More options are available than ever before when it comes to CNC tooling and accessories – allowing fabricators to become more efficient in cutting natural stone and alternative surfaces.
September 6, 2019
Technology continually is evolving to keep up with customer demands. In addition to improving upon CNC tooling and accessories that are already available for cutting natural stone and quartz surfacing, manufacturers are now developing new products for cutting alternative hard surfaces such as compact sintered stone and porcelain slabs.
Prodim has been supplying complete digital templating package solutions to stone templators and fabricators for over two decades now. The Proliner measuring device has always been at the center of each package, completed by dedicated digital templating software for the stone industry.
FlexiCAD software from Laser Template Inc. has been designed to simplify the measurement process and allow anyone to use the system for precision measurements regardless of their experience level. Measure lines, arcs, circles and even oval or odd shapes with ease and ability to complete the full drawing on site.
OSHA and NIOSH have identified exposure to silica as a health hazard to workers involved in finishing and installing natural and manufactured stone countertop products, both in fabrication shops and during in-home finishing/installation.
The GLS Viper 4.0 bridge sawing machine is the ultimate machine for a diverse range of fabrication. It’s suitable for cutting marble, granite, quartz, quartzite and semi-precious slabs.
With technology continually reaching new peaks, there are more digital options for fabricators to assist them in succeeding in their business. While there is a lot of technology out there that is available for the fabricator, the following products are available from leading manufacturers.
The Blade5 machine is a 5-axis interpolated CNC working center for cutting, shaping, polishing, sculpting, contouring and can be customized with single or dual tables. It has a vertical axis stroke 2 mt/78,74”. A CNC lathe for carving columns is also an option for this multifunction CNC center.
Stone fabricators have to balance the demands of their shop and finding business. There may be issues with trying to search for new employees, dealing with machines breaking down, or with the shop getting backed up. Rob and Julie Foley have been able to find a nice balance for their shop.
Magma Diamond Tool offers 6-inch Snail Lock Puzzle Edge Polishing Disks for flat and bullnose edges. Each has a pressure of 2.5 bar. According to the company, during a test on engineered stone they stopped at 1500 and they did not need to use the 3000 or buff.
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.