Countertops are created from several types of stones.
The most common stone in use is Granite. Marble is also a preferred material.
To achieve a perfectly positioned countertop involves several factors.
• Cutouts for the sink
• Seams to appear seamless
• Cabinet positioning for proper placement of granite / stone slab
Stone is heavy and proper supports are needed as the countertop needs to last a longtime; probably a lifetime.
The alignment and cutting the openings of the sink is a critical element in the function as well as the decor of the kitchen. You could find more about the hard surface cutting solution.
Finally is the edging finish to the countertop. There are several edging finishes such as
• Half round
• Fully rounded
• Half round with bottom beveling
• Fully beveled
Presently a digital template of the countertop is produced as a computer file ensuring that measurements are accurate. The advantage of digital templating by laser ensures that accuracy is achieved due to the precision involved in digital measurements. This also prevents human errors. On the computer screen, the image of the stone slab is over-layed with the image of the digital template and everything is checked once again.
The stone slab is mounted on the worktable of the OMNI CNC 1325, which is a versatile CNC router for stone routing operations.
CNC machining by this robust state of the art stone router is precision combined with speed.
The stone slab is cut as per the image and edged; Cutout pieces for under mount sink and holes for faucets are drilled.
The reason for precision measurements taken earlier become clear as the under-mount sinks match perfectly and the half-round edging under the sink allows perfect fitting.
Polishing the back side of the coarse stone slab as well as the underside of the overhang gives a smooth feeling when felt.
To make the seams as seamless as possible the CNC machine uses polishing tools to make the surfaces of the joints smooth.
Countertops are manufactured from 2 cm and 3 cm quartz, or granite or engineered marble stones.
Mitered saw edging is possible as the heavy-duty spindle is capable of performing profiling and machining with ease.
Employing a higher rated spindle allows greater torque at lower rpm (revolutions per minute). This gives the added facility of honing, brushing and texturing of different stones.
OMNI-CNC Routers are equipped with NC Studio control system or DSP handle controller or Syntec PC platform.
Capable of spindle speeds of 24,000 rpm the CNC machine is equipped with water cooling system that is ideally suited for countertop production.
High degree of tolerance of plus or minus 0.05 mm (millimeter) for a machine that works with heavy stone material is achieved because of a robustly built frame that is reinforced by ultra-thick steel tubes with welds that are quenched.
To facilitate the easy movement of the stone slabs the machine table is equipped with a coolant tray with wheels.
See below stone engraving cnc router machine video: