. A specific artificial resin, made up by polymers, covers the internal part of the tank protecting items from the contact with it. The objects are finally washed to remove residuals and then they are ready to be stored.


Before and after the Vintage treatment


Baguette Vintage

The Antique finishing is the result of a particular shot blasting technique. The flatware is introduced in a special machine containing 11 compressed-air guns that “shoot” with a 7 bars pressure a specific industrial sand made up of extremely small micro ceramic particles. A rubber mat moves the items to allow a complete coverage of the surfaces. For bigger items, like holloware, the process is completely manual: the operator covers the entire item’s surface using one compressed-air gun. This finishing is characterized by a thin materic texture pleasant to touch and by the brand new matt and silky effect assumed by the stainless steel.


Imagine Antique

The Satin is another finishing that acts on the external side of the objects, conferring a thinner sandblasting than the Antique one. The method is completely manual and consists in wiping the objects with a special abrasive brush that gives items a delicate opacity.

Not all the available finishes modify the objects from a tactile point of view. The PVD – Physical Vapour Deposition – method is in fact a special treatment obtained by the deposition through vaporization of metal particles . This procedure, using the sublimation principle of metallic materials by electrical shocks, gives to stainless steel objects precious colors and shades. After a series of washing in a low-salt water, where an ultrasonic rinsing system allows to reach pharmaceutical levels of purity, the items are put in a vacuum-sealed chamber to undergo the treatment. The last production residuals are removed thanks to a cryogenic trap that freezes gas and steams. The real coloring phase takes place thanks to the release of the particles by metal blocks called target: an electrical shock called arc hits the target, vaporizing the material by sublimation process. The free particles are attracted by the objects which were previously negatively charged in order to increase the attraction. The different quantity of zirconium carbon nitride –the main substance used – generates the colors goldblack and copper.


Linea Q PVD Black

The different finishes can be combined together, as in the case of Vintage Copper. the particular finishing technique that gives to the surfaces the “worn out” effect is followed by the PVD treatment that will bring out every peculiarity of the objects.


Baguette Vintage Copper - Gio Ponti Vintage Black - Hannah Vintage Gold

Thanks to the combination of manual skills and technology, Sambonet can offer a wide range of combinations, from texture to color, able to generate a new level of table experience.

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