The plant, which is nearly 25,000 square feet in size, recently added to its equipment by investing in the TSH 1800 and T 500 machines from Thibaut of France. According to Thibaut, this combination of machinery allows for efficient production of thin or thick slabs in granite, marble or limestone. The TSH 1800 is a horizontal wire saw with a 130-foot runway that can be programmed to cut up to 16 blocks. The TSH 1800 can run with virtually no operator supervision, due to an automatic system for inserting wedges between the slabs. This allows the company to cut blocks upon request, but also to working 24 hours per day uninterrupted without any operator, providing an estimated time savings of 30%.

By using diamond wire, Top Granit is able to achieve precise horizontal cuts with very little bowing. Additionally, Thibaut reports that the machine operates with optimum safety, since it avoids all accidents linked to the removal of vertical slabs into the horizontal position for flat polishing. This led the German association for workplace safety to acknowledge the unit as the safest of its kind on the market.

The TSH 1800 is complemented by the Thibaut T 500 flat polisher. This machine has a cast iron beam for optimum rigidity and accuracy, and it can complete a range of operations, including polishing, surfacing, calibrating, roughing and bushammering.

Top Granit also works with a variety of other Thibaut machines, including the T 110 multi-function stoneworking center; the T 822 CNC milling machine /side polishing machine with automatic tool changing; the T 682 edge polishing machine equipped with the new BS3 R head for high productivity; the T 58 numerically controlled edge polisher; the TC 08 automatic sawing machine with “Smart Table,” and the T 60 for automatic chamfering.

With a total of 15 employees, Top Granit produces 8 monuments per day.

End box:
Top Granit, Chablis, France

Machinery: Thibaut TSH 1800 automated diamond wire saw for horizontal cutting; Thibaut T 500 flat polisher; Thibaut T 110 multi-function stoneworking center; Thibaut T 822 CNC milling machine/side polishing machine; Thibaut T 682 edge polishing machine; Thibaut T 58 numerically controlled edge polisher; Thibaut TC 08 automatic sawing machine; Thibaut T 60 for automatic chamfering

Number of employees: 15

Production rate: 8 monuments per day