The production process begins with the mixing of a combination of raw materials (quartz or marble) with different grain sizes (from fine powder to grains with a diameter of 5-6 mm), organic paints and structural polyester resin (approximately 7%). In addition to acting as a binder, the resin contributes to the completeness of the product by showing excellent characteristics – flexural strength, impact strength and low absorption coefficient, thus obtaining physical properties and characteristics that are much higher than those of raw material. The polyester resin is hardened by heating and, through the computerized production process of vibrocompression under vacuum at high pressure, allows the production of large format slabs (120 x 120 cm and 140 x 305 cm) with different thicknesses (1-, 1.3-, 2- and 3 -cm), suitable for a wide range of applications.
The processing cycle provides for the production of individual slabs, thus eliminating the need for labor and expensive cutting operations, which are typical of all natural stones. The raw materials are initially mixed and homogenized with computer-controlled machines. The resulting mixture is then poured – in the required amount to obtain the appropriate thickness – between two sheets of paper placed on a conveyor, which delivers the product to the compaction area, where the mixture is pressed into slabs. Each slab is then cured in a curing chamber, which is a tower-like structure with multiple heating shelves, in which a temperature between 80 and 85 ° C is maintained. By heat treatment, the mixture, pressed into a slab, hardens in approximately 30-40 minutes, which is half the time required for a complete production cycle of a slab. Finally, the surface of each slab is processed as needed in several steps – surface smoothing, calibration, polishing, cleaning, veneering and edge treatment, depending on the purpose. Finished slabs can be delivered in very large quantities with controlled characteristics meeting quality standards, such as weight consistency, thickness and compactness, and homogeneity of design and surface color.
