Method and equipment for producing artificial stone plate

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and equipment for producing an artificial stone plate. The method comprises the steps that the fragments are placed on the surface, the fragments are disordered through the height limiting device, and the height from the highest point of the fragments to the supporting structure is approximately the same as the height from the height limiting device to the supporting structure. The method then includes printing an image onto at least a portion of the top and sidewalls of at least a portion of the fragment using a digital printing device in a single digital printing step, and then placing an additional microwet composite material onto at least a portion of the fragment. The method further comprises printing an image onto at least part of the additional composite material using a digital printing device in an additional digital printing step, and then compacting, flattening and spreading the pieces into a sheet using a press roller.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application is a partial continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 535,852, filed on December 11, 2023, and is also a partial continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT / US2024 / 059224, filed on December 9, 2024. The entire disclosure of each of the above - mentioned applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Technical field

[0003] The present invention relates to methods and equipment for producing artificial stone slabs. Background art This section provides background art information related to the disclosure of the present application, which is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the earth's crust and is one of the hardest natural materials. One of its many uses is in "artificial stone". Artificial stone containing quartz has become a common choice for surfaces and countertops in many countries around the world; its applications include kitchen and bathroom countertops, tables and desktops, floor tiles, food service areas, wall claddings, and various other horizontal and vertical applications. The production of artificial stone generally involves mixing particulate materials such as ground quartzite, crushed glass, rocks, pebbles, sand, shells, silicon, and other inorganic mineral materials with polymers, binders, resins, colorants, dyes, etc. These particulate materials of multiple materials of different sizes used simultaneously can have particle sizes ranging from 400 mesh to 4 mesh. The polymer can include additives such as binders, curing agents, initiators, or combinations of the foregoing. The particulate materials are mixed with the polymer, binder, resin, colorant, dye, etc. to obtain a slightly moist mixture. This initial mixture can be processed through a crusher to reduce the size of the combined particles. The resulting finer mixture can be evenly distributed into a support mold, tray, or other support structure. The mixture can also be slightly compressed to make the surface of the distributed material smoother and flatter. Then, the mold or tray containing the slightly moist mixture is moved onto a conveyor belt with a backplate, and the processed slightly moist "slab" is moved into a vacuum press to compress the material. Then, the compressed material is placed in a curing machine and heated into a hardened artificial stone slab. After curing, the hardened slab is generally moved to a grinder to be ground to the desired thickness and then finished with a polishing machine.

[0005] Compared with natural stones such as marble and granite, artificial stones, including quartz - based artificial stones, have many advantages, usually including higher hardness, greater strength, lower water absorption, more stain - resistant, scratch - resistant, break - resistant, chemical - resistant, and heat - resistant, etc.; however, at the same time, compared with these natural stones, the disadvantages of artificial stones are also obvious. One of them is that artificial stones lack natural and random vein and color patterns.

[0006] In the past 10 years, people have started to use alternative particulate materials to replace quartz or in combination with quartz. These alternative materials include, for example, cristobalite, feldspar (including sintered feldspar), boehmite or aluminum hydroxide, cullet (including fracked glass), and other minerals and their polycrystals. Any of these fillers can be used to replace quartz in the present disclosure.

[0007] There are various known methods, devices, and systems that can produce artificial stone slabs having color patterns and textures similar to natural stone.

[0008] In various known methods, a composite material is to be mixed, which can include or consist of the following components: particulate stone or mineral, quartz, glass, shell, or hybrid polymer resin, dye, binder, curing agent, initiator silicon, or any combination of the foregoing materials. The composite material can vary according to various factors such as particle size, resin ratio, colorant, or composition. It should be noted that a colorant mixture of resin and colorant, or a colorant in only liquid, powder, or other particulate form, can be regarded as a composite mixture. This composite material or multiple composite materials can adopt the process disclosed in U.S. Patent No. US10,376,912 B2 to achieve the aesthetic feeling of natural stone. Before or after that, the composite material can also be further processed, such as by adopting the processes disclosed in U.S. Patents with Patent Nos. 9,707,698 B1 and 10,843,977 B2 of Xie. The contents of the above-mentioned patents are incorporated into this application by reference.

[0009] Among them, U.S. Patent No. 9,707,698 B1 of Xie discloses a process in which the composite material is to undergo a process of layering, compressing, and disrupting the composite material or multiple composite materials to achieve the aesthetic feeling of natural stone. In the processes disclosed in the prior art, before compressing the composite material by means such as a press roller, the composite material can be treated by lightly pressing the composite material, disrupting the composite material, or using a portal device to scrape off any excess material to make the upper surface of the composite material substantially smooth.

[0010] In the prior art, for example, in U.S. Application No. US20220048216A1 of Toncelli, it is specifically mentioned that different materials are laid layer by layer on a substantially flat surface, and then these materials are pressed together or sandwiched together, and then the materials are folded and pressed again. This will make the colorant layer and the material substantially on the same horizontal level and will not cause any mixing or deformation in the vertical direction.

[0011] In the prior art, in U.S. Patents US9707698B1 and US10843977 such as those of Xie, colorants or composite mixtures of different colors are included in each fragment. Thus, after compression by, for example, a pressure roller, the vein lengths do not extend to connect to other different fragments. The product formed by this process can be called a "short vein" sheet.

[0012] One way to ensure that the side surface areas of a large number of fragments are covered with colorants is to have a device similar to that taught in U.S. Patent Application 2019 / 0105800 of Xie (published on April 11, 2019, the content of which is incorporated by reference), where a scoring device or V-shaped rolling wheel is connected to a computer-controlled CNC to form a groove through the composite material, and the colorant is then deposited / placed on the walls of the groove. The problem is that the operations performed by the device on the material will form straight, smooth-edged lines with an undesirably heavy artificial imitation trace, and this defect will be exacerbated when passing through the pressure roller.

[0013] One existing method is to transfer a pattern of natural stone by decal or digital printing on the flat surface of artificial stone slabs, so as to form a realistic pattern similar to natural stone on the artificial stone slabs. However, with this method, the printed surface is easily worn, and the pattern is only on the flat surface of the slab. When used in the manufacturing and installation processes, the exposed side profiles will not be consistent with its upper surface.

[0014] During the production process of artificial stone, a layer of the flat surface of the unprocessed stone slab is ground off to obtain a flat surface, for example, between 1 millimeter and 5 millimeters, and then polished. The amount of material ground off from the surface of the unprocessed stone slab depends on the production process and quality control. The currently disclosed technologies can produce artificial stone slabs with realistic patterns in natural stone, where the patterns extend vertically (or in the depth direction) to the thickness of the slab (for example, beyond the flat upper surface, etc.), and by maintaining a through-thickness pattern throughout the thickness (or substantially the entire thickness) of the slab, even if a certain thickness is ground off from the flat upper surface, the pattern of the slab can still be retained. Summary of the Invention

[0015] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention discloses a method and device for producing artificial stone slabs.

[0016] A method for producing artificial stone slabs, comprising the following steps: Compressing a slightly wet composite material to form a dense composite material; Breaking the dense composite material into a plurality of fragments of the composite material; Placing at least a part of the plurality of fragments on a surface supported by a support structure; and then In the height-limiting step, a height-limiting device is used to disrupt multiple fragments so that the height of the highest point of the fragments relative to the support structure is substantially the same as the height of the height-limiting device relative to the support structure; then In a first digital printing step, a digital printing device is used to print an image onto at least a portion of the top and side walls of at least some of the multiple fragments; then Additional slightly wet composite material is placed onto at least some of the multiple fragments; then In an additional digital printing step, a digital printing device is used to print an image onto at least a portion of the top and side walls of at least some of the additional slightly wet composite material; then A pressing roller is used to press, flatten, and extend the multiple fragments into a slab.

[0017] Furthermore, after placing the additional slightly wet composite material onto at least some of the multiple fragments, another height-limiting device is used in an additional height-limiting step to disrupt the additional slightly wet composite material, so that the height of the multiple fragments and the additional composite material at their highest points relative to the support structure is substantially the same as the height of the other height-limiting device relative to the support structure.

[0018] Furthermore, after the additional digital printing step, the steps of placing additional slightly wet composite material and the additional digital printing step are repeated.

[0019] Specifically, the image printed in the additional digital printing step is substantially the same as the image printed in the first digital printing step, and is printed on top of the image printed in the first digital printing step.

[0020] Specifically, both the first digital printing step and the additional digital printing step print their respective images by depositing a coloring agent in a predetermined area on the support structure.

[0021] Specifically, the coloring agent is liquid.

[0022] Alternatively, the coloring agent is granular.

[0023] The present invention also discloses a method for producing artificial stone slabs, comprising the following steps: Place the slightly wet composite material onto the surface supported by the support structure; In a first digital printing step, use a digital printing device to deposit a coloring agent in a predetermined area on at least a portion of the top of at least some of the composite material on the support structure; then Place additional slightly wet composite material on top of at least some of the composite material and the coloring agent; then In an additional digital printing step, use a digital printing device to deposit a coloring agent in a predetermined area on at least a portion of the top of at least some of the additional composite material; then Use a pressure roller to press, flatten and extend the composite material into a plate.

[0024] Further, after placing the slightly wet composite material on the surface supported by the support structure, use a height-limiting device to disrupt the composite material so that the height of the highest point of the composite material relative to the support structure is substantially the same as the height of the height-limiting device relative to the support structure.

[0025] Further, after the additional digital printing step, repeat the steps of placing additional slightly wet composite materials and the additional digital printing step.

[0026] Specifically, the coloring agent and the predetermined area deposited in the additional digital printing step are substantially the same as the coloring agent and the predetermined area deposited in the primary digital printing step.

[0027] Specifically, the coloring agent is liquid.

[0028] Alternatively, the coloring agent is granular.

[0029] The present invention also discloses a method for producing artificial stone plates, including the following steps: Deposit composite material fragments on the surface; Use a height-limiting device to flatten at least some of the fragments on the surface so that the height of the flattened fragments relative to the surface is substantially the same as the height of the height-limiting device relative to the surface; then Print a first image on at least part of the fragments on the surface; then Place additional composite material on at least part of the fragments and the image on at least part of the fragments; then Print a second image on at least part of the additional composite material on the surface; then Use a pressure roller to press, flatten and extend the composite material fragments and the additional composite material into a plate.

[0030] Further, the first image and the second image are the same.

[0031] Further, after placing the additional composite material, use a second height-limiting device to flatten the additional composite material so that the height of the flattened fragments and the additional composite material placed thereon relative to the surface is substantially the same as the height of the second height-limiting device relative to the surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The drawings described herein are only for illustrating selected embodiments, not all possible embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a first device described according to an embodiment disclosed by the present invention; Figure 2 is Figure 1 a simplified perspective view of a part of a first device; Figure 3 shows Figure 1 a partial simplified top view of the first device shown in, in this state, the feeding device of the device forms a groove in the composite material while retaining the random shape of the side walls of the fragments; Figure 4 a perspective view of a second device described according to an embodiment disclosed by the present invention; Figure 5 a simplified side view 400 of the composite material, showing various fragment sizes and the random orientation of the fragment sides; Figure 6 a picture 500 showing the fragments entering the pressure roller after forming the colorant track, and the additional accumulation of fragments in front of the pressure roller; Figure 7 a view showing the situation when the fragments flow out of the pressure roller, in the pressure roller, the fragments are pressed together to form a flat plate, where the fragments are deformed and extended to form a "zigzag" through - vein on the flat plate; Figure 8 a view showing the finished slab after trimming, grinding and polishing after the processes shown in FIGS. 6 and 7; Figure 9 a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment disclosed by the present invention; Figure 10 a simplified block diagram of components used in an embodiment disclosed by the present invention; Figure 11 a side view 1000 of a pressure roller in an embodiment disclosed by the present invention, during operation, the pressure roller is used to deform, extend and press the composite material fragments together to form a flat plate; Figure 12 a side view 1100 of a pair of pressure rollers used according to an embodiment disclosed by the present invention; Figure 13 an image 1200 of a slab produced using existing known techniques, these techniques include coating the fragments with a colorant to form short veins within each individual fragment but not connecting the short veins formed by other fragments, which is different from the technique disclosed by the present invention, according to the present invention, long and connected veins are presented over a long distance throughout the slab; Figure 14 an image 1300 of a slab produced in a single batch according to an embodiment disclosed by the present invention, compared with the continuously produced slab, the degree of extension of the left - hand slab is very different from that of the right - hand slab; Figure 15Shows an image 1400 of a slab continuously produced according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with a degree of elongation that is generally uniform throughout the length of the slab; Figure 16 Shows an image of a natural stone slab that can be used as an input for applying a colorant to pieces of material for forming the artificial stone slab; Figure 17 Shows a distorted image (such as compressed, etc.) of the natural stone slab in FIG. 16, as described herein, to illustrate the elongation condition of the pieces and the colorant added thereto during the process of compressing the pieces to form the uncured stone slab; Figure 18 Shows an image of randomly shaped pieces placed on a support structure according to the present disclosure, in which a groove is formed, and the groove has serrated and non-smooth side walls; Figure 19 Shows an image of the cured finished slab, which has veins formed by the unique formation of the groove described herein and as shown in Figure 18 Shown.

