The Storm+ from Regent Machine Corp. was specifically designed to provide rapid and accurate processing of slabs in the most demanding of stone fabrication shops.

Back in January, I traveled to Austin, TX, to visit a friend of mine (and to get a little work done). When I got off the plane, the business portion of my trip started pretty much as usual. I visited a granite countertop fabricator in the area and talked about the CNC machinery, bridge saws, edging machines, etc. they use in their day-to-day operations. I took some photos of their equipment in action, looked at some finished countertops and called it a day. It was the continuation of our magazine’s goal and mission to provide our readers with “real life” examples of the stone fabrication sector, providing practical information on countertop production in the field.

Park Industries introduces the Destiny® XE CNC Stonecenter, which has been engineered to increase production capabilities with automatic changing of 50 tools. Users can route and edge straight or decorative radius shapes on 1- to 6-cm stone with just one easy set-up, the company reports.

Coral Beige

Unit volume weight: 2.69 g/cu.m

Water absorption (by weight): 0.18%

I have been on many boards and committees during my years at Stone World, and while they have all been important, and I feel like we achieved some worthwhile goals, no group has the potential to do as much good for the stone industry as the Natural Stone Council (NSC).

Calypso quartzite

Country of origin: Brazil

Specific mass (dry): 2,736 kg/cu.m

A year and a half ago, VIC International, with its engineering and manufacturing joint venture associate, Schubert Environmental Equipment, sought to address the problem of adequate water treatment for stone fabricators without “over costing the problem” with ultra high efficiency water cleaners.

Each year, the parent company of Stone World Magazine polls stone fabricators around the U.S. to get their outlook for the coming year and beyond. And over the past few years, the results have been overwhelmingly positive - for the short term as well as the long term. However, in this year’s report (beginning on page 58), the overall feeling was optimistic - but a bit more tempered than in the recent past.

Green Iron
Country of origin:  Brazil
Bulk density:  2.83 g/cu.cm
Absorption:  maximum 0.1% per hour
Compressive strength:  32.7 Mpa
Flexural strength:  7.2 Mpa

Designed specifically for the stone countertop fabricator, the Express 3200 from Regent Stone Products comes standard with many features that are generally sold as extras, the company reports. These features include: a heavy-duty cast iron bridge; a cast iron, fully synchronized and oil-filled rack-and-pinion gantry system that is sealed from the elements; and a direct-drive 20-hp motor with hand-held remote control.