State-of-the-art plant is established for granite slabs

A division of the Adolfi Forti Marmi Group, ISG Graniti, S.p.A. has been equipped with advanced stoneworking machinery at its slab processing facility in Ortonovo, Italy.

Machinery from Breton also includes automated material-handling equipment

Based in Carrara, Italy, the Adolfi Forti Marmi Group has a broad range of divisions, including facilities for cut-to-size architectural stonework as well as operations for producing tiles and slabs. One of these divisions - ISG Graniti, S.p.A. - has been equipped with advanced stoneworking machinery for mass production of granite slabs.

Slabs are treated with resin products from Tenax S.p.A. of Italy, and a large drier is in place to speed the curing process.

ISG Graniti's processing plant is located in Ortonovo, Italy, in the province of La Spezia, near Carrara. Major machinery investments in 2004 have made the plant a model of modern slab processing.

The centerpiece of the facility's machinery is a Levibreton KG 3000 from Breton S.p.A., which is equipped with 21 polishing heads.

ISG Graniti's facility is equipped primarily with machinery from Breton S.p.A. of Italy. The centerpiece of the facility's machinery is a Levibreton KG 3000 with 21 polishing heads. This machine is considered to be one of the fastest in the world - in terms of the beam movement as well as in overall production. The bridge moves the spindles across the surface of the slab at a speed of 60 meters per minute, and the machine can process granite at a rate of 110 cm (slightly over 3 Â½ feet) per minute when working with 2-meter-wide slabs. The polishing heads lift quickly and minimally (a few millimeters) during the entry/exit of slabs, which is done to provide a better polish of the slab sides and a higher working speed. To make operation of the Levibreton KG 3000 as simple as possible, the unit is equipped with a â€œtouch screenâ€ PC interface that operates in a Windows environment.

The polishing line is considered to be one of the fastest in the world - in terms of the beam movement as well as in overall production.

Machinery from Breton also includes automated material-handling equipment that lifts raw slabs using vacuum lifters, and delivers it to the resin line for treatment. Breton machinery then delivers the slabs from the resin line to the polishing line, and ultimately removes finished slabs from the line to await shipment.

Slabs are treated with resin products from Tenax S.p.A. of Italy, and a large drier is in place to speed the curing process. ISG Graniti processes traditional materials, such as Blue Pearl and Baltic Brown, as well as more exotic granite varieties. Overall production stands at approximately 700 square meters (7,500 square feet) of material per day.

Finished granite slabs from ISG Graniti are exported to a range of countries around the world, including the U.S. market.