[0034] Figure 20 Shows an image of a traditional slightly wet material for forming a slab, on which a groove is formed using a cutting technique known in the prior art, and the groove has smooth side walls; Figure 21 Shows an image of the cured finished slab, which has veins formed by the formation of a groove (as shown in Figure 20 Shown) using a cutting technique known in the prior art.

[0035] Figure 22 Shows an exemplary system according to the present disclosure, configured for producing artificial stone slabs; Figure 23 Shows a side view of an assembly example configured to apply an additional material layer (e.g., a material protection layer, a second material layer, etc.) to a continuous and compacted material plate as described in Figure 22 Shown; Figure 24 Shows an image of a natural stone slab that can be used as an input for applying a colorant to pieces of material for forming the artificial stone slab; Figure 25 Shows an image of pieces of material on a support structure, with a colorant added to the pieces according to the image of the natural stone slab shown in FIG. 24; Figure 26 Shows an image of the cured artificial stone slab formed from the pieces of material in Figure 25 The artificial stone slab includes the same as Figure 24A vein pattern similar to that of the natural stone slab shown in the image; Figure 27 A flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment disclosed in the present invention; and Figure 28 Showing according to Figure 27 In the flowchart, side views of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments at different steps.

[0036] The corresponding numerical designations represent corresponding components in all of the plurality of views. Detailed Description

[0037] The following is a general overview of the disclosure of the present invention and is not a complete disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

[0038] One or more embodiments disclosed in the present invention provide a method and apparatus for producing artificial stone slabs, wherein the fragment sizes (or fragment size ranges) of the composite material can vary widely to obtain a more realistic natural stone aesthetic. These fragments are then extruded into flat uncured slabs using one or more pressing rollers.

[0039] In at least one embodiment disclosed in the present invention, aggregate minerals such as quartz and / or other minerals or glass powder particles (such as the original aggregate material) can be combined with resin, colorants, and other additives in a high-speed mixer to obtain a pulverized slightly wet composite material (such as a slightly wet composite mixture of aggregate minerals, etc.). This pulverized slightly wet composite material (or mixture) can be compressed into a dense composite mixture known in the art.

[0040] After the dense composite mixture is prepared, in at least one embodiment disclosed in the present invention, it can be broken into a plurality of fragments in a controlled manner, for example, by dispersing the dense composite mixture with a stirring device, wherein the rotation speed of the stirring device can be varied: the faster the stirring device rotates, the smaller the fragments obtained by breaking the dense composite mixture. Alternatively, the dense composite mixture can be dropped onto a rigid grid or screen, and by controlling the size of the rigid grid or screen and / or the height of the drop, fragments of the desired size (or size range) can be obtained. There are also some other methods that can complete the breaking process to obtain randomly shaped fragments of the desired size. In any case, the dense composite material is broken so that the resulting fragments have the desired size (and / or size range) (such as about 90% or more of the fragment sizes being substantially the same or within the same size range, about 80% or more of the fragment sizes being substantially the same or within the same size range, about 50% or more of the fragment sizes being substantially the same or within the same size range, about 25% or more of the fragment sizes being substantially the same or within the same size range, etc.).

[0041] Then, these randomly shaped chunks of the composite mixture are evenly distributed on a support structure, such as a conveyor belt, a support mold or tray, a PET (polyester) film, etc., such that there are not significantly more chunks of the composite mixture in any one area where the chunks are distributed than in another area. The support structure can provide mechanical support, thereby confining the chunks within a certain area and preventing contamination. Ideally, no smaller chunks are significantly piled up in an area next to a large chunk such that the colorant cannot be deposited on the sidewalls of the large chunk. In other words, the chunks are distributed on the support structure such that some sidewalls of at least some of the chunks (e.g., the walls of the chunks not in contact with the support structure, etc.) are exposed (and / or not in contact with other chunks or the sidewalls of other chunks). Generally, no more than 50% of the chunks should be distributed in any one square foot area compared to another square foot area; furthermore, if the chunks of the shape are piled up too high, the chunks may compress together under their own weight and lose their original shape, especially when the resin content in the mixture is relatively high.

[0042] The advantage of processing and arranging these randomly shaped chunks of the composite mixture in this way is that when an additional layer of the composite material is added in certain areas, such as by spraying a colorant on a previous layer in a predetermined area, the colorant will also be sprayed on the sidewalls of some of the randomly shaped chunks. These sidewalls can be randomly shaped (such as serrated, zigzag, etc.) rather than smooth flat surfaces. In this way, compared to a slightly compressed composite material (e.g., the material of chunks without being broken and / or without exposed sidewalls, etc.), this allows the colorant layer to be applied to a larger surface area; in a slightly compressed composite material, its surface is basically flat or includes fine particles of the mixture, so the colorant can only be coated or sprayed on the upper surface of the composite material. The number of randomly shaped chunks can vary, and the height of the randomly shaped chunks distributed on the conveyor belt may be greater than or much greater than the specified distance between the pressure roller and the conveyor belt, or the specified distance between the pressure roller pairs in another method. Therefore, when the randomly shaped chunks pass through the pressure roller, a material pile-up will occur at the front end of the pressure roller. The height of the accumulated material can be controlled by various factors, including the conveyor belt speed, the rotation speed of the pressure roller, the height or average height of the randomly shaped chunks distributed on the conveyor belt, the distance between the pressure roller and the conveyor belt or the distance or gap between the pressure roller pairs. Once passing through the pressure roller or the pressure roller pair, the randomly shaped chunks of the composite material will be squeezed by the pressure roller or the pressure roller pair and deformed into one body to form a flat (uncured) slab. The larger randomly shaped chunks also tend to be squeezed away from the pressure roller and at the same time are more inclined to squeeze the smaller randomly shaped chunks, thus changing the veins formed by the colorant deposited on the sidewalls of the randomly shaped chunks.

[0043] It is worth noting that depending on the desired final design aesthetic, it is desirable to cover more surface area of any randomly shaped chunks, and it is also important to cover more sidewalls or vertical surfaces of the randomly shaped chunks. The pressure roller will cause a significant amount of stretching of the composite material in the horizontal direction, but very little stretching in the vertical direction. Therefore, if the colorant is only on the upper surface of the composite material, or the upper surface of the composite material is slightly flattened, then the colorant will basically remain on the upper surface after passing through the pressure roller. For example, if a randomly shaped chunk has significantly more horizontal surface area, such as a flat disc, then all of the colorant on the upper surface of the disc will basically remain on the top surface after passing through the pressure roller. This will result in the colorant appearing on the horizontal upper surface of the slab, rather than having a uniform vein pattern in the vertical direction. However, if the randomly shaped chunk is a cylinder with a height greater than its width, and the colorant is applied to the entire height of the sidewall, then the colorant on the vertical surface of the randomly shaped chunk will be stretched in the horizontal direction after being deformed by the pressure roller. Subsequently, the appearance of the slab will have distinct vein patterns formed by the colorant not only on the horizontal surface, but also a uniform random vein pattern throughout the slab body in the vertical direction.

[0044] In addition to the pressure roller, there are other methods to achieve the same effect, such as using pressure to extrude the composite material through a narrow opening, such as injection molding.

[0045] One embodiment of the present invention may include a CNC (computer numerical control) controlled feeding device that uses a narrow head so that the device does not cut through (or cut through) the randomly shaped pieces, causing them to break or compress. Instead, the device gently pushes (or moves) the randomly shaped pieces aside and retains their random shape (e.g., it does not break the pieces or disturb the existing shape of the pieces, etc.). A slender and narrow tail made of a rigid flat plate is connected to the head and swings back and forth like a pendulum to further push the randomly shaped pieces aside, but without applying too much force to cause the random shaped pieces to deform or break. Because the randomly shaped pieces that are pushed aside are not broken or deformed (e.g., the side walls of the pieces are not merged or meshed together, but remain exposed and do not contact parts of other pieces, etc.), the device forms a channel through the pieces with a somewhat random edge profile. In this way, once the channel walls are coated with colorant and drawn (e.g., horizontally, etc.) by rollers, a more realistic veining effect can be produced. This is in contrast to the smooth groove walls formed in the composite material using a V-shaped cutting wheel device or any other form of cutting device. After the channel is formed, additional layers of composite material or colorant are applied to the predetermined areas that may include the channel. An example of this method includes using a CNC controlled spray gun to deposit colorant on top of certain areas of the random shaped pieces. In this way, the side walls of the random shaped pieces that are pushed by the feeding device will have colorant deposited on them. Because each random shaped piece is close to each other in the colorant deposition path, the colorant on each random shaped piece will extend (such as horizontally) to the adjacent random shaped pieces, thereby simulating the appearance of continuous long veins in the board after the slab passes through the roller or roller pairs. Because each random shaped piece is compressed and deformed differently, the continuous long veins formed by depositing colorant on a series of adjacent particles will appear in a random zigzag pattern after the pressing and stretching process, better simulating the random long veins seen in natural stone.

[0046] The size of the random shaped pieces is very important in controlling the amount of colorant used. Since the colorant is only deposited on the outer surface of any given random shaped piece, as the size of the random shaped pieces gets smaller, the volume of the composite material having the original color becomes smaller compared to the color of the colorant, until the particle size is small enough to change the color of the entire composite material to the color of the colorant. Smaller pieces can result in an undesirable solid color or short vein appearance after passing through the nip rollers.

[0047] Another way to ensure that a large amount of vertical surface area is coated with the colorant is to place randomly shaped chunks that are much larger than the other chunks. The colorant can be applied to the large randomly shaped chunks either before or after they are placed on the support structure. The placement location of each large randomly shaped chunk can be controlled or predetermined (e.g., preselected based on the desired vein pattern to be drawn, etc.). This will ensure that a large portion of the sidewalls of the large randomly shaped chunks are coated with the colorant. If there are enough large randomly shaped chunks placed adjacent to each other, then after passing through the pressure roller, these randomly shaped chunks will connect to form a long zigzag vein effect on the slab.

[0048] The larger the size of the randomly shaped chunks distributed on the conveyor belt, or the more randomly shaped chunks are piled up in front of the pressure roller relative to the distance between the pressure roller and the conveyor belt, the greater the degree of deformation and stretching of the composite material after passing through the pressure roller or the pair of pressure rollers. Subsequently, elongated veins are formed, and the degree of stretching or deformation is somewhat controllable, depending on the amount of composite material piled up in front of the pressure roller. If there is not enough composite material piled up in front of the pressure roller, then the amount of stretching or deformation of the composite material will be very small. In an extreme case, if there is insufficient material, the chunks will not be compressed and will come out of the pressure roller in the form of chunks rather than a flat plate. If there is too much material piled up in front of the pressure roller, the composite material will be overstretched. According to the aesthetic requirements of the final design, a specific amount of stretching or deformation is required (e.g., it can be controlled by the height of the chunks piled up in front of the pressure roller, the diameter of the pressure roller, the rotational speed of the pressure roller, the distance between the pressure roller and the support surface (or the pair of pressure rollers), etc.). In addition, the speed of the conveyor belt can be increased to make more randomly shaped chunks pile up in front of the pressure roller, or the speed of the conveyor belt can be decreased to make fewer randomly shaped chunks pile up in front of the pressure roller. The degree of stretching or deformation of the chunks (and the colorant added therein) generally controls (or determines) the length of the veins generated in the compressed material, etc. In addition, the amount of resin in the mixture also affects the degree of stretching (e.g., the more resin in the mixture or the higher the percentage, the wetter the chunks, and thus the easier they are to be stretched or deformed by the pressure roller or the pair of pressure rollers; etc.).

