Plant and method for the production of slabs made of composite stone material from a mix

A method for the production of slabs of composite stone material from a mix containing granules of stone or ceramic or glass material and a binder, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

• (a) dispensing and distribution of a layer of mix with a predetermined thickness on a temporary support or mould;
• (b) compaction of said mix arranged on said temporary support or mould by means of a vacuum vibro-compression action;
• (c) hardening of the mix to obtain the slabs;
• wherein the method comprises, downstream of said step (a) for dispensing and distributing the mix and upstream of said compaction step (b), a step (d) for pre-compacting and levelling the mix on the temporary support so as to reduce the thickness of said mix, levelling it before said compaction step;
• and
• wherein said step (d) is performed by pre-compaction and levelling means comprising at least one roller having a horizontal axis of rotation perpendicular to said feeding direction and lying in a plane parallel to said feeding direction, said at least one roller being positioned at a variable working height with respect to a horizontal supporting surface of the temporary support.

A plant for the production of slabs made of composite stone material from a mix containing granules of stone or ceramic or glass material and a binder, comprising:

• at least one temporary support or mould;
• a distributor for the mix designed to distribute a layer of mix on said at least one temporary support or mould;
• a station for performing compaction by means of vacuum vibro-compression of the mix arranged on the at least one temporary support or mould;
• a station for hardening the mix in order to form the finished slabs;
• wherein the plant comprises a device positioned downstream of said distributor and upstream of said compaction station and comprising means which act on the top surface of the mix for pre-compaction and levelling of the mix arranged on the at least one temporary support or mould;
• and
• wherein said pre-compaction and levelling means comprise one of a plate, a rake, or a scraper, the one of plate, rake, or scraper having a horizontal axis of rotation perpendicular to said feeding direction and lying in a plane parallel to said feeding direction and being positioned at a variable working height with respect to a horizontal supporting surface of the temporary support.