Roccia will have three members of staff in Verona for Marmomacc and they expect to be kept busy as a strong contingent of buyers from all sectors of the UK stone industry look to implement investment decisions that have been on hold since the economy crashed in 2008.
A major focus of Roccia’s attention this year is the Pellegrini Pentawire, which will be on show on the Pellegrini stand at Marmomacc. This is the same model of Pentawire fast adjustment five wire saw that has been bought this year by Forest of Dean Stone Firms (see the report on the right).
This is a saw not only for quarries to improve the efficiency of slabbing their own stone, but also for processors who want to start importing block rather than slab. Roccia Director Darren Bill says there are currently five more companies seriously considering investing in the Pentawire.
Pellegrini will also be showing its new Df2000 compact wire saw.
This has been designed as a completely framed machine, drastically reducing the civil engineering required to get it installed and working. It also comes in a four axes version for profiling.
On the GMM stand in Verona the range of machinery on show will include the ever-popular Brio, which remains the saw of choice for many in the kitchen worktop market, and the Zeda CNC saw that has a 1600mm rise and fall (‘Z’ axis).
GMM also now offers the Extesa CNC saw with an extended ‘Y’ axis stroke, designed specifically to be able to accommodate larger slabs and in particular the new generation of engineered stones. And GMM has now developed new software to enable its saws to process the new generation products efficiently, which will make its debut at Marmomacc.
Some stone processors that are taking the new sintered, ceramic and glass products on board have turned to waterjet cutting so tools do not have to be changed every time a different material is being processed. If you are looking for a waterjet cutter, there will be one, the Idroline, on the CMS Brembana stand.
CMS produces a range of waterjet machines, from the entry level Easy Line three axes machine to the Water Speedy with its multiple cutting heads. But the versatile Idroline remains the best seller.
First five-wire Pellegrini goes to Forest of Dean Stone Firms
The first five wire Pellegrini Pentawire sold into the UK by Roccia Machinery has been bought by Forest of Dean Stone Firms, which quarries and processes Forest of Dean Pennant sandstone.
The reason for the purchase was straightforward, says Nick Horton, the Managing Director of FoD Stone Firms: “We weren’t selling slab to the trade and we should be – both nationally and internationally.”
The Pennant producer was already sold on the idea of wire saws thanks to its two Bideseimpianti single wire saws, one of which will now go into the quarry to produce a flat side on blocks prior to them going under the five wire Pellegrini. It will mean 4,000 tonnes of irregular shaped block that had previously been left in the quarry can now be processed.
FoD Stone Firms might have bought a multiwire from Bidese, but following the company’s acquisition by fellow Italian machinery manufacturer Breton in 2011, Bidese had ceased production of its five wire saw and the smallest it now offers has at least 14 wires. “I don’t need that much,” says Nick. Like a lot of stone from the British Isles, the geology limits the size of the block that can be won and the company has no need for more than five wires.
So FoD Stone Firms turned to the Pellegrini, sold in the UK by Roccia Machinery, the company well known as the agent in the UK and Ireland for GMM bridge saws and edge polishers, and Brembana CNC workcentres.
What FoD Stone Firms particularly like about the Pellegrini is the ease with which the slab thickness to be cut can be altered, and that slabs of different thicknesses can be cut at the same time from the block.
Each of the five wires is on separate reels that can be individually set further apart or closer together when the machine is stationary by turning a detachable wheel at the end of the drum spindle.
If even thicker slabs are required, some of the wires can be removed. For example, FoD Stone Firms was recently asked to supply 450mm thick masonry for the restoration of Martello Towers. The solution was simply to remove two of the five wires.
FoD Stone Firms is one of only three British stone producers that will be exhibiting at Marmomacc. It will share a stand with Portland limestone producer Albion Stone and be close to Cumbrian slate and limestone company Burlington.
All three also exhibited in Verona last year and Nick says his return this year will convince international buyers that Forest Pennant is a serious contender in the world market. The Pellegrini will help FoD Stone Firms supply the orders it hopes to win.