[0049] The rotational speed of the pressure roller or the pair of pressure rollers and the height between the belt and the pressure roller or the height between the pair of pressure rollers (as described above) also affect the degree of stretching or deformation of the randomly shaped chunks of the composite material.

[0050] In one or more embodiments disclosed in the present invention, the colorant is deposited or sprayed along a predetermined pattern or track connecting multiple chunks, not only on the surface of the chunks but also along the height of the sidewalls of the chunks. After depositing the colorant and passing through the pressure roller, elongated through-veins will be formed in the processed slab to form continuous veins.

[0051] One or more colorants can be deposited in a predetermined area of the composite material fragments. The colorants can be deposited simultaneously or not simultaneously. The deposition amount of each colorant can be controlled by a computer.

[0052] In one or more embodiments disclosed by the present invention, the size and / or position of the randomly shaped fragments are controlled by combining multiple methods of applying additional layers of composite material or colorants at specific positions, so as to coat the surface area or vertical surface area of the randomly shaped fragments in the required amount. After the colorants are applied, the composite material is processed by a pressure roller or a pair of pressure rollers or other similar stretching and compressing devices to form the required veins that better simulate natural stone. One or more embodiments disclosed by the present invention provide a device and equipment that can push the fragments aside, exposing more surface area or side walls of the randomly shaped fragments, while still maintaining the shape of the fragments without breaking or deforming them.

[0053] In one or more embodiments disclosed by the present invention, variables are stored and adjusted in a computer (for example, in a computer memory, etc.) to control which colorant, the amount of each colorant, the deposition area of the colorant on the composite material, and the degree of deformation and stretching of the composite material after passing through one or more pressure rollers. In at least one embodiment, the distance between the pressure roller and the conveyor belt or the distance between a pair of pressure rollers, the height and quantity of the composite material fragments, and the speed of the conveyor belt feeding the pressure roller are all controllable.

[0054] The significant advantages of the present invention are also manifested in that, compared with the one-by-one process of forming a single, different (uncured) slab at a time during the color formation process before the vibration and compaction processing of the slab, the present invention can achieve continuous running of the cloth. In addition to cost savings, the length of the produced slab being longer than the standard slab length (the standard slab length is usually about 3 to 3.6 meters) also has aesthetic advantages. Because, if a single slab is produced, the degree of stretching at the front or rear of the slab may be very different from that in the middle, because there is not enough material accumulated in front of the pressure roller at these positions. For example, if 10 uncured slab lengths (as a single batch of material) are continuously produced, the materials at the front and rear of the slab can be discarded, and the rest can be cut into pieces (with more coherent textures) with an increment of about 3 to 3.6 meters in length for further processing.

[0055] Another significant advantage disclosed by the present invention is the ability to save material costs. It is very difficult to evenly distribute materials within a sufficiently large range, for example, within a slab area of approximately (1.5 - 2.2) meters x (3 - 3.6) meters and a thickness of 60 millimeters. The vibration and compaction steps can flatten local areas, but it is difficult to flatten if one end of the slab has more material than the other end. During the production process, to accommodate this unevenness, the slab is usually produced thicker than required and then ground to the appropriate size in later processes. For example, if the required thickness of the final product is 30 millimeters, a slab with a thickness of 36 millimeters may be produced and then ground and polished to 30 millimeters, wasting an additional 6 millimeters of material. By using a pressure roller or a similar device to flatten the excess material, a slab that is more consistent and flatter than the prior art can be produced, thereby allowing the production of a slab thinner than 36 millimeters before grinding while maintaining the 30 - millimeter thickness of the final product.

[0056] In at least one embodiment, a method of producing artificial stone slabs is provided, which includes: crushing and mixing composite minerals / materials, compressing the composite minerals / materials to form a compressed composite material; fragmenting the compressed composite material into a plurality of composite material fragments; distributing the composite material fragments onto a support structure; depositing a colorant onto a predetermined area of at least a portion of the sidewalls of some of the plurality of composite material fragments; and using a device to press, flatten, and extend the plurality of composite material fragments into a slab.

[0057] The device for pressing, flattening, and extending the plurality of fragments may include a first pressure roller and a second pressure roller; wherein, the plurality of fragments pass between the first pressure roller and the second pressure roller, pressing, flattening, and extending the plurality of composite material fragments into a slab.

[0058] In at least one embodiment disclosed by the present invention, before using the device to press, flatten, and extend the plurality of composite material fragments into a slab, a portion of the plurality of fragments deposited with the colorant are arranged on the support structure in a predetermined pattern.

[0059] In at least one embodiment disclosed by the present invention, before depositing the colorant on at least a first group of the plurality of fragments, at least the first group of fragments are arranged on the support structure in a predetermined pattern.

[0060] In at least one embodiment, the device for depositing the colorant on at least a portion of the sidewalls of at least some randomly - shaped fragments can be a digital printing device, similar to an inkjet printer or a dot - matrix printer, which deposits (e.g., prints) the colorant within a specific area range along the length and width of the randomly - shaped fragments placed on the support structure (e.g., according to a predetermined image of the desired vein of the produced slab, etc.). As described herein, the digital printing device can be controlled by a CNC.

[0061] In view of this, an image of natural stone can be uploaded to a digital printing device (e.g., directly or through a computer device communicatively connected to the digital printing device, etc.), whereby the digital printing device can obtain the image of natural stone. Image processing software can be used to map the image of natural stone onto the controls of the printing device so that the printing device can print the image of natural stone onto randomly shaped fragments on the support structure at a desired resolution (e.g., map the coordinates of the image to the corresponding coordinates of the support structure, etc.). The digital printing device can deposit (e.g., print) colorants of different colors in liquid, powder, or granular form. For example, in some examples, the digital printing device can include at least one nozzle configured to move relative to the support structure in the X, Y, and / or Z directions so as to deposit a desired colorant (e.g., desired color, quantity, etc.) onto the fragments at a specific location on the support structure (e.g., based on the uploaded image, etc.). In other examples, the digital printing device can include a row (or multiple rows) of a plurality of nozzles extending across the width of the support structure, wherein specific nozzles are driven to deposit a desired colorant (e.g., desired color, quantity, etc.) onto the fragments on the support structure as the fragments move past the nozzles (e.g., under the nozzles, etc.) (thereby depositing the desired colorant onto the fragments at a specific location) (e.g., based on the uploaded image, etc.). In some embodiments, the digital printing device can be an automatic device that, in response to receiving and obtaining an image of natural stone, etc., automatically prints colorants of different colors in liquid, powder, or granular form onto the fragments, including at least a portion of the sidewalls of at least some of the fragments on the support structure.

[0062] In at least one embodiment, according to the desired final aesthetic, the pressure roller can stretch the natural stone image on the fragments printed on the support structure to a certain extent (for example, the natural stone image printed on the fragments on the support structure is imitated or based on the natural stone image uploaded to the device for depositing the coloring agent on the fragments, etc.). To make up for this, the uploaded natural stone image can be processed (or pre-processed) by a computer device (for example, through computer software such as Photoshop, or other similar software available to AI or the computer device, etc.), so that the uploaded image is compressed or distorted along an axis consistent with the axis of the pressure roller or the pressure roller rolling on the fragments on the support structure (for example, the image is distorted / compressed along the length direction or dimension of the stone slab in the image, etc.). Therefore, the image printed on the fragments will take into account the certain degree of stretching caused by the pressure roller. Then, the image is printed on the fragments, including on some side walls of some fragments, and extended by the pressure roller, and a vein similar to the original image before compression can be obtained (in the un-cured slab after compression). It should be understood that the generated veins may not be exactly the same as the original printed image, and there may be a certain degree of variation, randomness, and distortion. However, the generated veins can still provide a more realistic appearance of natural stone than before.

[0063] The digital printing device here can have a length and a width and one or more nozzles, so that the coloring agent can be deposited (through the printing device) at specific positions along the length and width of the fragments on the support structure. Each nozzle can deposit a specific amount of coloring agent at a specific position and time in order to deposit the coloring agent and print the desired natural stone image onto the randomly shaped fragments on the support structure (for example, according to the processed uploaded image, etc.). The computer device (through the software contained therein) can be used to analyze the image and provide instructions to the support structure on how to synchronize the conveyor belt speed, provide instructions to the printing device to cause the printing device to deposit (such as print, etc.) ink or coloring agent on the fragments, and provide instructions to the pressure roller to control the degree of rolling of the pressure roller (such as the pressure roller speed, the distance between the pressure roller and the conveyor belt, etc.). One or more nozzles of the printing device can be set (or adjusted during operation as needed through the printing device) so that the distance between the nozzle and the randomly shaped fragments should be at least about 1 millimeter from the highest point of the fragments on the support structure and not more than about 120 millimeters from the lowest point of the fragments on the support structure. In addition, it can be adjusted according to the thickness of the slab to be produced. The closer the nozzle is to the surface of the randomly shaped fragments on the support structure, the higher the printing resolution. Conversely, the farther the nozzle is from the randomly shaped fragments on the support structure, the lower the resolution.

[0064] In fact, as described above, no matter what image the digital printing device prints on at least part of the side walls of certain fragments, it will be deformed and stretched after being processed by the pressure roller. This is an expected and desired characteristic of the pressure roller. In some cases, the original image may be distorted beyond recognition due to the pressing and stretching process. When selecting the image to be printed on the fragments, this effect should be taken into account, and an appropriate image should be selected, which can produce the desired color, shade, and vein after further processing by the pressure roller, so as to better imitate natural stone.

[0065] In at least one embodiment, after pressing, flattening, and extending randomly shaped fragments with at least some coated side walls into an uncured slab by a pressure roller or pressure rollers, a second layer of material (where the uncured slab can be regarded as the first layer) can be distributed on top of the uncured slab. The second layer of material can consist of a translucent or semi-translucent mixture. The mixture can include mineral aggregates, crushed glass, resin, colorants, chemical additives, or combinations thereof. The second layer can be distributed or substantially evenly distributed to cover the entire first layer (e.g., before cutting the first layer and / or curing the first layer).

[0066] In view of this, in at least one embodiment, another pair of pressure rollers can be used to press the second layer with consistent thickness and density to prepare for laying the second layer on top of the first layer. When pressing the second layer, a PET film or other type of reinforcing film or reinforcing mesh can be pressed on top of it for co-pressing to prevent the materials in the second layer from breaking (before laying it on the first layer), and then the second layer is evenly laid on top of the first layer with the PET film still on top of the second layer.

[0067] The uncured slab, including the first layer and the second layer thereon, can be further processed by vacuum, vibration, and compaction processes known in the art. The PET film on the upper surface of the second layer can be removed after the vacuum compaction process. The amount of material deposited to form the second layer can be controlled so that after vacuum, vibration, and compaction, the height of the second layer is about 2 - 8 millimeters. Then, the slab formed including the first layer and the second layer can be cured according to methods known in the art.

[0068] Subsequently, most of the second layer is removed from the cured slab by evenly grinding the upper surface of the cured slab using a grinding machine. For example, assuming a second layer with a height of 2 - 3 millimeters is formed, about 1.5 - 2.5 millimeters can be ground off. Generally, the grinding machine should stop grinding before grinding any material of the first layer.

[0069] Generally, during the processing of artificial stone slabs, after being vacuumed, vibrated, and compacted into an uncured slab, the slab will never be completely smooth. If a finished product with a thickness of 30 millimeters is required, generally a slab with a thickness of 34 - 39 millimeters needs to be produced, and then the slab is ground to 30 millimeters to ensure that its upper and lower surfaces are flat and smooth.

[0070] In summary, the second layer of material added to the uncured slab (as described above) serves as a protective layer. Thus, when the top of the slab is ground flat, during the grinding process, the material of the first layer or a significant amount of material is not ground off (to provide a smooth upper / lower surface), thereby retaining the pattern printed on the upper surface of the first layer and subsequently pressing, flattening, and stretching it. Since the second layer has a semi-transparent or translucent nature, the pattern on the upper surface of the first layer can be seen through the second layer.

