Porcelain honeycomb panel construction combines a thin porcelain or sintered stone face with a reinforced honeycomb backing. In Funtek panels, fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane skins enclose an aluminum honeycomb core. A separate adhesive layer bonds the ceramic face to the upper PU fiberglass skin.
The finished assembly has five parts: ceramic face, bonding layer, upper reinforced skin, aluminum honeycomb core and lower reinforced skin. Together they reinforce the thin ceramic for handling, fabrication and installation. Choosing PU fiberglass skins also brings the backing’s thermal movement closer to the ceramic, helping the composite resist bending, cracking and delamination as temperatures change. Conventional aluminum-skinned honeycomb uses the same core material with different skins.
The Five Parts of Porcelain Honeycomb Panel Construction
The ceramic face and the composite backing perform different functions. The face provides the visible color, pattern and surface finish. The backing reinforces that thin face and provides the rear surface used for mounting the panel. Identifying the materials in order makes it possible to describe the complete product without confusing its face, skins and core.
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| Part | Layer detail | Material and position | Function in the finished panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ceramic face |  |
Usually 3–6 mm porcelain or sintered stone, at the exposed front. | Provides the decorative surface while retaining the selected ceramic appearance. |
| 2. Bonding layer |  |
High-performance adhesive between the ceramic face and upper reinforced skin. | Bonds the thin ceramic sheet to the composite backing. |
| 3. Upper reinforced skin |  |
Fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane on the face side of the core. | Provides the surface to which the ceramic is bonded and contributes to the backing's stiffness and thermal compatibility. |
| 4. Honeycomb core |  |
Aluminum honeycomb between the two reinforced skins. | Provides a lightweight internal structure that contributes to bending resistance. |
| 5. Lower reinforced skin |  |
Fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane at the rear of the backing. | Completes the backing and provides the rear surface for the selected fixing arrangement. |
Here, skin means an outer layer of the honeycomb backing. It does not mean the decorative ceramic face. There are two PU fiberglass skins in the backing, with the core between them; the ceramic sheet is bonded to one of those skins afterward.
The exposed edges of stacked panels show why the face and backing need separate names. The thin ceramic surface extends over a deeper cellular backing. Seen from the finished front, that backing is concealed, so a surface photograph alone cannot identify the panel's internal materials.
Porcelain and sintered stone describe the ceramic face used for the selected product. The term honeycomb-backed porcelain panels describes the relationship between that face and its backing. Adding PU fiberglass-faced aluminum honeycomb backing identifies the particular construction covered here.
How the PU Fiberglass Honeycomb Backing Is Formed
The backing is formed before it is bonded to the ceramic. Fiberglass and polyurethane are combined on both sides of the aluminum honeycomb core, then formed in a mold under high temperature and pressure. This produces a backing with three structural parts: upper reinforced skin, core and lower reinforced skin.
The ceramic face is then bonded to the upper skin with a high-performance adhesive. This second operation joins the thin ceramic to the already formed backing. It also explains why the face adhesive and the polyurethane in the reinforced skins should appear as separate items in a construction description.
The polyurethane belongs to the reinforced skins. The center remains an aluminum honeycomb, with visible cells at an open edge. Calling this a PU foam-core panel would identify a different center material. Calling it a fiberglass board would also omit the aluminum core and the second reinforced skin.
The two skins, held apart by the core, work together as a composite backing. Its rigidity is a property of that assembled construction, rather than of a loose sheet of fiberglass or a bare honeycomb core. The ceramic becomes part of the finished composite when it is bonded to the upper skin.
PU Fiberglass Skins vs. Aluminum Skins
The useful comparison is between the skins surrounding the honeycomb. In the conventional aluminum-faced construction considered here, aluminum sheets cover the core on both sides. In Funtek's PU fiberglass-faced construction, reinforced polyurethane skins occupy those positions. The core can be aluminum in both.
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| Construction element | PU fiberglass-faced backing | Conventional aluminum-faced backing |
|---|---|---|
| Backing appearance |
 PU fiberglass-faced honeycomb backing. |
 Aluminum-skinned honeycomb backing. |
| Skin next to the ceramic adhesive | Fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane. | Aluminum sheet. |
| Internal core | Aluminum honeycomb. | Aluminum honeycomb. |
| Rear skin | Fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane. | Aluminum sheet. |
| Useful full description | Porcelain bonded to PU fiberglass-faced aluminum honeycomb backing. | Porcelain bonded to aluminum-skinned aluminum honeycomb backing. |
PU fiberglass skins
Aluminum skins
Specifying only “aluminum honeycomb backing” leaves the skin material unstated. That description could refer to the aluminum core without saying whether the surrounding skins are aluminum or fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane. The skin material matters because the adhesive bonds to the upper skin, while the rear connection is made through the selected backing arrangement.
