Method for manufacturing a tile product
AssigneeBenelux Applied Surfaces, LLC
InventorsDavid W. Lewis, Nathan J. Keisling, Victoria M. Frosini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for manufacturing a tile product includes applying a concrete mixture to a mold, providing an adhesive to improve adhesion between the tile and the concrete mixture, facing a first side of the tile toward the concrete mixture in the mold and positioning the first side of the tile on the concrete mixture in the mold and then removing the product from the mold.
Claims20
A method for manufacturing a landscaping tile product in a molding apparatus, the molding apparatus having a mold cavity, said method comprising the steps of:
- filling the mold cavity with a low or zero slump concrete mixture;
- providing a tile with a first side and a second side opposed from the first side, the second side forming a decorative side of the tile;
- providing an adhesive to improve adhesion between the first side of the tile and the low or zero slump concrete mixture;
- positioning the tile on the low or zero slump concrete mixture in the mold cavity with the first side of the tile facing the low or zero slump concrete mixture;
- applying pressure and/or vibration to the low or zero slump concrete mixture to densify the concrete mixture before the tile is positioned on the concrete mixture to form a tile and concrete mixture assembly;
- applying pressure and/or vibration further includes applying pressure to the tile after positioning the tile on the concrete mixture;
- and
- after the low or zero slump concrete mixture can hold its own shape, removing the tile and concrete mixture assembly from the mold cavity.
A system for manufacturing a landscaping tile product, the tile product having a tile and a concrete base, said system comprising:
- a concrete batch mixing system with a supply of aggregate, a supply of water, a supply of additive, a supply of cement, and a mixer to mix the aggregate, water, cement, and additive to form a low or zero slump concrete mixture;
- a molding apparatus including a mold cavity;
- a concrete feedbox in communication with said concrete batch mixing system to receive the low or zero slump concrete mixture from said concrete batch mixing system to dispense the low or zero slump concrete mixture into said mold cavity, said concrete feed box being movable across said mold cavity to distribute the low or zero slump concrete mixture across said mold cavity;
- a robot with a robotic arm to pick and place a tile in said mold cavity to contact the tile with the concrete mixture after the zero or low slump concrete mixture has been dispensed and distributed into said mold cavity to form a tile and concrete mixture assembly;
- and
- a takeaway conveyor to convey the tile and concrete mixture assembly from said molding apparatus after the tile and concrete mixture assembly has been removed from said molding apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.