[0071] The mixture of the second layer can be formulated to be chemically and mechanically / physically compatible with the mixture of the first layer. Additionally, the colorant can be formulated to be physically and chemically compatible with the composite material used to form the plurality of chunks.

[0072] One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for producing artificial stone slabs having a pattern extending through the entire thickness (or substantially the entire thickness) of the slab (e.g., a slab having a through-body pattern, etc.).

[0073] In at least one embodiment, a process can be employed to evenly place a composite material on a support structure. The composite material can be formed by a process in which, as described herein, most of the randomly shaped fragments are between about 25 and 250 millimeters. Then, in a height-limiting step, the composite material or the randomly shaped fragments can pass under a height-limiting device that is set at a predetermined height above the support structure. The height-limiting device can slightly compress and / or disrupt the tops of the taller composite material or randomly shaped fragments so that, after this step, the height from the highest point of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments to the support structure is substantially the same as the height from the height-limiting device to the support structure. For example, the distance by which the composite material or randomly shaped fragments are compressed or disrupted may be 3 to 30 millimeters from their highest points. Additionally, this height-limiting measure will reduce the height variation of the entire composite material or randomly shaped fragments (and / or form a plateau or a substantially flat upper surface on part of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments) such that when additional composite material or randomly shaped fragments (and / or colorants, etc.) are added in a subsequent step, some of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments will rest on top of the flat area formed by the height-limiting device and will not move or be placed in the low points between two larger composite material or randomly shaped fragments. For example, the height-limiting device can be a roller configured to disrupt or compress the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, or a scraper configured to disrupt or scrape the composite material or randomly shaped fragments. Disrupting can include flattening or compressing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, breaking up the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, pushing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments to one side so that the taller portions fall to lower positions, or any combination of these actions to ensure that the maximum height of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments is properly set.

[0074] In a height-limiting step, after the composite material or randomly shaped fragments pass under the height-limiting device, in a digital printing step, a colorant can be deposited onto at least some of the flat upper surfaces and / or at least some of the sidewalls of at least some of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments within a predetermined area by a digital printing device, thereby printing an image thereon. The height-limiting device can ensure that the composite material or randomly shaped fragments are at an appropriate height such that the composite material or randomly shaped fragments do not contact one or more nozzles of the digital printing device. Additionally, this can also ensure that the distance between the nozzles of the digital printing device and any given point on the composite material or randomly shaped fragments is as small as possible (e.g., within the required range, less than the required threshold, such as between about 1 and 30 millimeters, etc.) so as not to have a negative impact on the resolution of the digital printing. Since the digital printing device deposits the colorant on an uneven surface, the farther the surface is from the nozzles of the digital printing device, the blurrier or lower the resolution of the printed area.

[0075] Then, an additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments can be deposited on at least some of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments on the support structure that have been coated with a digitally printed colorant. In one example, the amount of the additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments deposited can be about 3 to 20% of the weight of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments initially placed on the support structure. Most of the fragment diameters in the additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments can be between 5 and 35 millimeters.

[0076] Optionally, after adding the additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments on the support structure can pass under another height-limiting device that is set at a predetermined height above the support structure in an additional (or second) height-limiting step. The height-limiting device can slightly compress and / or disrupt the tops of the taller composite materials or randomly shaped fragments so that the height from the highest point of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments to the support structure is substantially the same as the height from the height-limiting device to the support structure (e.g., the same as the height in a first height-limiting step, a different height greater than or less than the height in a first height-limiting step, etc.). For example, the height-limiting device can be a roller configured to disrupt or compress the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, or a scraper configured to disrupt or scrape the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments. Disrupting can include flattening or compressing the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, scattering the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, pushing the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments to one side so that the taller parts fall to lower positions, or any combination of these actions to ensure that the maximum height of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments is set correctly.

[0077] After the additional height-limiting step, in an additional printing step, the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments can have a colorant deposited on at least some of the flat upper surfaces and / or at least part of the side walls of at least some of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments using a digital printing device to have an image printed thereon. The height-limiting device can ensure that the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments are at an appropriate height so that the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments do not contact one or more nozzles of the digital printing device. Additionally, this can ensure that the distance between the nozzles of the digital printing device and any given point on the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments is as small as possible (e.g., within the required range, less than the required threshold, etc., such as between about 1 millimeter and 25 millimeters) so as not to have a negative impact on the printing resolution. Optionally, the additional printing step can print a pattern or design that is substantially the same as the first printing step, so that the same areas of different layers of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments have the same colorant or image.

[0078] In this way, at least some portions of an additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments placed on a support structure can have a colorant deposited beneath and above them by one or more printing devices, in addition to having the colorant applied to at least a portion of their sidewalls (e.g., the colorant can be located between layers of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, etc.). This process of restricting the height of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, placing an additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, selectively restricting the height of the additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments again, and depositing a colorant on at least a portion of the additional layer of composite materials or randomly shaped fragments can be repeated multiple times according to the details required for each layer and the final aesthetic requirements of the finished slab.

[0079] Following the above steps, the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, along with the digital printing (such as colorants, etc.) thereon, can be pressed, flattened, and extended into an uncured slab by the press rollers or press roller pairs described herein. Then, the uncured slab can be cured as described herein.

[0080] It should be emphasized that in the embodiments, the composite materials used herein (e.g., placed on a support structure, etc.) are initially formed by combining dry sand, dry powder, resin, and other additives through a high-speed mixer. Then, the composite materials can be compressed and controllably broken into randomly shaped fragments within a desired size range (as described herein). If these randomly shaped fragments are stacked together for a period of time, they will be affected by gravity and adhere together to form a pile of composite materials. Therefore, there is a limit to the working time after obtaining the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments.

[0081] By way of analogy, when kneading dough (e.g., during baking, etc.), one can apply oil and colored seasonings on the surface of the dough. As the dough is continuously kneaded, the oil and colored seasonings applied on the surface of the dough will eventually be kneaded in and out of the entire dough. If kneaded for a long enough time, the dough will become monochromatic. If the kneading time is not long, random patterns will appear for the oil and colored seasonings, and there will also be some gradual color transitions throughout the dough. The smaller the dough, the easier it is for the oil and colored seasonings applied on the surface of the dough during kneading to mix in from the outside of the dough.

[0082] From the description herein, more applicable fields will become obvious. The description and specific examples in this section are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0083] The exemplary embodiments will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description and specific embodiments included herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not used to limit the scope of the disclosure of the present invention.

[0084] Figure 1 is according to the present invention Figure 3Partial perspective view of the first device 1 in one of the illustrated embodiments.

[0085] Figure 2 A close-up simplified perspective view showing a part of the first device 1 is presented. The device 1 is shown to include a motor 18, a component 14, a shaft 16, a feeding device 10, and a color spraying device 6. The color spraying device 6 includes tubes 7a and 7b which supply the nozzles 6a and 6b respectively. The shaft 16 is configured to be rotated by the motor 18 and the component 14 in the C1 (counterclockwise) or C2 (clockwise) direction to rotate the feeding device 10 around the shaft 16.

[0086] Figure 3 A simplified top view of the first device 1 is shown. In this state, the feeding device 10 of the device 1 forms a channel 150 in the composite material 160 while maintaining a random shape (e.g., zigzag, etc.) of the side walls of the fragments of the composite material 160 (e.g., where the side walls of some of the fragments are at least partially exposed and not in contact with the side walls of other fragments, etc.).

[0087] Figure 4 A perspective view of the second device according to an embodiment disclosed in the present invention is shown, where the second device includes a pressure roller device 200 and a pressure roller device 300. The pressure roller device 200 includes an upper pressure roller 202 and a bottom pressure roller 210, and the pressure roller device 300 includes an upper pressure roller 302 and a bottom pressure roller 310. The pressure roller device 200 further includes a film winder 204 and a film unwinder 206. The pressure roller device 300 further includes a film winder 304 and a film unwinder 306.

[0088] Figure 5Shows a simplified side view of the composite material 400, demonstrating various chip sizes and random orientations of the chip sidewalls. The composite material 400 includes a plurality of chips, including chip 402 and chip 404. Chip 402 has sidewalls 402a and 402b, and chip 404 includes sidewalls 404a and 404b. The orientations of sidewalls 402a, 402b, 404a, and 404b are different relative to the conveyor surface of conveyor 102. The chips (including chips 402 and 404) are formed from a raw material mixture (or different mixtures, or different batches of mixtures), which have been compressed previously (e.g., as part of a first compression operation, etc.), and then broken. The resulting chips include chips 402 and 404. In this regard, chips 402 and 404 can be from the same compressed raw material mixture (which has been broken). Alternatively, chip 402 can be from a first compressed raw material mixture (which has been broken to form chips having a first size or a first size range), and chip 404 can be from a second compressed raw material mixture (which has been broken to form chips having a second size or a second size range different from the first size or the first size range). Then, the chips from the first compressed and second compressed raw material mixtures (including chips 402 and 404 respectively) are combined to form the composite material 400 composed of chips.

[0089] Figure 6 Shows a photograph 500, in which the chip 504 is after forming the colorant track and before entering the pressure roller 502. The area 504a of the chip 504 is determined as the area where the chips "pile up" or "accumulate" in front of the pressure roller 502. As described above, the chip 504 can be obtained from a mixture of raw materials (or different mixtures or different batches of mixtures), which have been compressed previously (e.g., as part of a first compression operation, etc.), and then broken. In this example, the chip 504 (and the colorant coated thereon) will be compressed by the pressure roller 502 (e.g., as part of a second compression operation, etc.).

[0090] Figure 7 Shows the situation of the chip 600 when leaving the pressure roller. Under the pressure roller, the chips are pressed together to become part of a continuous slab and are flattened and extended (before the slab cures).

[0091] Figure 8 Shows after going through Figure 6 and Figure 7 the processes shown, and a picture 700 of the finished sheet after pressing, curing, trimming, rough grinding, and polishing.

[0092] Figure 9 Shows a flowchart 800 of a method according to an embodiment disclosed in the present invention.

[0093] Aggregate minerals such as quartz sand and powder (e.g., raw aggregate materials, etc.) can be combined with resin, colorants, and other additives in a high-speed mixer to obtain a slightly wet composite material (or a composite mixture of slightly wet aggregate minerals) in step 802. This composite material (or mixture) is compressed (e.g., by rollers, etc.) into a dense composite mixture in step 804 (e.g., as part of the first compression step, etc.). In certain embodiments, the dense composite mixture does not include a colorant or a colorant is not added thereto to form veins (as described herein, the colorant is added later).

[0094] In Figure 9 step 806, the dense composite mixture (e.g., the dense composite mixture in step 804) is broken into a plurality of fragments. The process of breaking the dense composite mixture into a plurality of fragments is preferably carried out in a controlled manner, e.g., by a stirring device that disrupts the dense composite mixture, where the rotational speed of the stirring device can vary, such that the faster the stirring device rotates to break the dense composite material, the smaller the fragments formed.

[0095] Alternatively, the dense composite mixture can be dropped onto a rigid grid or screen to break the dense composite mixture into thick pieces or irregularly shaped fragments of the composite material. By controlling the size of the screen and / or the height of the drop, most of the fragments can be obtained with the desired size or size range.

[0096] There are other ways to obtain a plurality of fragments.

[0097] In certain embodiments, multiple "batches" of the dense composite mixture can be formed (in steps 802 and 804). Then, the first batch of the dense composite mixture is broken into a plurality of fragments (e.g., in step 806), and most of the resulting fragments are within the desired first size range. Additionally, the second batch of the dense composite mixture is broken into a plurality of fragments (e.g., in step 806), and most of the resulting fragments are within the desired second size range (which can be different from the first size range). More batches of the dense composite mixture can also be broken into a plurality of fragments (e.g., in step 806), and most of the resulting fragments respectively fall within the desired third, fourth, etc. size ranges (which can be different from the first, second, etc. size ranges). In this way, fragments of different desired sizes can be formed from the dense composite mixture (subsequently used to form the slabs described herein).

[0098] The size of the fragments can vary according to the final aesthetic effect. However, each three-dimensional fragment among the multiple fragments mentioned in step 806 can have a width, a length, and a height, and the maximum dimension of the width, length, and height is preferably between 25 and 250 millimeters. The size of the fragments formed / used depends on the amount of veining required for the final aesthetic effect. Generally speaking, the larger the fragments, the larger the veining after processing by the press roller or pair of press rollers.

