They say bad workers blame their tools. And it is true there is a skill involved in using tools, even on the latest CNC machinery. But the right tools make a difference.
Developments in the machines for cutting and polishing stone have moved along rapidly in line with developments in computers and electronic communications. The latest CNC machinery is sophisticated stuff, as we saw in the previous issue of Natural Stone Specialist with the preview of machinery developments being shown at Marmo+Mac in Verona last month (September).
By comparison, the tools used by the machines seem fairly low tech and developments of them incremental.
But outward appearances can be deceiving. The diamond tools used in stone processing are precision engineered from finely tuned materials. As processors using a variety of materials will know, one size does not fit all.
A particular challenge to the toolmakers has come from the latest generation of superdense sintered materials. There is an element of workers blaming the tools as they learn how to fabricate the new materials. But the toolmakers have also been fully aware that the new materials make different demands on the tools and have been working to develop tools that can cut materials like Dekton, Lapitec and Neolith better and faster.
There are, of course, plenty of companies selling diamond stone processing tools in the UK and Ireland, including some of the same companies that sell the machinery; companies such as D Zambelis, LPE Tooling, Roccia Machinery, Waters Group, Stone Equipment International and others. There are also companies that specialise in tools, led by Stonegate, and some that sell mostly tools and consumables and some small machines – Combined Masonry Supplies, Harbro and so on. Readers will, no doubt, have their own preferred suppliers. And, of course, we all get inundated with emails in our inboxes from suppliers of unknown provenance from all over the world, especially China.
NSS asked suppliers for news about developments in tools and we include below some of the more interesting responses, starting with Stonegate.
Stonegate has made a considered effort to focus on the strategy of being a better supplier to its customers. It has followed external market research with new branding and a new website. And it presented its new image, as well as a wide range of tools, to the market on an impressive 60m2 stand at the Natural Stone Show in London this year.
Graham Hazell, Senior Director of Stonegate, says: “All of the team here at Stonegate are incredibly passionate about everything we do for our customers, putting them first and understanding what they need. It gives me a real buzz when we’re able to help our customers improve their processes through providing them with the specialist tools and advice they need to succeed.”
Through research and development in collaboration with fabricators, Stonegate has built a range of top-class diamond tooling for stone.
Although Stonegate sells popular brands such as Nicolai and 3M, it says it is its exclusive products, such as Cherokee, manufacturing high-performance diamond tooling since 2011, that really sets it apart.
Stonegate’s New Product Development & Operations Team constantly strives to develop innovative tooling. Latest is High-Speed Tooling, consisting primarily of the Falcon Diamond Bridge Saw Blade and the Status High-Speed Router.
Saw blade segments are often attached using copper strip welding, but laser welding on the Falcon Blade makes the bond 10 times stronger. That means it can cut particularly fast (up to 2.5m/min through granite and 3.5m/min through engineered quartz).
Stonegate Technical sales team member Clayton Worsley explains: “The Falcon Bridge Saw Blade is ideal for customers who want to seriously up their production capabilities and make a huge difference to their output.
“It’s not just the enhanced cutting speed, its overall life and durability are better than anything we’ve developed before. This is the new generation of bridge saw blade. We have had customers tell us that this high speed blade has literally been the difference between buying a new bridge saw and not.”
The Status High-Speed Router also delivers impressive performance. It is lighter and smaller than its counterpart Status routers but is capable of running at nearly double the speed – up to 400mm/min through granite and 600mm/min through quartz.
These new products are not only developed by and are exclusively available through Stonegate, they come with Stonegate’s expert technical knowledge, enabling their easy implementation in stone workshops so you can focus on getting the most from their throughput.
Stonegate is also well-known for its stone polishing products, again showcasing exclusive brands and innovative products. The most recent development here has been in conjunction with Stonegate’s polishing partner brand, Aztec. It is the Ultimax V6 Edge Polishing Pad, available with both snail lock and Velcro backing. Customers say these pads have exceptionally long life and produce an outstanding shine.
Stonegate has worked with Cosentino, the maker of Silestone and Dekton, to produce an exclusive range of high-quality, performance tooling that can be used successfully and efficiently to fabricate Dekton.
Stonegate says: “Such a high-quality material needs the very best tooling to ensure the finish lives up to the customer’s expectations. Our relationship with Cosentino is beneficial for everyone involved. Cosentino have peace of mind that the right products are being used on their material, fabricators get tooling that works effectively, and we get to spread our message about what great customer service and technical advice in the stone industry is all about.”
But the jewel in Stonegate’s crown has to be its worldwide exclusivity with Status Diamond Tooling. Status has made huge steps in the UK to provide the highest possible quality stone CNC tooling. Each tool is guaranteed to have a minimum 5mm diamond thickness, allowing metal tools to be redressed up to four times. That has cemented their reputation as being good value for money.
And they are readily available. Stonegate has worked closely with Status Diamond Tooling to guarantee availability and minimise downtime in workshops needing tools urgently. All the popular profiles are kept in stock at Stonegate’s purpose-built warehouse for immediate, overnight delivery and the company commits to having all CNC tooling orders turned round in 48 hours.
