For the development of a successful and profitable business, it is not always necessary to invest a lot of capital. The manufacture of decorative building materials is one of the growing business areas that pays off very quickly. However, for the development of such a business, quality equipment for the production of artificial stone, which will meet all modern requirements, is very important.
Artificial Stone Production Technology
- First of all, it is necessary to prepare the mold for artificial stone. At this stage, the form is polished, release material and gelcoat are applied to it.
- Preparation of the solution. For this, a mixer is used, in which sand, cement, dyes, water and other substances are poured. Materials for the production of artificial stone are thoroughly mixed and poured into molds.
- After this form, you must shake to remove air bubbles from the mixture.
- Drying the mixture at a temperature of about 30 ° C for eight hours.
- The finished artificial stone is removed from the molds and, if necessary, machined.
Equipment selection
In order for decorative materials to be in demand in the market, you should purchase high-quality equipment for the production of artificial stone.
Basic equipment:
- Concrete mixer. For a small production one will be enough. However, you should not buy the cheapest, because the production load on this equipment is quite large.
- Vibrating table forming and molding. Such equipment should be selected depending on the expected performance of your workshop.
- Drying chambers. The number of cameras also depends on how much finished products need to be issued as a shift. Do not forget that the products must be kept in the chambers for at least 8 hours.
- Molds for the production of artificial stone. The quality of the final product will depend on the quality of this equipment. Matrices should be strong enough and flexible. As a rule, this type of equipment is the most expensive in the organization of this type of production.
The choice of matrices for the manufacture of artificial stone
To make an artificial stone, matrices made of polyurethane rubber are used. Matrices should have a high degree of elasticity and not be prone to deformation. Only if the matrices for the production of artificial stone are strong and flexible enough, it will be possible to produce texture materials.
Of course, high-quality matrices are quite expensive. However, only with their help it is possible to accurately reproduce surface details in order to create a raised artificial stone. Quite often, in small workshops, matrices are made independently. But to obtain high-quality finishing material without using the correct form is impossible. Therefore, saving on matrices is impractical.
Additional equipment for the production of artificial stone
The production of decorative materials requires the use of standard workshop equipment, without which this production is impossible. Among such equipment should be highlighted:
- Electronic scales that have a weighing limit of one element up to 6 kg.
- Pallets in which the stone will be kept in molds.
- Tanks for bulk materials from which artificial stone is made.
- Container and small tool.
- Shelving and other workshop equipment.
Without all this, it is difficult to imagine the work of any production. Therefore, when calculating the required budget of the enterprise, it is necessary to include all the small workshop equipment in it.
Vibrating table
The most important machine for the production of artificial stone is a vibrating table. The operation of such equipment is based on the method of vibrocasting. The vibrating table is a stationary frame, which has two early-valued vibrators. The vibrating table can create vibration both in horizontal and vertical position. It is recommended to purchase vibration tables with horizontal vibration, because they form a smaller number of pores on the surface of an artificial stone.
In addition, it is important to remember that the lower the noise level of such equipment, the more comfortable it is for staff to work on it. In addition, the lower the noise level, the longer the equipment will last. The vibration table can be stationary and mobile, so you should decide where this equipment will be installed - in the workshop or on the construction site.
Concrete mixer and mortar mixer
Concrete mixer - equipment for the production of artificial stone, which has a forced effect. Such equipment can be optimally used for the preparation of sufficiently coarse molding sand that contains a small percentage of water.
The choice of equipment depends on the volume of products, the technology of production of the solution, as well as on financial capabilities. Imported equipment is more durable, but its cost is much higher. Therefore, if the production budget is small, then it is quite possible to do with domestic concrete mixers.
For thorough mixing of all components of the mixture, mortar mixers are used. The main element of such equipment is the shaft, which has special blades. Such equipment works with mixtures that have different levels of density. As a result of this, the resulting mixture has a high degree of uniformity.
