HOW MARBLE SLABS ARE MADE
What is marble?
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term marble refers to metamorphosed limestone, but its use in stonemasonry more broadly encompasses unmetamorphosed limestone. Marble is commonly used for sculpture and as a building material.
How marble is exploited and processed?
Marble quarry is usually exploited floor by floor. The very first step consists of drilling. Workers will start to drill several holes in 3 different directions in order to thread the diamond wire saw into the hole for the next cutting step.
Next, the diamond wire saw will be threaded into the hole and the two terminals of the wire will be connected to make a complete circle.
The diamond wire saw cutting machine will operate to cut off all sides of the block, starting from the bottom side to the 2 sides adjacent to the wall. Now the whole block is completely separated from the mountain.
In order to remove the block from the cutting site, they use excavators, air bags and other to shove the block down to the floor. Loader machine will then load the block into the truck and transport it to the block yard for cleaning and further cutting, signing block number and quality control.
In the block yard, the raw block will be cleaned. Expert will then check the vein direction and quality of the block to decide the final size and cutting direction of the final block. Diamond wire saw will be used once again to cut the raw block into several final blocks. After all of these steps, block number will be marked onto block surface to define that block from the others. Block will now be transported to the factory for further processing.
In the factory, all blocks will be stored in the block yard.
Factory manager will decide which block to cut. Crane will now move the block onto trolley and adjust the direction to make sure that the final cutting direction can show off all the most beautiful vein.
Normally, with slabs thickness from more than 5cm, block will be cut by the block cutter machine. With slabs thickness from less than 5cm, it will usually be cut by the multiblade gang saw machine. Cutting speed will range from minimum 6cm/hour to 30 cm/hour depending on the stage of cutting and the hardness of the material.
Slabs will then be moved to automatic polishing machine. Normally, automatic polishing machine will include of around 18 polishing heads, whose function are raw grinding, fine grinding and polishing. This process is to create the glossiness of the surface and enhance the natural color of marble.
Now, marble slabs are ready for sales and for further cut-to-size requisition of customer.
That’s how marble slabs are made.
