Stone Slab Multi-Finish Polishing System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stone slab manufacturing processes lack the ability to efficiently produce slabs with multiple distinct surface finishes, limiting customization and matching existing installations, while also not effectively utilizing material resources or providing consumers with clear visual comparisons.
Innovation Solution
A system and process for forming stone slabs with multiple surface finishes by applying a sequence of abrasive polishing processes to modify specific regions of the slab, using a polisher and receiving table to create visually or tactilely distinct boundaries between different finishes, allowing for customization and efficient material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single uniform surface finish is applied to the entire stone slab, then the manufacturing process is simple and efficient, but the customization options are limited and cannot match existing installations with different finishes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface finishes to different regions of the same stone slab. The manufacturing system selectively treats specific areas with different abrasive processes (e.g., polished, honed, leathered finishes) while leaving other areas with uniform finishes, enabling customization without requiring entirely different manufacturing lines for each finish type.
Solution Approach 2:
The stone slab surface is divided into multiple zones that can be independently finished. The manufacturing equipment can apply different finishing processes to different segments of the slab surface, allowing each region to have its desired finish while maintaining overall production efficiency.
2Loss of substance
If multiple stone slabs with different finishes are produced separately, then each finish can be optimized, but material resources are not efficiently utilized and consumers cannot visually compare options
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple different surface finishes on a single stone slab, merging what would traditionally require separate slabs into one unified product. This allows consumers to view and compare different finish options side-by-side on the same slab while maximizing material utilization from each stone block processed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing stone slab installations need to be matched with new slabs, then aesthetic consistency is achieved, but it requires producing slabs with specific finishes that may not be the standard production finish
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing system applies the required surface finishes to specific regions of the stone slab during the initial production process rather than requiring post-production modification. This preliminary application of different finishes ensures aesthetic matching with existing installations while maintaining production efficiency by integrating the customization into the standard manufacturing workflow.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of stone slabs with multiple distinct surface finishes, facilitating seamless integration with existing installations, promoting consumer choice, and optimizing material usage by creating visually appealing and functional surfaces with distinct regions.
Implementation Method 1
applying a sequence of abrasive polishing processes to modify specific regions of the slab
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method of finishing a stone slab that includes receiving a stone slab having a major top surface having a first surface finish, and applying a second surface finish, different from the first surface finish, to modify a portion of the major top surface that is less than an entirety of the major top surface.