With more than 50 years experience in milling and polishing stone, Thibaut, a French manufacturer of stone processing machines, has introduced a new CNC stoneworking center with five interpolated axes.
In May of 2006, I wrote a column for Stone World entitled, “Silicosis: Dangerous from many angles” that stressed the need for stone fabrication shops to understand the issues of silicosis in our industry, to develop proper procedures in their shop and to educate their employees on the disease. At that time, the Marble Institute of America (MIA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had recently entered into an alliance to develop information to help MIA member employers and workers recognize and prevent hazards such as exposure to silica. The results of this alliance have been extremely positive, and they are continuing to develop.
In an industry first, the Marble Institute of America (MIA) has entered into a formal alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Among several initiatives being taken by the two organizations is a series of seminars for stone fabricators. These one-day sessions educate stoneworking professionals on OSHA standards, and they are specifically geared towards the stone industry. In addition to classroom instruction, a shop “walk-through” educates participants on specific hazards within a stoneworking facility that can be cited by OSHA. Earlier this year, Stone World documented one of these OSHA/MIA presentations, which took place at the facilities of Alpha Professional Tools in Oakland, NJ.
The Achilli MBS 3000-ce, available from Braxton-Bragg of Knoxville, TN, has established a solid record of reliability in the industry. In 2007, Achilli of Italy celebrated its 56th year in business. Since the beginning, Achilli has strived to manufacture dependable equipment that meets or exceeds the customer’s needs, including the incorporation of new designs on the saws.
The Denver Skema Logic C-180 Saw, from VIC International, is a monolithic bridge saw with the ability to cut an entire kitchen automatically. It features a 15-horsepower motor and a CNC rotating head capable of cutting right-angle and diagonal cuts through any position from 0 to 180 degrees. It has a unitized body requiring a smaller footprint than a standard gantry saw, and it is more accurate, faster and easier to use than conventional saws. This saw also offers quicker set-up time, and it eliminates the need for a rotating table.
Last month, I drove to Richmond, VA, to check out the new Charles Luck Stone Center. And while I anticipated seeing a new, top-of-the-line stone showroom, I ended up seeing a lot more than that. Taking their cue from high-end retailers such as Gucci, Prada and Armani as well as hospitality experts such as Ritz-Carlton, the people at Charles Luck Stone Center have truly created a stone sourcing “experience.”
No matter how long you’ve been in the stone industry, or what areas of expertise you have developed, you can always benefit from continuing and advancing your education. Fortunately, there is no shortage of high-quality educational opportunities within the stone industry. One prime example of this can be found at StonExpo, which takes place from October 18 to 20 this month in Las Vegas, NV. In fact, an extra day of seminars - with longer, more in-depth sessions - is set for October 17, the day before the exposition opens.
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