Italian slab producer opens new resin plant
The new facility opened in the Spring of this year. It processes marble and granite slabs, treating them with resin and polishing them as needed. Most of the material is treated with BB/10 from Tenax S.p.A. of Italy, a very low-viscosity system for resining and reinforcing marble and granite with very thin cracks and fissures, offering superior penetration. The products are kept in an outdoor storage area, where the temperature is regulated so it is not too hot in the summer or cold in the winter. The storage area is equipped with hoses that deliver the products to the factory as needed, and the system is equipped with an emergency shut-down mechanism that will stop the process if any of the products run dry.
For very fragile stones, Brunco Lucchetti may use resin on the back and front of the stone, and it can also adhere fiberglass netting to the back of the stone for added strength.
Using the most modern technology, the new Brunco Lucchetti plant is equipped with large-scale equipment to ensure that the resin products are applied quickly and efficiently. Machinery includes two massive ovens from T&F of Italy for treating the slabs before and after the resin is applied.
During the resining process, the slabs are first honed, and then they are placed in the first oven, which allows for maximum efficiency in applying the resin. The resin is then applied, and a second oven dries the slab and pushes the resin deep inside the stone. Following the resin process, the slabs are polished, and after quality control, they are packed for shipment.
The plant operates two T&F polishing lines, one for granite and one for marble. The granite polishing line has a total of 22 heads, all equipped with abrasives from Tenax. The granite line is equipped with diamond abrasives for the first 10 heads; Finegrain abrasives for the next 18 heads; and final polishing abrasives for the final four heads.
The marble line has a total of 16 heads, also featuring Tenax abrasives. This includes diamond abrasives for the first four heads, followed by Frankfurt bricks and Finegrain abrasives.
After the slabs are polished, they are numbered and recorded as part of a strict quality control program that also notes the original block that the slab came from. With a total of 13 employees, the new plant processes 5,000 square meters of granite and 2,500 square meters of marble per week, with a typical thickness of 3 cm.
Virtually all of the production is exported, with the U.S. as its primary market.
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