Slab
What is a Slab?
The definition of slab stone is necessary before we can respond to the question. In Latin, “slab” refers to a sheet or portion. One of the newest techniques for processing stone is the fabrication of slabs, which is accomplished with specialized tools like saws and wire cutters.Slabs are the end result of a stone-cutting technique rather than a particular kind of natural stone used for construction. Slab stone is the same stone that we see every day on the floors of workplaces and homes, as well as on the facades of buildings. But how large are these dimensions, you ask? Stone slabs are treated and manufactured in dimensions measuring 120 x 220 cm as the minimum size.
Slab production
As technology and the usage of contemporary equipment progress, more and more stone is being processed into slabs. On the other hand, this sort of stone is also being used in more and more innovative building interior design techniques.The stone is processed further once it is cut into slabs, including epoxy work, veining, sanding and polishing, milling, and telescoping. Slab stone is typically cut to a thickness of 2 cm, however it can occasionally be cut to a thickness of 3 cm. Many stones may be processed into slabs, and if the stages of cutting, substituting, and calibrating are effectively carried out, slabs can be used in various locations. Additionally, the slab processing procedure extends the life of the stone and increases its strength compared to the conventional techniques.
What qualities distinguish slabs?
The processing and preparation of stone in the shape of slabs has several benefits over the older techniques, and in addition to improving the stone’s beauty and eye-catchingness, it also greatly enhances its strength and lifetime. The stone is cut, calibrated, and sub-polished using high-end, contemporary equipment in this processing procedure, and the risk of shattering and crushing the stone is reduced thanks to epoxy work and the installation of a net behind the slab sheet. The benefits of utilizing stone slabs are generally as follows:
- Greater strength
- Stunning beauty
- Reduction of waste in production
- Accuracy and quality in cutting
- More quality than tile stones
- Ease of transportation and loading
- Ease of stone selection
- The ability to create book match and form match pages
- Lighting capability
- And more …
What is book match or four match slab?
The cutting and processing of stone is done in the book matching operation, which consists of two parts (book match) and four parts (four match), in such a way that the natural lines and veins in the slab stone are along each other or be symmetrical with each other. Shawls and stone veins are paired next to one another, much like a butterfly or carpet design that is symmetrical and an extension of the other.
The stones are carved into slabs and, in certain cases, tiles and numbered according to a precise and consistent pattern throughout the stone book matching procedure. Most of the numerals are written in groups of 2 and 4, and then the stone sheets are arranged next to one another to create a larger frame.
To put it another way, the side or side sheet must be sanded on the opposite side from the initial cut sheet of the stone. This indicates that the stone should be sanded and polished from the front and the rear, respectively. It is book match mode when two sheets create a frame adjacent to one another, and form match mode when four slab sheets combine to create a frame.
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Applications of slab:
- The interior of the building
- Hall and reception floor tiles
- Paving the floor of the lobby
- Lobby walls
- Building entrance
- Entrance halls
- Internal walls of the building
- Fireplace wall
- The side wall of the elevator
- Interior walls of the kitchen
- Kitchen cabinets and countertops
- Pool walls
- Dining table
- Space behind the TV (TV Wall)
- Business centers
- Luxury stores
- Decoration of luxurious halls
- Decoration of modern stores
- Hotels
- Meeting and conference halls
- Counters of public and commercial centers
- Luxury sanitary services
- Master and luxury bathrooms
- And …
All sorts of stone slabs are employed in numerous residential, office, commercial, and luxury buildings due to their high quality, breathtaking beauty, and relatively affordable selling price.
9 Basic Factors influencing the pricing of various slab:
If we wish to identify the criteria and qualities that are useful in estimating the costs of various slab stone varieties and to understand the variables influencing slab stone costs, we should pay attention to the following:
- The size and shape of the stone cup
- Type and nature of stone
- Coup mining and purchase costs
- Cutting and processing
- Sort or grading of stone
- The cleanliness and minimum amount of streaks on the surface of the stone
- The ability to create book match and form match frames
- Shipping costs
- Economic conditions and currency fluctuations
- And etc…
How are slabs produced?
Natural stone slabs are made by first removing the rocks straight from the quarries, transporting them to the stone cutting factory, and then converting them into slabs with thicknesses of 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, or more.
Natural stone slabs might be more expensive or less expensive than other natural stones due to the cutting, polishing, and more complex transporting processes. Various phases must be completed before the ultimate finishing, polishing, grinding, and enhancement of stone quality. Large chunks of stone are removed from the quarry wall in slabs. After that, the maker cuts these blocks into slabs or various shapes. Drilling, blasting, and sawing are frequently used for this.
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The entrance of Block to the factory
When natural stone slabs arrive at the plant for stone cutting, they are first put into a machine that creates stone slabs so that they may be sawed more easily in the following phase. The stone is typically sawed to the desired proportions. Diamond-coated blades and frame saws with several parallel blades, straight saws, and circular saws of various diameters are some of the different types of natural stone cutting saws. Modern granite stone cutting techniques are quite sophisticated, and they feature sophisticated control systems and integrated solutions for assembly line manufacturing and production optimization.
The stones are chopped into either a hard or soft saw machine after leaving the stone cutting plant. These diamond saws for cutting stone come with various blades and cutting capacities. Waterjet technology is used to cut natural stones. They cut as well. This technique uses water to carve stone. The stone slab is extremely smoothly and uniformly sliced when using a water jet device because water shoots out in a cone shape and at a high speed from a small aperture.
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Multiwire machine
Another technique for slicing and prepping slabs of natural stone is to use a multiwire machine, which is more sophisticated than a saw and accomplishes the same task. A multiwire machine can cut stones more quickly than a saw. For instance, the multiwire machine can cut soft stones like travertine and marble four times as quickly as a saw.
Multiwire machine’s cutting wires
The multiwire gadget uses many diamond wires to simultaneously cut multiple slabs of natural stone. Depending on the size, this device’s diamond wire count ranges from ten to seventy wires. This tool made it easier and faster to produce stone slabs by cutting both soft and hard stones.The epoxy stage comes after the natural stone slab has been cut.A extremely viscous substance, either synthetic or natural, called epoxy hardens under specific circumstances. Its epoxy is utilized in the factory during the fabrication of natural stone slabs to strengthen the material and provide a surface with a consistent look.
Next step
Following these processes, the natural stone slab’s surface is polished in a manner that starts with coarse abrasives and progresses to finer and finer abrasives until a totally polished surface is created, enhancing the stone’s inherent color and texture. On the other hand, a rough surface may be made using a variety of techniques. Natural stone slabs are polished in this location using specialized tools and materials to give them an exceptional gloss. The natural stone slab’s seams and minute holes are removed during polishing, which also renders the stone impervious to water and other substances. Additionally, this stage mirror-polishes the stone slab’s rough and rough textures.
Saw cutting machine:
A saw is one of the tools used in quarries to cut raw stone, and it is also one of the most crucial tools used in the stone business. This cut produces a stone known as sawstone. When the selected query’s stone cube is purchased, it is shipped to the factory and to this machine for cutting. The machine’s diamond-bladed saws begin cutting as soon as the block is positioned in its specific location.
There are various numbers of blades in each device. In the interim, it’s vital to note that the cutting machine’s power will depend on the number of blades. Therefore, the machine will be more powerful the more blades it has. In its lowest condition, the stone cutting saw machine has 40 blades, and in its greatest state, it has 80 blades.
The following processing processes are the same for all cutting machines after cutting.
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