ITABORAI, RIO DI JANEIRO, BRAZIL -- Natural stone producer, Thor Granitos e Mámores Ltda., has added a massive new blockcutter from Pedrini of Italy. The new machine, the Pedrini M596, represents the latest generation of machinery, with a width of 16 meters, a length of 17 meters, a height of 6.2 meters and a cutting stroke of 8 meters. At a weight of 80 tons, Pedrini reports that the unit -- which it refers to as the Arco di Trionfo (Arc de Triumph) -- is the largest granite blockcutter in the world.
Two block-holding trolleys, each with a capacity of 100 tons, slide along two parallel tracks inside the machine's working area and alternately position under the vertical cutting bridge and under the horizontal cutting/strip unloading unit. According to Pedrini, this system significantly increases output, due to the simultaneous action of the two working steps -- vertical cutting and unloading.