There are other honeycomb panel constructions, including products with different materials on the two sides of the core. The comparison above describes these two specific arrangements; it does not classify every honeycomb panel sold by other manufacturers. Terms such as fiberglass-faced aluminum honeycomb panels also need the resin type when an exact construction is being specified. A fiberglass skin using another resin is not the same description as a PU fiberglass skin.
Galvanized steel backing is another separate option in the material comparison. A steel sheet is not an aluminum honeycomb core, and it should not be grouped under the same construction name merely because both can support a ceramic face. Naming each layer identifies which backing is actually being proposed.
Other manufacturers also identify the core and skins separately. Cosentino’s DKCH description lists fiberglass or aluminum back sheets around an aluminum honeycomb core. CEL’s ALUSTEP 500 LIGHT uses fiberglass skins with epoxy resin. These descriptions help distinguish construction terminology; the PU fiberglass construction and performance values in this article describe Funtek’s product.
Thermal Expansion and Compatibility Between Layers
Bonded materials remain connected as their temperature changes. When the ceramic face and the material directly behind it try to expand by different amounts, internal stress develops through the bonded layers. A large panel can bow, the thin ceramic can crack, or the bond can separate. These effects explain why thermal compatibility matters alongside the strength of the individual materials.
Funtek uses the PU fiberglass-faced backing to bring its thermal movement closer to that of the ceramic face. The stated coefficients make the distinction between the backing constructions clear:
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| Material or backing | Linear thermal expansion coefficient |
|---|---|
Ceramic face |
6.1 × 10−6/°C |
| PU fiberglass-faced honeycomb backing |
8.5 × 10−6/°C |
Galvanized steel |
12 × 10−6/°C |
| Aluminum-faced honeycomb backing |
23.7 × 10−6/°C |
The PU fiberglass-faced backing is closer to the ceramic value than the aluminum-faced backing in this comparison. This closer match reduces the difference in thermal movement between the bonded layers, helping reduce temperature-related bending, cracking and delamination. For the measured results after heat, water, freeze–thaw and acid exposure, see the bond-strength and durability tests.
Although the two backings share an aluminum honeycomb core, their skin materials and complete constructions differ. The values above describe each stated backing construction as a whole.
Flatness also affects mounting. A rear fitting positioned on a panel that bends may no longer align as intended with its support. Improving compatibility between the ceramic and backing therefore relates both to the panel surface and to fixing-point alignment. The coefficient comparison explains the material choice and the relationship between the bonded layers.
The thermal compatibility section of the technical guide brings these stated values together with the backing comparison.
What the Temperature Comparison Means for a Large Panel
Funtek’s wall-system comparison follows three backing constructions over a 2.7 m length with a 40°C temperature difference. It records both length expansion and thermally driven warping. These describe different movements: expansion changes length, while warping moves the panel out of its original plane.
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| Backing in the product comparison | Elastic modulus | Recorded expansion | Recorded thermally driven warping |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Galvanized sheet, 0.7 mm |
200 GPa | More than 1.3 mm | 54 mm |
|
Aluminum-skinned honeycomb |
18.3 GPa | More than 2.80 mm | 30–45 mm |
|
PU fiberglass-skinned honeycomb |
9.1 GPa | 0.76 mm | Nearly zero |
The figures above are the values recorded for those compared constructions. The PU fiberglass arrangement combines the lowest stated expansion with nearly zero warping in that comparison. Its practical advantage is maintaining the panel plane and rear-fitting alignment as the bonded materials respond to temperature changes.
Elastic modulus describes material stiffness and should be read separately from the bending resistance of a complete sandwich panel. The honeycomb keeps the reinforced skins apart, allowing the assembled backing to resist bending with little solid material. A higher modulus for a metal sheet alone therefore does not settle which complete ceramic-and-backing assembly will remain flatter.
How Deformation Appears on the Finished Surface
The product material identifies hollow-sounding areas or separation where bonding becomes discontinuous, bowing across large faces, cracks near edges and corners, and distorted reflected lines on an uneven surface. Differential thermal movement and uneven bonding can contribute to these symptoms. Matching the PU fiberglass layer more closely to the ceramic reduces differential movement, while a continuous, well-formed bond allows the layers to work together.