[0099] The shape of each fragment is usually preferably random because if the fragments are too uniform, the veining generated after processing by the press roller will appear too mechanical or unnatural.

[0100] In Figure 9 step 808, the multiple fragments are placed relatively evenly on a support structure, such as a conveyor belt, to avoid areas with significantly more composite material than other areas. When doing so, in some embodiments, fragments having a specific / desired size (or a desired size range) are selected (from the available fragments formed in step 806) and placed on the conveyor belt (e.g., randomly placed at specific positions on the conveyor belt, etc.). The fragments can be distributed on the conveyor belt, with at least part of the side walls of some fragments (e.g., the walls of the fragments not in contact with the conveyor belt, etc.) exposed (and / or not in contact with the side walls of other fragments or other fragments). In this way, the side walls of the fragments are exposed to apply the colorant (as described herein).

[0101] In some embodiments, when placing the fragments on the support structure, at least one fragment (e.g., a fragment having one or more desired sizes, etc.) is distributed at specific predetermined positions on the surface of the conveyor belt (e.g., based on a predetermined fragment position mapping to obtain a specific veining design, etc.) (e.g., using the position placement control device described herein, or manually, etc.). This helps to ensure proper spacing between fragments of different sizes and / or shapes on the conveyor so as to produce the desired veining effect (having a specific position, length, etc.) in the resulting slab (when the fragments are pressed, flattened, and extended by a press roller, etc.).

[0102] In Figure 9 step 810, the colorant is applied to the side walls of the multiple fragments. In some embodiments, the colorant is applied to the side walls of the fragments such that the colorant is applied substantially over the entire height of the side walls of the fragments (e.g., by one or more devices described herein, including the color spraying device 6, digital printing device, etc. described herein).

[0103] In some embodiments of method 800, related to applying a colorant to the sidewalls of a plurality of pieces, method 800 may further include forming grooves (as generally described herein) in the plurality of pieces and applying the colorant to the sidewalls of the plurality of pieces at the grooves (e.g., on the sidewalls of the pieces forming the grooves, etc.). In such an example, the grooves may be formed by moving at least a portion of the plurality of pieces while substantially not breaking or deforming the pieces (e.g., not changing or adjusting the shape of pieces with a random original shape, etc.). Additionally, in these embodiments, the grooves may have a non-linear pattern and / or may have a non-smooth (or non-cutting) random edge profile. Further, in some embodiments, after applying the colorant to the pieces at the grooves in a first step, additional colorant may be applied to the pieces (e.g., applied again at the grooves, away from the grooves, etc.) (such as adding additional colorant as part of a second step of applying the colorant (e.g., via a digital printing device, etc.)).

[0104] Additionally, in some embodiments of method 800, related to applying a colorant to the sidewalls of a plurality of pieces, method 800 may include applying the colorant to the sidewalls of the plurality of pieces (e.g., via a digital printing device, via other nozzles, etc.) as generally described above (as a first step of applying the colorant to the pieces). Then, method 800 may include forming grooves (as generally described herein) in the plurality of pieces after the first step of applying the colorant. Then, in some embodiments, as a second step of applying the colorant to the pieces (e.g., via a nozzle, etc.), additional colorant may be applied to the sidewalls of the plurality of pieces at the channels (e.g., on the sidewalls of the pieces forming the grooves, etc.).

[0105] Furthermore, in some embodiments of method 800, using a digital printing device to apply a colorant (e.g., print, etc.) to the sidewalls of a piece (at step 810), an image of natural stone (e.g., directly or via a computer device in communication with the digital printing device, etc.) may be provided (e.g., uploaded, scanned, etc.) to the digital printing device. The image may include a desired vein pattern that will be incorporated into the artificial stone slab formed by method 800. During this process, as described herein, the image may be processed in view of the rolling of the piece by the pressing roller in step 812. In particular, the image may be compressed, e.g., along an axis that is aligned with the axis along which the pressing roller rolls the piece on the support structure. Then, the compressed image is mapped onto the support structure (e.g., in X coordinates and Y coordinates, etc.) and printed onto the pieces on the support structure. Then, the digital printing device deposits (e.g., prints, etc.) different color colorants in liquid, powder, or granular form onto the pieces to match the vein pattern on the compressed image (mapped onto the pieces on the support structure).

[0106] Correspondingly, Figure 16 it shows an example image of the required natural stone pattern that can be provided to a digital printing device, Figure 17 and it shows the processed example image. As shown, Figure 17 the processed image in is compressed in the horizontal direction (as Figure 17 shown), for example, along an axis that coincides with the axis of the roller calendering the fragments on the support structure).

[0107] In Figure 9 step 812 of, random-shaped fragments (and the colorants applied thereon) are compressed (e.g., as part of a second compression step, etc.) and extended / deformed using a roller, a pair of rollers, or other devices (as generally described herein). In this way, in some embodiments, the fragments form a continuous, compressed sheet on a conveyor belt (e.g., using a roller, a pair of rollers, or other devices), and the sheet is not cut or has not been cut (and has not been cured).

[0108] In some embodiments, the continuous, compressed sheet material (along, through, on the conveyor belt, etc.) enters a cutting device (e.g., arranged along the conveyor belt, etc.) from a roller, a pair of rollers, or other compression devices. In Figure 9 step 814 of, the continuous, compressed sheet (uncured or not yet cured) is cut by a cutting device (e.g., still on the conveyor belt, etc.) to form compressed sheets of the required length (from the continuous compressed material sheet) (similarly, before the compressed sheet is cured and before any curing step is performed in method 800).

[0109] In step 816 of FIG. 9, the cut compressed stone slabs of the required length are processed and then cured to form cured sheets (cured artificial stone sheets). For example, the cut sheets can be conveyed (e.g., through a conveyor belt or a different conveyor belt, etc.) from the conveyor belt of the cut material to a vibration and vacuum compaction device, and then conveyed to a curing furnace for curing. The cured slabs can be further processed as needed (e.g., cooled by a cooling tower, etc.), trimmed to size, ground to the required thickness, polished, etc.).

[0110] In at least one embodiment disclosed in the present invention, the dense composite material / mixture specified in step 804 is formed.

[0111] The advantage of processing and placing multiple fragments in this way is that when additional layers of composite material are added in certain areas, for example by spraying a colorant on the first few layers in a predetermined area, the colorant will also be applied to the sidewalls of the randomly shaped fragments. These sidewalls are typically of random shapes (such as zigzag, serrated, etc.) rather than smooth planes; in this way, compared to a slightly compressed composite material with a generally flat surface, the surface area of the colorant layer is larger, so the colorant is basically only applied to the upper surface (see also FIGS. 16-18 and the corresponding discussion below).

[0112] The number of randomly shaped fragments distributed on the conveyor belt may vary, and the height of the randomly shaped fragments distributed on the conveyor belt may be greater than or much greater than the specified distance between the pressure roller and the conveyor belt, or the specified distance between the two pressure rollers of the pressure roller pair in another method. Therefore, when the randomly shaped fragments pass through the pressure roller, material accumulation will occur at the front end of the pressure roller. The height of the accumulated material can be controlled by various factors, including the conveyor belt speed, the rotation speed of the pressure roller, the height or average height of the randomly shaped fragments, the distance between the pressure roller and the conveyor belt, or the distance between the pressure roller pair. In this way, the accumulated fragments (and the colorant wrapped on the fragments) usually accumulate in front of the pressure roller, so that a sufficient number of fragments are compressed and stretched by the pressure roller, thereby forming the desired vein effect in the generated slab. The height of this accumulation (which can be changed by adjusting the speed of the conveyor belt and the height of the first pressure roller) can in turn be used to change, for example, the length of the veins formed in the slab. Correspondingly, the randomly shaped fragments of the composite material (and the colorant applied thereto) will be extruded and deformed into a flat uncured slab after passing through the rollers. The larger the randomly shaped fragments (and the colorant coated thereon), the greater the tendency to be squeezed away from the pressure roller and towards the smaller randomly shaped fragments, thereby changing the vein pattern formed by the colorant deposited on the sidewalls of the randomly shaped fragments.

[0113] In one or more embodiments disclosed in the present invention, a film dispenser and a film collector are attached to the pressure roller and installed on each pressure roller when the pressure roller calenders the fragments (and the colorant). The composite material is a slightly wet mixture of particles and may stick to the pressure roller. To prevent this, a protective film can be applied to the pressure roller using a film dispenser (such as a film dispensing roller) upstream of the contact position between the pressure roller and the random fragments. Downstream of the pressure roller, a film collector (such as a film collecting roller) can be used to remove or roll up the used film. A PET protective film can also be used between the fragments and the conveyor belt to prevent the slightly wet fragments from sticking to the conveyor belt.

[0114] For example, the height of randomly shaped fragments piled up (or accumulated) in front of the pressure roller can be about 100 millimeters from the belt, and the gap between the pressure roller and the belt can be about 30 millimeters (for example, the height of the piled-up fragments can be about 2 to 4 times (or more or less) the size of the gap between the pressure roller and the belt, or about 4 times or less, etc.). After the randomly shaped fragments leave the pressure roller, they become flat plates with a height slightly higher than 30 millimeters due to the extrusion deformation of the roller. The composite material has a certain elasticity, so the final height may be slightly greater than the height of the pressure roller. Since the colorant is also applied to the side walls of the randomly shaped fragments (before the fragments pass through the pressure roller), the colorant veins will not only appear on the upper surface of the slab but also penetrate the entire thickness of the slab, thus forming a satisfactory natural and random through-vein appearance.

[0115] In one or more embodiments disclosed in the present invention, multiple sets of pressure rollers can be used in sequence to gradually press the material through multiple pressure rollers or pairs of pressure rollers. For example, the height of randomly shaped fragments piled up in front of the pressure roller can be about 100 millimeters from the conveyor belt, the gap between the first pressure roller and the conveyor belt or between the first pair of pressure rollers can be 30 millimeters, and the gap between the second pressure roller and the conveyor belt or between the second pair of pressure rollers can be about 28 millimeters.

[0116] In one or more embodiments disclosed in the present invention, randomly shaped fragments can be placed on a stationary support structure, and the pressure roller or pair of pressure rollers can be designed to move back and forth along a track to press the randomly shaped fragments, similar to rolling dough with a rolling pin. The height of the pressure roller or pair of pressure rollers can be adjusted.

[0117] It should be noted that while it is desirable to cover more surface area of randomly shaped chunks, depending on the desired final design aesthetic, it is also important to cover more sidewalls or vertical surfaces of randomly shaped chunks. The pressure rollers have a significant stretching effect on the composite material in the horizontal direction but a minimal stretching effect in the vertical direction. Thus, if the colorant is only on the upper surface of the composite material or the upper surface of the composite material is slightly flattened, then the colorant will largely remain on the upper surface after passing through the pressure rollers. For example, if a randomly shaped chunk has significantly more horizontal surface area, such as a flat disc, then all of the colorant on the upper surface of the disc will largely remain on the upper surface after passing through the pressure rollers. This will result in the colorant appearing on the horizontal upper surface of the slab rather than a through-color appearance in the vertical direction. However, if the randomly shaped chunk is a cylinder with a height greater than its width and the colorant is applied over the height of the entire sidewall (e.g., smeared over the entire height of the sidewall or substantially the entire height of the sidewall, etc.), then the colorant on the randomly shaped vertical surface will be stretched and deformed in the horizontal direction after passing through the pressure rollers. Subsequently, the appearance of the slab will have visible colorant veins not only on the horizontal surface but also random veins throughout the body of the slab in the vertical direction (e.g., throughout the entire thickness of the body of the slab or substantially throughout the entire thickness of the body of the slab, etc.).

[0118] Figure 10 Figure 900 shows a simplified block diagram of the components used in one embodiment of the present disclosure. Block diagram 900 shows a computer processor 902, a computer memory 904, and a computer interaction device 906. The computer interaction device 906 can include a computer touch screen, a computer mouse, and / or a computer keyboard, etc. Block diagram 900 also shows the stock feeding device 10 shown previously in Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0119] As Figure 10 shown, the computer processor 902 is communicatively coupled to at least the color spraying device 6, the stock feeding device 10, the placement position control device 908, the speed control devices 912 for the pressure rollers 202 and 302, the height control devices 910 for the pressure rollers 202 and 302, and the conveyor belt 102 speed control mechanism 102a.