Carl Hazell, another Stonegate Director: “Through building strong working relationships with reputable suppliers we can continue to maintain our growth. We strongly believe in long-term supplier partnerships with those key to our business operations for the benefit of our customers. The effort is certainly paying off and we’re now reaping the rewards of years of hard work to ensure value for our customers who depend on our business to keep theirs operational.”
D Zambelis is unique among the tool suppliers because the founder, Demetris Zambelis, had many years of experience as a stonemason. All new tool releases by D Zambelis are initially tested by Demetris and then are given to selected customers for approval of their quality and life to ensure all customers are getting the best quality products. Demetris’ view is that if he wouldn’t use them he wouldn’t expect anyone else to do so.
D Zambelis is well known these days as the agent for Omag, Terzago and Achilli stone processing machinery. But Demetris and his wife, Stella, formed the company 22 years ago as a supplier of tools and consumables to stone companies.
The Natural Stone Show in London earlier this year provided an opportunity for the company to show customers and suppliers its new tooling catalogue, continuing to showcase its desire to provide the best tools and consumables as well as its range of tooling from Italian companies Nicolai Diamant, Diamar Srl and Cidiam Group.
At the Stone show new blades and tools for working specifically with superdense sintered materials Dekton, Lapitec and Neolith were launched. The blue blade pictured below is for cutting these materials. It is available in diameters 350mm to 500mm for next day delivery.
The new blue blades have supported centres, offering a clean, fast cut on bridge saws, especially for mitres.
Demetris says customers have found that when sawing the new ultra-compact materials, cuts should be made in the same direction as the initial tension releasing cuts, which seems to reduce the risk of the materials snapping. And if the blades seem to become a bit dull, there is a new ‘sharpener’. This looks like a brick shaped black stone that refreshes the blade.
In the last few months Demetris has also been testing new blades for cutting granite and engineered quartz and is impressed with the speed of the latest Hurricane Granite blade in 125mm and 150mm diameters for dry cutting. He says it is “brilliant”.
This has come as a surprise to him as he has always favoured segmented blades and here he was using a turbo type blade with side spokes that was cutting hard granite “like butter”.
The blades can be put on an angle grinder and used without chipping or breaking the stone to obtain a clean cut. But he has some advice: don’t push too hard or they will overheat and that can cause problems. “Let the blade work for you,” he says.
Another development is four step polishing pads for granite. A fourth pad, Grit Zero, has been added to what was previously a three step polishing system. Demetris found it was taking too long to remove all the marks with the first disc (Grit One), so he asked the manufacturer to develop a coarser disc to be used first.
Waters Group says the increased popularity of the latest ultra-compact surfaces (UCSs) such as Lapitec and Dekton have brought about notable changes in tooling over the past few years.
Waters Group says the tools it supplies from ADI and Konig have seen ground breaking improvements. Both companies now manufacture profile wheels, routers and blades specifically designed for use with all UCS materials and, as you would expect from these companies, the quality of finish and cut are of a particularly high standard.
Over the past few months Waters has seen a significant increase in sales of Italdiamant Evo Gres blades, which are made in Italy and feature diamonds set in a soft bond, which works well with UCSs. The blades run smoothly and give a clean, chip free cut.
Konig continues to strive for the perfect bridge saw blade and has now introduced one with a reinforced core that can cut up to 6m/min without deflection of the core at both 90º and 45º with a particularly clean cut.
Waters Group is currently working on perfecting a thin blade for use with power tools that will give a clean, fast dry cut of most of the commonly used stone materials. It expects the blades to be available any day now.
And Lately, the company has also been working with a European supplier to produce an own-branded double sided vanity blade. As it carries the Waters name, the company’s ambition is that it should be the best there is, achieving the previously elusive goal of working well on all materials.
The Waters blade has a high diamond content and will cut and shape all natural and engineered stone, says the supplier. With its triangle diamond pattern it achieves optimal grinding and cutting performance.
While the ranges of cutting and polishing tools evolve all the time, sometimes stone fabricators need something they just can’t buy off the shelf. At its factory in Italy, Diamut is happy to come up with bespoke solutions. In fact, it says it makes on average about 1,500 customised tools every year.
The factory works to ISO 9001 for quality assurance, recording 34,000 quality control checks carried out every year. Every step of the production process, from incoming materials to outbound logistics, is closely followed and monitored by individual operators through software written for the the purpose.
Diamut has been making diamond tools for more than 30 years. And although its European factory is in Italy, it is well represented in the UK and it supplies diamond tooling for most makes of machines, both automatic and semi-automatic.
Making diamond tools is precision engineering that requires considerable skill as well as advanced technologies, which is why, when Diamut wanted to move into a modern new factory to give it more space to keep pace with increasing demand, it wanted it to be as close to its former premises as possible. It did not want to lose the skills of its workforce.
Those skills are essential for the continuous development of both process and product.
And not many tool manufacturers can rely on a close technological partner for the development of their products. But Diamut works closely with Intermac, which makes CNC workcentres and waterjets, because both are part of Biesse group.
At the Marmo+Mac stone exhibition in Verona last month (September), Diamut was part of the integrated i4.0 presentation of the intelligent stone processing factory on the Intermac stand, incorporating Donatoni bridge saws following the collaboration started last year between Intermac and Donatoni. Now Montresor edge polishers have also joined them. And Diamut is helping all the machines perform to the best of their capabilities.