OSHA and NIOSH have identified exposure to silica as a health hazard to workers involved in finishing and installing natural and manufactured stone countertop products, both in fabrication shops and during in-home finishing/installation.
The GLS Viper 4.0 bridge sawing machine is the ultimate machine for a diverse range of fabrication. It’s suitable for cutting marble, granite, quartz, quartzite and semi-precious slabs.
With technology continually reaching new peaks, there are more digital options for fabricators to assist them in succeeding in their business. While there is a lot of technology out there that is available for the fabricator, the following products are available from leading manufacturers.
The Blade5 machine is a 5-axis interpolated CNC working center for cutting, shaping, polishing, sculpting, contouring and can be customized with single or dual tables. It has a vertical axis stroke 2 mt/78,74”. A CNC lathe for carving columns is also an option for this multifunction CNC center.
Stone fabricators have to balance the demands of their shop and finding business. There may be issues with trying to search for new employees, dealing with machines breaking down, or with the shop getting backed up. Rob and Julie Foley have been able to find a nice balance for their shop.
Magma Diamond Tool offers 6-inch Snail Lock Puzzle Edge Polishing Disks for flat and bullnose edges. Each has a pressure of 2.5 bar. According to the company, during a test on engineered stone they stopped at 1500 and they did not need to use the 3000 or buff.
Prussiani introduces the new Platino Shuttle -— a revolutionary high-production CNC work center with a double table, optimized to eliminate all downtimes for table setup, programming and unloading. It is a continuous improvement of the CNC technology Prussiani has introduced since 1991 in the stone industry, updated to meet the actual needs of every stone fabricator, according to the manufacturer.
Robotic technology is one of the newest options out there for fabricators to cut stone and since its introduction the saw has continued to gain in popularity. Known for their smaller footprint, efficiency and less maintenance needed, as the worker shortage continues for fabricators, turning to this technology has been a great alternative to increase performance in the production process.
ETemplate Systems, an expert in digital measuring, has released its second generation ELaser Xpress Templating System powered by award-winning ETemplate Measure Manager software.
Today fabricators are being asked to fabricate a large variety of materials. These projects range from kitchen countertops, fireplaces and other residential use, to commercial flooring and wall cladding. These materials have a wide range of characteristics, challenging fabricators in production and material handling.