[0120] An embodiment disclosed by the present invention may include a stock pusher device 10 controlled by a CNC, for example, programmed by computer software stored in a computer memory 904 using a computer processor 902. A narrow head is used at one end 10a of the stock pusher device 10 so that the stock pusher device 10 does not cut (or slice) through randomly shaped fragments to cause them to break or compress. Instead, the stock pusher device 10 is configured to slightly push or move a plurality of randomly shaped fragments to one side and retain their random shapes (for example, without changing or substantially not changing the shapes of the pushed or moved fragments, etc.).

[0121] The stock pusher device 10 has one end 10a and an opposite end 10b. The stock pusher device 10 has a head 10c and a tail 10d.

[0122] As Figure 2 shown, the tail 10d is slender, having a width W1, a length L1, and a height H1. The width W1 is preferably the same throughout the length L1. The dimensions of W1, L1, and H1 may be 2 mm, 90 mm, and 80 mm respectively, so the tail 10d is slender.

[0123] The slender narrow tail 10d is preferably made of a flat hard board, can be connected to the head 10c, and is configured to swing back and forth like a pendulum by rotating around an axis 16 to further push the randomly shaped fragments to one side, but the pushing force cannot be too strong to avoid deforming or breaking the randomly shaped fragments. The swinging distance can vary according to design requirements (such as the width of the groove to be formed), and the swinging force can vary according to a specific formula used to form the randomly shaped fragments. The swinging of the stock pusher device 10 forms grooves within the plurality of fragments. Since the plurality of randomly shaped fragments pushed to one side are not broken or deformed or are substantially not broken or deformed (for example, when the fragments are pushed or moved, the shapes of the fragments do not change or are substantially not changed, maintaining their general starting shapes, etc.), the edge profile of the grooves has a certain randomness. In this way, once the channel walls are coated with a coloring agent and stretched by a pressure roller or pressure rollers, a more realistic vein effect can be produced. This is in contrast to the smooth groove walls formed by using, for example, a V-shaped cutting wheel device or any other form of known cutting device through a composite material.

[0124] Related to the above content, for example, FIG. 18 shows a plurality of randomly shaped fragments 1602 placed on a support structure 1604.

[0125] The grooves 1606 are formed in the fragments 1602 in the above-described manner, whereby some of the fragments 1602 are moved or pushed to one side (e.g., away from other fragments so as to form grooves 1606 therebetween, etc.), while the moved fragments 1602 are substantially not broken or deformed or changed in shape. Thus, the resulting grooves 1606 (e.g., elongated grooves, etc.) form a non-linear pattern and have a random edge profile, and the side walls of the grooves are not smooth (e.g., serrated, etc.). The side walls of the fragments forming the grooves do not merge or engage with each other (since the fragments are only moved to one side without destroying their shape), but remain exposed and not in contact with other fragments, etc. Accordingly, when the colorant is applied to the fragments at the grooves, the additional surface area of the side walls can be used to receive the colorant. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 19, the veins formed on the slab generally have a zigzag shape (based on randomly shaped fragments being moved / pushed to form grooves / veins (correspondingly, which have a non-smooth random edge profile and are more similar to the cracks in natural stone)).

[0126] In contrast, in a conventional slab forming operation, the grooves are cut out in a soft and slightly wet material, and the side walls of the grooves are smooth (any material fragments in the material will deform to form smooth side walls). In one embodiment, as Figure 20 shown, the grooves 1806 are formed in the generally slightly wet material 1808 by such a conventional cutting operation and are used to form the slab. It can be seen that the conventional grooves 1806 have smooth side walls. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 21, the veins formed in the slab are also relatively smooth (which uses a conventional cutting operation to form smooth groove walls / veins).

[0127] After the grooves are formed, a composite material or a colorant can be applied to a predetermined area. One embodiment of this method includes using Figure 2 the spray gun or color spraying device 6 controlled by a CNC (and / or computer processor 902) as shown, to deposit the colorant on a certain area of a plurality of randomly shaped fragments. In this way, the colorant is deposited on the side walls of a plurality of randomly shaped fragments moved by the stock pusher 10. Since each of the randomly shaped fragments along the colorant deposition path is very close, the colorant on each randomly shaped fragment will extend to the adjacent randomly shaped fragments, and after the slab passes through the pressure rollers (such as Figure 4 the pressure rollers 202 or 302 in), a continuous long vein is simulated. Since each randomly shaped fragment is squeezed and deformed to a different degree, the continuous long vein will have a certain random zigzag pattern, better simulating the random veins in natural stone.

[0128] The size of the randomly shaped chunks is important for controlling the amount of colorant used. As the size of the randomly shaped chunks decreases, the volume having the original color of the composite material also decreases until the particle size is small enough to change the overall color of the composite material to the color of the colorant. After passing through a pressure roller (such as Figure 4 the pressure rollers 202 or 302 in

[0129] Another way to ensure that the colorant coats a large amount of the vertical surface area is to place randomly shaped chunks that are significantly larger than other chunks on a conveyor belt, such as conveyor belt 102, or other support structures. For example, Figure 10 the placement position control device 908 shown, which is controlled by a computer processor 902, can control the position of each large randomly shaped chunk placed on the conveyor belt 102 or other support structures. For example, the position can be determined according to the desired vein pattern, such as placing the large randomly shaped chunk at a specific position on the conveyor belt relative to the pressure roller device 200 or 300, etc. This will ensure that a large portion of the side walls of the large randomly shaped chunks are coated with colorant. If enough of these large randomly shaped chunks are placed close together, after passing through the pressure rollers (such as pressure roller devices 200 and 300), these randomly shaped chunks will connect to form a long vein effect.

[0130] Distributed on Figure 1 the larger or more numerous the randomly shaped chunks on the conveyor belt 102, the greater the degree of deformation and stretching of the composite material after passing through the pressure rollers 202 and 302. Thus, slender veins with a controllable degree of stretching are formed, depending on the amount of composite material stacked in front of the pressure rollers 202 or 302. If there is not enough composite material stacked in front of the pressure rollers 202 and / or 302, as Figure 4 shown, the amount of stretching of the composite material will be small. In extreme cases, if there is not enough material stacked, the chunks will not be compressed and will leave the pressure rollers in the form of chunks rather than a flat plate. If too much material is stacked in front of the pressure rollers 202 and / or 302, the stretching of the composite material will be excessive. A specific amount of stretching is required according to the aesthetic requirements of the final design. In addition, the computer processor 902 can increase the speed of the conveyor belt 102 so that more randomly shaped chunks are stacked in front of the pressure rollers 202 or 302; or decrease the speed so that fewer randomly shaped chunks are stacked in front of the pressure rollers 202 or 302.

[0131] The rotational speed of the pressure roller or pressure roller pair 202 and 302 (controlled by the computer processor 902 through the pressure roller speed control device 912) and the height between the conveyor belt 102 and the pressure roller or pressure roller pair 202 and 302 (controlled by the computer processor 902 through the pressure roller height control device 910) also affect the degree of deformation of the randomly shaped chunks of the composite material.

[0132] In one or more embodiments disclosed by the present invention, a colorant is deposited, such as by a color spraying device 6, along a predetermined pattern or track that deposits the colorant both on the surface of the fragments and along the height of the side walls of the fragments, connecting multiple fragments. For example, a specific fragment on the conveyor belt 102 can be identified (e.g., by a computer processor 902 through an imaging device, etc.), and the color spraying device 6 can be operated to specifically spray the identified fragment or spray in a specific pattern that connects the identified fragments, etc. After depositing the colorant and passing through the pressing rollers 202 and 302, the subsequently elongated through-going veins will appear as continuous veins on the surface of the generated slab.

[0133] The control of the fragment size generally depends on various factors, including the desired final design aesthetic, and the method of depositing additional layers of composite material or colorant onto the surface area or side walls of the fragments. After applying the colorant, a desired pattern will be formed on a single or multiple fragments. This method is used in combination with the pressing rollers 202 and 302 to obtain the desired effect.

[0134] There are also other embodiments that use instruments and devices other than the above-mentioned material feeding device 10 to push the fragments to one side to expose more surface area or side walls of the fragments, while still maintaining the shape of the fragments without breaking or deforming them.

[0135] Variables can be adjusted and stored in the computer memory 904 so that the deformation and stretching degree of the composite material after passing through the pressing rollers 202 and 302 can be controlled by computer software executed by the computer processor 902. In at least one embodiment, the distance between the pressing rollers and the conveyor belt, the height and quantity of the composite material fragments, and the speed of the conveyor belt 102 feeding the pressing rollers 202 and 302 are all controlled by the computer processor 902.

[0136] In at least one embodiment, the computer processor 902 can process an image of natural stone in the computer memory 904 or an image of natural stone that has been processed such as compressed or distorted, and communicate with the color spraying device 6 to deposit a colorant on at least part of the side walls of at least part of the multiple fragments according to the image of natural stone or the image of natural stone that has been processed such as compressed or distorted.

[0137] Figure 11Figure 1000 is a simplified side view of the pressure roller 1002 rotatably mounted on the member 1004 during operation in an embodiment disclosed by the present invention, wherein at least some of the plurality of fragments 1050 of the composite material are being compressed by the pressure roller 1002, and the remaining portions of the fragments 1050 will be compressed when the conveyor belt 1006 moves in the D1 direction to move the fragments 1050 towards the pressure roller 1002. The component 1052 represents the fragments pressed into a sheet by the roller 1002, which has a through-going vein pattern (e.g., extending through the thickness of the slab or substantially through the thickness of the slab, etc.) over the entire compressed uncured slab. Figure 11 The steel plate 1008 is also shown on which the conveyor belt 1006 moves.

[0138] Figure 12 Figure 1100 is a schematic simplified side view of the upper pressure roller 1102 rotatably mounted on the member 1104 during operation in an embodiment disclosed by the present invention, wherein at least some of the plurality of fragments 1150 of the composite material are compressed by the upper pressure roller 1102 and the lower pressure roller 1108, and the remaining portions of the fragments 1150 will be compressed when the conveyor belt 1106 moves in the D4 direction to move the fragments 1150 towards the gap between the pressure roller pair 1102 and 1108. The component 1152 represents the fragments pressed into a sheet by the combination of the pressure roller pair 1102 and 1108, which has a through-going vein pattern that penetrates the entire compressed uncured slab (e.g., extending through the thickness of the slab or substantially through the thickness of the slab, etc.). Figure 12 The steel plate 1112 is also shown on which the conveyor belt 1106 moves.

[0139] In Figure 12 the illustrated embodiment, the lower pressure roller 1108 below the conveyor belt 1106 also rotates to help ensure that no braking effect occurs due to the friction between the upper pressure roller 1102 and the conveyor belt 1106.

[0140] The arrangement of the pressure roller pair can be in an up-and-down configuration, as Figure 12 shown; it can also adopt configurations including left-and-right configuration or having a certain misalignment according to needs without being completely vertically up-and-down or completely horizontally left-and-right; not shown in the figure.

[0141] Figure 13 shows a slab produced using techniques known in the prior art, which include coating the fragments with a coloring agent and forming short veins within each individual fragment, but these short veins do not connect with the short veins formed in other fragments; in contrast, the techniques disclosed by the present invention provide the appearance of long and connected veins extending over a relatively long distance throughout the slab.

[0142] One significant advantage of one or more embodiments disclosed by the present invention is the ability to continuously produce materials rather than producing one slab at a time. In addition to cost savings, producing slabs with lengths greater than the standard slab length (the standard slab length is typically about 3 - 3.6 meters) has aesthetic advantages. This is because if a single slab is to be produced, the degree of stretching at the front or rear of the slab may be significantly different from that in the middle because there is not enough material accumulation in front of the pressing rollers at these positions. For example, if the length of 10 uncured slabs is continuously produced (e.g., as a continuous length of material along conveyor belt 102), the materials at the front and rear of the slab can be discarded, and the remaining length of the material can be cut into 3.2 - meter length increments for further processing (e.g., for curing, etc.).

