| 摘要 |
An engineered stone production plant includes a vacuum vibration press (“VVP”) suspended above the ground, so that a conveyor belt and/or returning empty trays or molds from a curing oven to a mixing station can pass beneath the VVP. Rigid, self-supporting trays or molds can convey slabs through the plant on rollers, which allow independent horizontal movement of the slabs during spreading and coloring/veining of the slab mixture. Embodiments include air levitation for transporting slabs into and out of the VVP. The curing oven can be air-heated. The pressing plate can be sealed with the tray or mold by walls that extend downwardly from the press plate over a flexible covering sheet, by a gasket surrounding the pressing plate, or by an angle strip surrounding the slab mixture. In embodiments, the slab size can be changed by exchanging elastomeric mold walls, or by exchanging molds and pressing platens. |
| 主权项 |
1. A production plant for forming engineered composite stone slabs, the production plant comprising:
a vacuum vibration press capable of applying vacuum, pressure, and vibrational energy to a formed slab mixture deposited onto or into a slab supporting structure, said slab mixture comprising stone granules, stone powder, and a resin binder, said resin binder being no more than 15% of the slab mixture by weight, said vacuum, pressure, and vibrational energy being applied in a combination of amplitudes that is sufficient to compress said formed slab mixture into a close-packed configuration in which all voids between the stone granules and stone powder are filled by said resin binder, said vacuum vibration press being suspended above a supporting floor, so that a passage is provided between said vacuum vibration press and said supporting floor; and a slab transporting system configured to transport said formed slab mixture into and out of said vacuum vibration press, a portion of said slab transporting system being directed through said passage formed between said vacuum vibration press and said supporting floor; wherein the vacuum vibration press comprises: a vibration table within a vacuum chamber, said vibration table being configured for supporting the formed slab mixture from below; a pressing mechanism within the vacuum chamber, said pressing mechanism being configured for applying pressure to the formed slab mixture from above; at least one lower vibration device cooperative with the vibration table; and at least one upper vibration device cooperative with said pressing mechanism. |
