Process of manufacturing stone tile mosaics and apparatus therefor

A process of forming a mosaic from at least a first tile and a second tile, said process comprising the steps of:

• first cutting said first tile into a first initial matrix of tesserae pieces, each of a similar size and kept in the same position they occupied in the uncut tile, and then cutting said second tile into a second initial matrix of pieces corresponding to the tesserae pieces of the first tile and kept in the same position they occupied in the uncut tile,
• selecting from said first initial matrix at least a first multiplicity of tesserae pieces creating a first set having a defined configuration;
• selecting from said second initial matrix at least a second multiplicity of tesserae pieces creating a second set having another defined configuration non-superimposable with the first set;
• and
• simultaneously moving with a carrier structure said first multiplicity of tesserae pieces without disturbing said configuration to a first delivery location where the bottom surfaces thereof are in their carried positions;
• releasing the grid and contact of said carrier structure with said first multiplicity of tesserae pieces;
• and simultaneously moving with carrier structure said at least second multiplicity of tesserae pieces without disturbing said configuration to said first delivery location where the bottom surfaces thereof are in their carried positions and interleaved with said first multiplicity of tesserae pieces to form a mosaic pattern of different tesserae pieces cut from at least said first and second tiles.

A process for forming tesserae pieces from a square tile by cutting the tile into strips and the strips transversely into tesserae pieces, the process comprising the steps of:

• providing a platen with a compressible top surface with grooves defining parallel channels extending into transverse directions, and means for cutting said tile, said cutting means including cutting blades and a table;
• placing said tile on the compressible top surface of said platen and said platen on said table;
• securing said tile upon said platen and said platen to said table using a hold-down rack having parallel rails defining parallel slots therebetween through which said cutter blades pass and cut through the tile supported on the platen therebelow, the bottom of said rails having compressible strips which engage the top surface of the tile therebelow;
• forcing the hold-down rack with said compressible strips at the bottom thereof upon the upper surface of the tile to press the tile upon the compressible surface of the platen and to press the platen against said table, the platen positioned so that a set of parallel channels in the top surface of said platen are aligned with the slots in said hold-down rack;
• cutting said material into strips by passing said cutting blades through said hold-down rack slots and cutting through the tile held in place by the hold-down rack and directing cooling water upon the surface of the tile as it is being cut by said cutting blades;
• releasing said platen and tile strips therein by raising said hold-down rack and then rotating said table 90.degree. wherein the strips cut from the tile extend at right angles to their initial positions and another group of channels in top surface of the platen are aligned with the slots of said hold-down rack when lowered upon the tile, and resecuring said platen and strips while maintaining the original orientation of said strips again forming said hold-down rack against the tile strips therebelow and which once again secures the previously cut strips to the platen and the platen to the table, a set of parallel channels on the top surface of said platen then being aligned with their slots in the hold-down rack;
• cutting said strips into tesserae pieces by passing the cutting blades through the slots in said hold-down rack and cutting through the tile therebelow and directing cooling water upon the surface of the tile as it is being cut by said blades;
• and,
• releasing said platen carrying the cut tesserae pieces from said table while maintaining the original orientation of said tesserae pieces on said platen by raising said hold-down rack therefrom.