[0143] Another significant advantage of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is the ability to save material costs. It is very difficult to evenly distribute materials over a sufficiently large area. For example, the area of a slab may be approximately (1.5 - 2.2) meters x (3 - 3.6) meters, and the thickness is 60 millimeters. Vibration and compaction steps can flatten local areas, but it is difficult to flatten if one end of the slab has more material than the other end. During production, to accommodate this unevenness, the slab is usually produced thicker than required, and then the slab is ground to the appropriate size in later processes. For example, if the desired thickness of the final product is 30 millimeters, a slab with a thickness of 36 millimeters can be produced and then ground and polished to 30 millimeters, thus wasting 6 millimeters more of the material. By using pressing rollers or similar devices to flatten the excess material, slabs that are more consistent and flatter than those in the prior art can be produced, allowing the produced slabs to be thinner than 36 millimeters while still maintaining the 30 - millimeter thickness of the final product.

[0144] According to one embodiment disclosed by the present invention, Figure 14 An image 1300 of a slab produced in a single batch is shown. Compared with the continuously produced slab, the degree of stretching of the left - hand slab is very different from that of the right - hand slab.

[0145] According to one embodiment disclosed by the present invention, Figure 15 An image 1400 of a continuously produced slab is shown, where the degree of stretching is substantially consistent throughout the length of the slab.

[0146] According to one embodiment disclosed by the present invention, Figure 22 A system 2000 is shown, which is configured to produce the artificial stone slabs described in the present invention (e.g., generally in accordance with method 800, which can be executed by system 2000, etc.).

[0147] As shown in the figure, the exemplary system 2000 includes a mixing unit 2002 configured to combine (or mix) aggregate minerals such as quartz or glass gravel and powder (e.g., raw aggregate materials, etc.) with resin, colorants, and / or other additives to obtain a slightly moist composite material (or slightly moist composite mixture of aggregate minerals) (e.g., substantially the same as step 802 of the aforementioned method 800; etc.). After mixing, the composite material (or mixture) is conveyed by a conveyor 2008 (e.g., a conveyor belt or other supporting surface, etc.) to a first compression unit 2010. The first compression unit 2010 is configured to compress the composite material on the conveyor belt 2008 in this example into a dense composite mixture (e.g., as part of the first compression step, etc.) (e.g., substantially the same as step 804 of the above-described method 800, etc.). Then, the conveyor 2008 is configured to convey the dense composite mixture to a crushing unit 2012, which is configured to crush the dense composite mixture into a plurality of chunks. As described above, this crushing of the compressed composite mixture / material can be achieved by a stirring device, dropping the compressed composite mixture / material onto a screen, or by other available methods to break the dense composite mixture into chunks (e.g., substantially the same as step 806 of the above-described method 800; etc.).

[0148] Once formed, the chunks (formed in the crushing unit 2012) are sent by the conveyor 2008 to a placement unit 2014, which is configured to place the chunks on a support structure 2016 (e.g., a conveyor belt, etc.), as generally described in step 808 of method 800. During this process, the chunks 2040 can be placed substantially evenly on the support structure 2016 (e.g., distributed within the width range of the support structure 2016, etc.) to avoid a situation where the distribution of the chunks 2040 in some areas is significantly more than in other areas. In at least one embodiment, the conveyor 2008 and the support structure 2016 can be the same, or the support structure 2016 can be placed on top of the conveyor belt 2008 in front of the first compression unit 2010. Correspondingly, the support structure 2016 is configured to convey the chunks 2040 to a color application unit 2018. As the chunks 2040 are moved by the support structure 2016 in the direction of arrow 2020 through the system 2000 Figure 22 the color application unit 2018 is configured to apply a colorant to the chunks 2040 on the support structure 2016, particularly to at least part of the sidewalls of at least some of the chunks 2040 (e.g., as generally described in relation to step 810 of method 800, etc.).

[0149] In the illustrated embodiment, the color application unit 2018 includes a digital printing device 2022 (as generally described herein), which is configured to move the fragment 2040 (by means of the support structure 2016) to the color application unit 2018 and apply (e.g., print, etc.) a colorant to the fragment 2040 through the color application unit 2018. In this regard, the digital printing device 2022 includes a nozzle 2024, which is configured to move in the X, Y, and Z directions relative to the support structure 2016 (and the fragment 2040 on the support structure 2016). For example, the nozzle 2024 is operated to move in the X and Y directions (e.g., by a gantry and a corresponding support 2026, etc.) so as to deposit (e.g., print, etc.) a desired colorant (e.g., a desired color, color amount, etc.) at a specific X, Y position on the fragment 2040 on the support structure 2016. In addition, the nozzle 2024 is also operated (by an actuator 2028) to adjust the vertical distance (in the Z direction) between the nozzle 2024 and the fragment 2040 so that the nozzle 2024 can maintain a desired distance from the fragment 2040 on the support structure 2016. Although the digital printing device 2022 is described above as including one nozzle 2024, it should be understood that the digital printing device 2022 may include multiple nozzles (as generally described herein) in other embodiments, and the nozzles operate (or do not operate) in a manner similar to the nozzle 2024.

[0150] In addition, in some embodiments of the system 2000, the color application unit 2018 may further include a device (e.g., a feeding device 10, etc.), which is configured to form grooves (as generally described herein) in the fragment 2040 when the fragment 2040 is on the support structure 2016 (e.g., before the colorant is added to the fragment 2040, etc.). Then, once the grooves are formed in the fragment 2040, the color application unit 2018 (e.g., the digital printing device 2022, etc.) operates to apply the colorant to at least a portion of the sidewalls of at least some of the fragments 2040 at the grooves (e.g., to the sidewalls of the fragments 2040 forming the grooves, etc.).

[0151] Once the colorant is added to the chunks 2040 on the support structure 2016, the support structure 2016 is configured to move the chunks 2040 (and the colorant) to the second compression unit 2030. The second compression unit 2030 is configured to compress and spread the chunks 2040 (as generally described herein, e.g., with reference to step 812 of method 800). During this process, the chunks 2040 form a continuous, compacted (and uncured) slab 2042 on the support structure 2016. In the illustrated embodiment, the second compression unit 2030 includes compression rollers (such as compression roller 1002, etc.), which are configured to compress the chunks 2040 into a compressed slab 2042 (the entire slab 2042 has a uniform vein pattern, e.g., as discussed herein Figure 11 etc.).

[0152] Next, in system 2000, the support structure 2016 is configured to convey the continuous compressed slab 2042 from the second compression unit 2030 to the cutting unit 2032. The cutting unit 2032 is configured to receive the continuous compressed slab 2042 of material into the cutting unit 2032 while the slab 2042 is on the support structure 2016, and cut the continuous compressed slab 2042 into a desired length (e.g., as generally described in relation to step 814 of method 800, etc.). In the illustrated embodiment, the cutting unit 2032 includes a cutting blade 2034, which is configured to move in the Z direction (e.g., move vertically via actuator 2036, etc.) to cut the continuous compressed slab 2042 into a desired length (where each cut length of the slab 2042 is uncured).

[0153] Finally, in system 2000, the cut slabs 2042 are transported from the support structure 2016 to the finishing station 2038, where the cut slabs are vacuum pressed (e.g., by a vacuum press, etc.), and then cured (e.g., in an oven, kiln, etc.) to form cured slabs (e.g., artificial stone slabs, etc.). The cured slabs can be further processed as needed (such as cooling (e.g., in a cooling tower, etc.), trimming to size, grinding to a desired thickness, polishing, etc.).

[0154] Figure 23 An embodiment of component 2100 is illustrated, the component 2100 being included in system 2000 and configured to add an additional second material layer 2102 (e.g., a material protection layer, a second composite material layer, etc.) to the continuous compressed slab 2042 after the slab 2042 exits the second compression unit 2030 (such as compression roller 1002, etc.) and before the slab is conveyed to the cutting unit 2032.

[0155] As shown in the figure, the assembly 2100 includes a second material (layer) 2102 stored on a platform 2104 (substantially a storage unit or the like). The platform 2104 is configured to feed the second material (layer) 2102 to a pair of pressure rollers 2106. When the slab 2042 exits the pressure roller 1002 of the second compression unit 2030, the pair of pressure rollers 2106 is configured to press the second material 2102 into a layer of substantially uniform thickness and density, which is configured to be laid on top of the continuous compressed slab 2042 (as described above, the operation of the second compression unit 2030 is to compress the chunks 2040 into a continuous compressed slab 2042). In at least one embodiment, the pair of pressure rollers 2106 can be a single pressure roller.

[0156] The assembly may further include a supply of PET film 2108. In this regard, the PET film 2108 is fed (by rollers 2110 or the like) into the pair of pressure rollers 2106, so as to press the second material 2102 and the PET film 2108 together (for example, to a substantially the same thickness and / or density, etc.), to inhibit the second material 2102 in the second layer from cracking (before being applied to the continuous compressed slab 2042). Then, the pair of pressure rollers 2106 guides the second material 2102 and the PET film 2108 (collectively identified as the second layer 2044 in FIG. 23) onto the upper surface of the continuous compressed slab 2042 on the support surface 2016 (where the second material 2102 and the PET film 2108 (as the second layer 2044) are laid substantially uniformly on the upper surface of the continuous compressed slab 2042). Then, the support surface 2016 conveys the layered material to the cutting unit 2032, cuts the combined slab into a specified length, and then conveys the slab to a vacuum press for compaction in the manner generally described above (after vacuum compaction in the manner generally described herein, at least part of the PET film 2108 can be removed from the slab as needed).

[0157] Figure 24 - 26 The features of the present disclosure are illustrated, where an image of natural stone can be used to generate a similar pattern in a manufactured stone slab. In this regard, Figure 24 An image of the desired pattern of natural stone to be achieved in a manufactured stone slab is shown. The image is mapped (for example, the pattern in the image is mapped, etc.) to the chunks on the support structure, and then, as Figure 25 shown, a colorant is applied to the chunks according to the mapping (for example, by a digital printing device, manually, etc.). Then the chunks are processed as described herein to form a manufactured stone slab as shown in FIG. 26, whose texture pattern is similar to the texture pattern of the original image.

[0158] Figure 27Shows a process flow diagram (or method) 2200 of an embodiment for producing artificial stone slabs according to an embodiment disclosed in the present invention. In Figure 27 step 2202, the composite material can be evenly placed on the support structure. The composite material can be formed into a plurality of randomly shaped fragments through a process of compressing and controllably crushing the composite material (such as the process generally described herein, etc.). According to weight, most of the randomly shaped fragments have the required size range. It should be noted that although the composite material or the randomly shaped fragments can be placed on the support structure relatively evenly, due to the different sizes and distributions of the composite material or the randomly shaped fragments, there will always be a certain degree of unevenness on its upper surface.

[0159] In Figure 27 step 2204, in a single height-limiting step, the composite material can pass under a height-limiting device, which is set at a predetermined height above the support structure. The height-limiting device can slightly compress and / or disrupt the top part of the higher composite material or randomly shaped fragments, so that the height of the highest point of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments relative to the support structure is substantially the same as the height of the height-limiting device relative to the support structure. For example, the distance by which the top part of the higher composite material or randomly shaped fragments is compressed or disrupted can be about 3 to 30 millimeters (for example, starting from the highest point of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments initially placed on the support structure). In addition, this height-limiting effect will reduce the height variation of the entire composite material or randomly shaped fragments. Therefore, when additional composite material or randomly shaped fragments are added in subsequent steps, some of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments will stay on top of the flat area formed by the height-limiting device and will not move or settle significantly to the lower points between the larger composite material or randomly shaped fragments. Embodiments of the height-limiting device can be rollers configured to disrupt or compress the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, or scrapers configured to disrupt or scrape the composite material or randomly shaped fragments. Disrupting can include flattening or compressing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, breaking up the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, pushing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments apart so that the higher parts fall to lower positions, or any combination of these actions to ensure that the maximum height of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments is set appropriately.

[0160] Figure 27In the digital printing step 2206, after the composite material or randomly shaped fragments pass under the height limiting device, the digital printing device can deposit the coloring agent onto at least some of the flattened (or height-limited) upper surfaces and / or at least some side walls of at least some of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments, thereby printing an image. The height limiting device can ensure that the composite material or randomly shaped fragments are at an appropriate height, so that the composite material or randomly shaped fragments do not contact one or more nozzles of the digital printing device. Moreover, it can also ensure that the distance between the nozzle and any given point of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments is as small as possible, so as not to have a negative impact on the resolution of digital printing. Since the digital printing device deposits the coloring agent on an uneven surface, the farther the surface is from the nozzle of the digital printing device, the more blurred the printing area or the lower the resolution.

