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Making of Granite Slabs by Granite Slab Manufacturers at Factories
The making of granite slabs from granite blocks is an inside story of every granite stone processing unit. From bringing the granite blocks into a factory to the cutting of the stone and from drying granite stones to polishing slabs, there are lots of activities done by granite slab manufacturers at a granite factory. Granite factories make ready-to-use slabs for commercial purposes. With this content, readers will be able to know more about the slab manufacturing process at granite factories.
Granite stone: From quarries to stockyards
Granite slabs as useful natural stone products are superb for various residential and commercial construction projects in all corners of the world. The act of stone processing starts with the cutting of giant granite rocks at granite quarries. It is a stone processing unit where various activities are done to make a slab useful for construction projects. Primarily, there are three major types of stone processing equipment commonly used for the processing of rough granite stones.
These include:
- Stone lifting machines (block lifters and slab lifters)
- Stone cutting machines (Gangsaw and cutter slabs)
- Stone polishing machines (Pneumatic and hand-operated) for rough and smooth polishing
The following is a brief list of activities that helps in processing a granite stone at a granite factory in India.
Cutting of rough blocks at granite quarries
Granite experts and engineers at granite quarries separate big size blocks from massive rocks, using modern stone splitting machines and techniques. It involves the process of:
- Inspection of rough blocks
- Selection of premium blocks
- Block evolution for detecting cracks, pattern, fissures, and color
- Rejection of poor quality stones
- Marking of granite blocks
Availability of standard size granite blocks in India: 300-320 x 140-165 x 160-205 cm and weight 23-29 tons
Transporting raw stone blocks to factory
The next step in the process of stone processing is taking raw granite blocks to the factory for further processing. Granite slab manufacturers in India bring in rough blocks to their factories for B2B granite processing purposes. At the factory, the following activities are done:
- Reaching of truckload at factory
- Inspecting stones for quality by a quality inspector
- Unloading of trucks using cranes
- Shifting of stone one by one in the cutting area
Cutting of raw stone blocks into slabs
Cutting of full-body slabs from any block gives you more quantity of slabs. But, it may lead to damaged blades and increased maintenance costs. It involves the process of:
- Cutting of granite blocks with an assembly of blades
- Using water jet technology to prevent damages to stones and blades
- Cutting of stone in full body to have more quantity of slabs
- Keeping some portion of the block left uncut for having slices of the slab in position
- Reducing the risk of blades getting damaged
- Shifting of blocks to other location to split slabs from the base body
Availability of standard size granite slabs in India
- Gangsaw slabs – 260 x 160 cm up in 2 & 3 cm
- Cutter slabs – 180 x 60 cm up in 2 & 3 cm
Polishing of granite slabs
Polishing granite stone is an important activity that gives a superb appearance to the surface of colorful granite slabs. Check out the following activities involved in the game of granite slab processing.
- Shifting of slabs to stackyard near polishing machines
- Polishing of slabs with polishing machines and polishing blades.
- Using water jet technology to avoid dusting
- Polishing granite stone slab by hands or with fully automatic machine
Availability of finishes on granite slabs in India
- Surface finish – polished, lepatora, honed, sandblasted, antique (sandblasted + brushed), bush-hammered, bush hammered + brushed, and leather finish.
- Edge finish – Machine cut or hand-cut
Adding aesthetic elements to granite slabs
The addition of aesthetic elements to the slab is another step of granite slab polishing. This activity helps granite slab manufacturers make rough surfaces smooth. All surface finishes are different and applied on the stone surface as per the changing needs of buyers. There are a few activities that granite experts do to beautify the surface of a slab.
- Applying shiner on the polished surface of granite
- Making texture and color of the slab brighter
- Keeping slabs under shade not direct sunlight
All these activities are useful for making a granite slab functional and ready-to-use. With certified granite slab manufacturers, B2B granite buyers can expect high-quality granite slabs, processed and treated well at granite stone factories.