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US 9,174,358 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for manufacturing slabs with veined effect
OwnerLuca Toncelliinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
During the manufacture of slabs with a veined effect a liquid or powder coloring agent is deposited on the surface of a thin layer of starting mixture by means of at least one dispensing device (40) and the resultant mixture is supplied, falling freely, from one end of an extractor belt (30) forming the bottom of a mixture metering/distributor unit, following which the mixture is transferred, falling freely, onto a temporary molding support (14). This results in the production of slabs provided with veining extending through the entire thickness of the slabs and also visible along the whole edge of the slab, even after it has been machined.
Claims12
A method for manufacturing slabs having a veined effect imitating that of standard natural stone comprising:
- preparing at least one mixture, the mixture comprising a bonding agent and at least one granular product that comprises a stone or stone-like or ceramic material having a specific particle size distribution;
- loading the at least one mixture into a metering/distributor unit that comprises a hopper and an extractor belt, the hopper having a top mouth for loading the mixture and a bottom opening for discharging the mixture, and the extractor belt having an upper surface that forms a bottom of the hopper;
- transferring, by means of the extractor belt, the at least one mixture, having been loaded, to a downstream position beneath a dispensing device;
- dispensing at least one colouring or pigmenting agent from the dispensing device onto a surface of the mixture that has been transferred to the downstream position, the dispensing resulting in a non-uniform distribution of the at least one colouring or pigmenting agent on the surface of the mixture, the at least one colouring or pigmenting agent being in solid or liquid form;
- further transferring, by means of the extractor belt, the mixture, which has the non-uniform distribution of the agent on the surface thereof, so that the mixture free falls from the extractor belt to be distributed, in the form of a layer having a predetermined thickness, on a temporary support;
- subjecting the layer of mixture formed on the temporary support to vibrocompression so as to obtain a rough-formed slab having an order of thickness less than an order of length and width of the slab;
- and
- transferring the rough-formed slab into a hardening station;
- wherein the step of subjecting the layer of mixture to vibrocompression is carried out under vacuum, while other steps of the method are carried out under atmospheric pressure;
- and
- wherein the further transferring of the mixture so that the mixture free falls from the extractor belt results in the veining effect penetrating over an entire thickness of the rough-formed slab.
8 more elements
A method for manufacturing slabs having a veined effect imitating that of standard natural stone comprising:
- preparing at least one mixture, the mixture comprising a bonding agent and at least one granular product that comprises a stone or stone-like or ceramic material having a specific particle size distribution;
- loading the at least one mixture into a metering/distributor unit that comprises a hopper and an extractor belt, the hopper having a top mouth for loading the mixture and a bottom opening for discharging the mixture, and the extractor belt having an upper surface that forms a bottom of the hopper;
- transferring, by means of the extractor belt, the at least one mixture, having been loaded, to a downstream position beneath a dispensing device;
- dispensing at least one colouring or pigmenting agent from the dispensing device onto a surface of the mixture that has been transferred to the downstream position, the dispensing resulting in a non-uniform distribution of the at least one colouring or pigmenting agent on the surface of the mixture, the at least one colouring or pigmenting agent being in solid or liquid form;
- further transferring, by means of the extractor belt, the mixture, which has the non-uniform distribution of the agent on the surface thereof, so that the mixture free falls from the extractor belt to be distributed, in the form of a layer having a predetermined thickness, on a temporary support;
- subjecting the layer of mixture formed on the temporary support to vibrocompression so as to obtain a rough-formed slab having an order of thickness less than an order of length and width of the slab, the rough-formed slab obtained prior to using any sawing step;
- and
- transferring the rough-formed slab into a hardening station;
- wherein the step of subjecting the layer of mixture to vibrocompression is carried out under vacuum, while other steps of the method are carried out under atmospheric pressure;
- and
- wherein the veining effect that results for the rough-formed slab penetrates over an entire thickness of the slab.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.