For the rear connection, a flatter panel keeps its fittings closer to their intended positions. The installation comparison explains how that affects hanging-point alignment and site adjustment; the conditioned bond tests examine the bonded construction after heat, water, freezing and acid exposure.
What the Backing Changes in Handling and Fixing
Reinforcing a thin ceramic face
The backing lets a thin ceramic face form a reinforced panel. Funtek's stated comparison reports an elevenfold improvement in bending performance and breaking strength over 3 mm bare ceramic, reaching a breaking load of 4,617 N. The 3 + 9 mm panel also withstood a 450 g steel ball dropped from 1.5 m without fracture. These are different performance observations: the first concerns bending and breaking, while the second describes impact under a particular ball mass and drop height.
Those results explain why the face cannot be assessed as an unsupported thin sheet once it has been bonded to the backing. The ceramic, adhesive, reinforced skins and core form the tested assembly. The mechanical performance section of the guide lists the bending and impact information for the corresponding assemblies.
Complete-panel weight includes the ceramic face, bonding layer and composite backing. Use the weight of the selected finished configuration when comparing panel assemblies; a backing-only weight does not describe the finished porcelain panel. To compare the supplied composite with an unbacked slab, see the panel selection comparison.
Providing a rear connection surface
The rear skin is also part of the mounting arrangement. Funtek's options include embedded M8 nuts, riveted fittings and interlocking male/female clips. Embedded M8 nuts are set into the composite backing; the thin ceramic face remains the exposed surface.
The photographs show two related but distinct items: the panel-side fitting attached to the backing, and the support attached to the wall structure. The fitting joins the composite panel to that support. Naming the rear skin helps identify the panel-side connection, while the complete wall detail identifies the support frame and adjustment arrangement.
At Zhongnan International Mall in Hangzhou, the rear connection photograph shows the honeycomb edge, reinforced back surface and fitting next to the support frame. The completed exterior shows the ceramic face. Reading those views together distinguishes the visible finish from the backing and connections behind it.
For broader guidance on support frames, setting out and wall coordination, read sintered stone facade installation. The wall-fixing section of the technical guide covers the panel-side connection details.
How to Specify the Panel Construction
A useful construction description identifies the visible face, the two backing skins and the core separately. “Porcelain panel with PU fiberglass-faced aluminum honeycomb backing” establishes those materials. The thickness fields then identify which configuration is required.
For example, 3 + 9 mm means a 3 mm ceramic face combined with a 9 mm backing. It does not mean a 3 mm finished panel. Separating these dimensions makes the exposed edge, overall assembly and fixing detail easier to coordinate. The face-to-backing adhesive remains a separate construction layer even when a product configuration is expressed using the face-plus-backing notation.
For available configurations and a worked panel-weight calculation, see porcelain honeycomb panel thickness, sizes and weight.
- Face: identify porcelain or sintered stone, its thickness, selected finish and panel dimensions.
- Skins: name fiberglass-reinforced polyurethane on both sides of the honeycomb for this Funtek construction.
- Core: name aluminum honeycomb, rather than leaving “PU” to imply a different core material.
- Bonding: identify the ceramic-to-backing adhesive layer separately from the reinforced skins.
- Finished configuration: record backing thickness, complete panel dimensions and weight, and the selected rear fixing arrangement.
Keep the construction wording consistent between the sample, product schedule and fixing drawing. A sample cut edge can show the layered arrangement; the written schedule identifies the materials and thicknesses that an exposed edge alone cannot establish. The facade specification checklist extends this description to the rest of a facade package.
When the panel needs a finished exposed edge or an opening, coordinate those layers with cutouts, edge closures and corner details. The fabrication drawing should show the face outline and rear fittings from the same reference.
View Funtek porcelain honeycomb panels for the available panel specifications, wall connections and project inquiry options.
Technical Guide and Related Reading
The Funtek porcelain honeycomb panel technical guide includes the material assembly, available configurations, thermal comparison, performance information and fixing details. Its test-reference register identifies the corresponding reports.
For a wider explanation of lightweight large-format assemblies and their applications, read ultra-light large-format sintered stone panels. Use the construction name established here when comparing those assemblies, so the face, skin and core materials remain clear.
Request Panel Options and a Quote
Tell Funtek where the panels will be used, the approximate panel dimensions and the required quantity. We can provide relevant ceramic-face and backing configurations, sample information and quotation details for your project.