[0161] In Figure 27 In step 2208, the composite material or randomly shaped fragments on the support structure (e.g., the first layer of material on the support structure, etc.) can place an additional layer of composite material or randomly shaped fragments on at least a part of the upper surface of the composite mixture or randomly shaped fragments, and the coloring agent (e.g., the additional layer of composite material or randomly shaped fragments can be placed on the first layer of material that has been placed on the support structure, etc.) has been coated on the part of the composite mixture or randomly shaped fragments placed on the support structure by the digital printing device. The number of the additional composite materials or randomly shaped fragments placed can be, for example, about 3 to 20% (by weight) of the initial number of the composite materials or randomly shaped fragments initially placed on the support structure. The additional composite materials or randomly shaped fragments are placed, and most of them (by weight) have a diameter between, for example, about 5 to 35 millimeters.

[0162] In Figure 27 In the optional additional height limiting step 2210, the composite material or randomly shaped fragments can pass under a height limiting device (e.g., the second height limiting device, etc.), and the height limiting device is set at a predetermined height above the support structure. The height limiting device can slightly press and / or disrupt the top part of the higher composite material or randomly shaped fragments, so that the highest point of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments is substantially the same as the height (or distance) from the height limiting device to the support structure. Similarly, an embodiment of the height limiting device can be a roller for disrupting or compressing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, or a scraper for disrupting or scraping the composite material or randomly shaped fragments. Disrupting can be flattening or compressing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, dispersing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments, pushing the composite material or randomly shaped fragments away, so that the higher part falls to a lower position, or any combination of these actions, to ensure that the maximum height of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments is set appropriately.

[0163] In Figure 27 In step 2212, in an additional digital printing step (e.g., a second digital printing step, etc.), a colorant can be deposited on at least a portion of the sidewalls (and at least a portion of the flat upper surface) of a portion of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments placed on a support structure by a digital printing device, thereby printing an image thereon. A height limiting device (e.g., as part of an optional additional height limiting step, etc.) can ensure that the composite material or randomly shaped fragments are at an appropriate height, thereby ensuring that no composite material or randomly shaped fragments come into contact with one or more nozzles of the digital printing device. In addition, this also ensures that the distance between the nozzle and any given point of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments is as small as possible so as not to have a negative impact on the printing resolution. Optionally, this additional digital printing step can print a pattern or design that is substantially the same as the first printing step, so that the same regions of different / additional layers of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments have the same colorant or image.

[0164] In this way, using one or more printing devices, on additional composite materials or randomly shaped fragments (e.g., additional layers, etc.) placed at least partially on a support structure, in addition to depositing a colorant on a portion of their sidewalls, a colorant can also be deposited below and above them. Depending on the requirements of the desired final aesthetic effect, the operations of steps 2204 - 2212 can be repeated multiple times.

[0165] In Figure 27 In step 2214, a composite material or randomly shaped fragments can be pressed, flattened, and extended into an uncured slab using a pressing roller or a pair of pressing rollers (as described herein). Then, the uncured slab can be cured (as described herein).

[0166] Figure 28 Shows a side view of each of steps 2302 - 2314 related to the process 2300 of an embodiment for producing artificial stone slabs disclosed in the present invention (which can generally correspond to steps 2202 - 2214 of process flow diagram 2200). Each view contains an arrow to illustrate the movement (direction) of the material (and the support structure) therein.

[0167] In Figure 28 In step 2302 (which generally corresponds to Figure 27 step 2202), a composite material or randomly shaped fragments 2316 are placed on a support structure. As described herein, in the embodiment, most of the randomly shaped fragments contained in the composite material by weight have a desired size range and are obtained by a process of compressing and controllably crushing the composite material.

[0168] In Figure 28 In step 2304 (which generally corresponds to Figure 27(corresponding to step 2204), in a primary height-limiting step, the composite material or randomly shaped fragments placed on the support structure are moved (or passed) through the height-limiting device 2318. As shown, the top ends of at least some of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments have been flattened (e.g., forming a flat upper surface or plateau, etc.).

[0169] In Figure 28 step 2306 of (which is typically corresponding to Figure 27 step 2206), in a primary digital printing step, colorant is deposited on the top and / or sidewalls of at least some of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments on the support structure by the digital printing device 2320. It can be seen that the distance between the flat upper surface of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments and the nozzles of the digital printing device 2320 is approximately the same.

[0170] In Figure 28 step 2308 (which typically corresponds to Figure 27 step 2208), an additional layer of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments 2322 is placed on at least some of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments already on the support structure (which have been coated with colorant in step 2306). Thus, the additional composite material layer or randomly shaped fragments 2322 are also placed on top of the colorant added / printed in step 2306 (e.g., such that the colorant is deposited (or sandwiched) between the composite material or randomly shaped fragments 2316 (or the first layer of composite material or randomly shaped fragments) and the additional composite material or randomly shaped fragments 2322 (or the second layer of composite material or randomly shaped fragments)).

[0171] In Figure 28 step 2310 (which typically corresponds to Figure 27 step 2210), in an optional additional height-limiting step, the top ends of at least some of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments of the additional layer are flattened by the height-limiting device 2324 (e.g., the additional layer of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments passes under or is moved by the height-limiting device 2324). The height-limiting device 2324 can be the same device (or the same type of device) as the height-limiting device 2318, or it can be a different device.

[0172] In Figure 28 step 2312 (which generally corresponds to Figure 27Step 2212), in the additional digital printing step, an additional layer of composite material or randomly shaped fragments has a colorant deposited thereon by a digital printing device 2326 on top of and / or on the sidewalls of at least a portion of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments of the additional layer. The digital printing device 2326 can be the same device (or the same type of device) as the digital printing device 2320, or it can be a different device. Also, as shown, the distance between the upper flat surface of the composite material or randomly shaped fragments 2322 of the additional layer and the nozzle of the digital printing device 2326 is approximately the same.

[0173] In Figure 28 Step 2314 (which generally corresponds to Figure 27 Step 2214), a combination of multilayer materials is passed through a pressure roller 1002 or a pair of pressure rollers 1002 (as described herein) and is compacted, flattened, and extended into an uncured slab.

[0174] Although the disclosure of the present invention has been described with reference to its specific illustrative embodiments, many variations and modifications of the present invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not depart from the inventive concept and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, this patent is intended to cover all such changes and modifications as may reasonably and properly be included within the scope of the contribution of this disclosure to the art.

[0175] Example embodiments are provided to make the disclosure more thorough and to fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. To enable a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be embodied in many different forms without the use of specific details and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies have not been described in detail.

[0176] The specific sizes, specific materials, and / or specific shapes disclosed herein are examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure of the present invention. The specific values and specific value ranges of the given parameters disclosed herein do not exclude other values and value ranges that may be useful in one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, any two specific values of a given parameter described herein can define the endpoints of a value range that may be applicable to the given parameter (i.e., the disclosure of a first value and a second value of a given parameter can be interpreted as disclosing that any value between the first value and the second value can also be used for the given parameter). For example, if parameter X of an embodiment herein has value A and parameter X of the embodiment also has value Z, it is contemplated that parameter X can have a value range from about A to about Z. Similarly, it is contemplated that two or more value ranges of a disclosed parameter (whether these ranges are nested, overlapping, or different) encompass all possible combinations of value ranges that can be declared using the endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if the value range of parameter X in an example herein is 1 to 10, or 2 to 9, or 3 to 8, then it is also contemplated that parameter X can have other value ranges, including 1 to 9, 1 to 8, 1 to 3, 1 to 2, 2 to 10, 2 to 8, 2 to 3, 3 to 10, and 3 to 9.

[0177] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not limiting. The singular forms used herein also include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having" are inclusive and thus specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily being performed in the particular order discussed or illustrated unless the order of performance is specifically stated. It should also be understood that alternative steps or steps in addition thereto may be employed.

[0178] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, engaged to, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" and the phrase "at least one" include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0179] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or part from another region, layer, or part. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the "first", "second", and other numerical terms used herein do not imply an order or sequence. Thus, the first element, component, region, layer, or part discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or part without departing from the teachings of the embodiments.

[0180] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "inner", "outer", "rear", "below", "above", "upper", "bottom", etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature shown in the figures. In addition to the orientation described in the figures, the spatial relative terms may also be used to encompass different orientations of the device during use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, then other elements or features described as "below" or "rear of" would be positioned "above" other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" can include both the directions of "above" and "below". The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptors used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0181] The above description of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative and descriptive and is not exhaustive or limiting of the scope of the invention. The individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but are interchangeable where applicable and may be used in selected embodiments even if not specifically shown or described. The same content may also have various variations. These variations should not be regarded as departing from the scope of the invention, and all such modifications should be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for producing an artificial stone slab, comprising the following steps: Compressing the slightly moist composite material to form a dense composite material; breaking the dense composite material into a plurality of composite material fragments; placing at least a portion of the plurality of fragments onto a surface supported by a support structure; Then In the height limiting step, a height limiting device is used to shuffle the multiple fragments so that the height of the highest point of the fragment relative to the supporting structure is substantially the same as the height of the height limiting device relative to the supporting structure; then In a digital printing step, a digital printing device is used to print an image on at least a portion of the top and side walls of at least a portion of the fragments in the plurality of fragments; and then placing additional slightly moist composite material onto at least a portion of the plurality of broken pieces; Then In an additional digital printing step, a digital printing device is used to print an image onto at least a portion of the top and side walls of at least a portion of the additional slightly moist composite material; and then The crushed pieces are compacted, flattened and stretched into a slab using rollers.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After placing the additional slightly moist composite material onto at least some of the multiple fragments, another height limiting device is used in an additional height limiting step to disrupt the additional slightly moist composite material so that the heights of the multiple fragments and the additional composite material at their highest points relative to the support structure are substantially the same as the height of the another height limiting device relative to the support structure.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the additional digital printing step, the steps of placing additional slightly moist composite material and the additional digital printing step are repeated.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The image printed in the additional digital printing step is substantially the same as the image printed in the one digital printing step, and is printed on the image printed in the one digital printing step.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the primary digital printing step and the additional digital printing step print respective images by depositing colorants in predetermined areas on the support structure.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The colorant is in liquid form.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The colorant is in particle form.

8. A method for producing an artificial stone slab, comprising the following steps: placing the slightly moistened composite material onto a surface supported by a support structure; Depositing a colorant in a predetermined area on at least a portion of the top of at least a portion of the composite material on the support structure using a digital printing device in a single digital printing step; Then placing additional slightly moist composite material on top of at least a portion of the composite material and colorant; Then Depositing a colorant in a predetermined area on at least a portion of the top of at least a portion of the additional composite material using a digital printing device in an additional digital printing step; and then The composite material is compacted, flattened and stretched into a sheet using compression rollers.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that: After placing the slightly wet composite material on the surface supported by the support structure, the composite material is disrupted using a height limiting device so that the height of the highest point of the composite material relative to the support structure is substantially the same as the height of the height limiting device relative to the support structure.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that: After the additional digital printing step, the steps of placing additional slightly moist composite material and the additional digital printing step are repeated.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The colorant and the predetermined area deposited in the additional digital printing step are substantially the same as the colorant and the predetermined area deposited in the primary digital printing step.

12. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The colorant is in liquid form.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein: The colorant is in particle form.

14. A method for producing an artificial stone slab, comprising the following steps: depositing composite fragments on a surface; Using a height limiting device to flatten at least some of the debris on the surface so that the height of the flattened debris relative to the surface is substantially the same as the height of the height limiting device relative to the surface; and then printing a first image on at least a portion of the surface; Then placing additional composite material over at least a portion of the fragment and over at least a portion of the image on the fragment; Then printing a second image on at least a portion of the additional composite material on the surface; and then The composite material pieces and the additional composite material are compacted, flattened and stretched into a sheet using compression rollers.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The first image and the second image are identical.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: After placing the additional composite material, the additional composite material is flattened using the second height limiting device so that the height of the flattened pieces and the additional composite material placed thereon relative to the surface is substantially the same as the height of the second height limiting device relative to the surface.

Images