Relying on a combination of professional experience and modern resin technology, Quema srl, which is located in the historic stoneworking region of Carrara, Italy, offers a range of rare and exotic slab materials

Situated among the many stoneworking companies in the Carrara region of Italy, Quema srl stands out due to the unique collection of materials it offers to its customers. By combining its knowledge of stone processing with advanced resin technology, the company is able to process fragile onyx materials in a range of colors as well as a variety of rare blue-hued stones.

The resin products are supplied by Tenax S.p.A. of Italy, and they have been formulated to strengthen rare and exotic fragile materials to the point where they can be used for commercial applications.

Resins and fillers - also supplied by Tenax as needed - are either applied by hand or automatically, depending on the material being processed. Prior to application of the resin, slabs are dried to remove all moisture and humidity from the stone. This allows for optimum penetration of the resin. To speed the curing process, a large-scale resin line from Protec is in place - featuring a drying unit that can hold 20 slabs at one time.

After the resin is applied and cured, the slabs are automatically removed from the line and then transported to one of two bed polishers using Dal Forno lifting equipment.

The polishing process requires bed polishers instead of automatic slab polishing lines because the materials being processed require close operator supervision to ensure that all areas of the slab are receiving adequate polishing time. Since some sections of the slab may require more attention than others, the experience of the operator is critical in achieving a high-quality finished product.

Quema processes approximately 40 slabs each day, encompassing around 1,600 square feet. The company stressed that given the nature of the materials being processed, the focus of production is quality and not overall volume. Quema, which is part of a group of stoneworking companies that includes Oriental Marmi srl, exports material to a worldwide market that includes the U.S., Canada, Arabia and the Middle East, as well as within Europe.