For this issue of Contemporary Stone and Tile Design magazine, we take a look at stone used in architectural landscape and building stone applications, as well as some creative uses of quartz surfacing.
There is no doubt that our industry is going through monumental changes. During our last Rockhead Group meeting last April, our members had an opportunity to listen to industry leaders about key indicators that are shaping the future of our business.
This Stone of the Month is supplied by Marmi Orobici Graniti S.p.A. of Bergamo, Italy. Technical details provide a frame of reference only. Because stone is a product of nature, testing to determine specific physical qualities should be repeated for each project.
Prussiani introduces the new Platino Shuttle -— a revolutionary high-production CNC work center with a double table, optimized to eliminate all downtimes for table setup, programming and unloading. It is a continuous improvement of the CNC technology Prussiani has introduced since 1991 in the stone industry, updated to meet the actual needs of every stone fabricator, according to the manufacturer.
Robotic technology is one of the newest options out there for fabricators to cut stone and since its introduction the saw has continued to gain in popularity. Known for their smaller footprint, efficiency and less maintenance needed, as the worker shortage continues for fabricators, turning to this technology has been a great alternative to increase performance in the production process.
Often I ask architects and designers why they favored natural stone for a particular project, and more frequently than not I hear responses such as: “It’s timeless.” “We needed something durable.” “We wanted to use a local material.” These are all excellent reasons, and as members of the natural stone industry, music to our ears.
Stone of the Month is supplied by Coldspring. Technical details provide a frame of reference only. Because stone is a product of nature, testing to determine specific physical qualities should be repeated for each project.
Stone World was started by Mike and Stephanie Lench in November 1984. At that time, GranQuartz was busily introducing machinery and equipment for the stone industry to include large diameter (11-6 foot) block saws, automatic abrasive line polishers, edge polishers, etc.
Today fabricators are being asked to fabricate a large variety of materials. These projects range from kitchen countertops, fireplaces and other residential use, to commercial flooring and wall cladding. These materials have a wide range of characteristics, challenging fabricators in production and material handling.
Park Industries has partnered with world leaders to provide the most reliable, efficient, robotic sawjet, which it calls Optimus. The saw is mounted directly under the center pivot, resulting in exceptional cut accuracy.