HEAVY-DUTY MACHINERY
The MAUS North America grinder installation at Pier Foundry & Pattern Shop in St. Paul, MN, was prompted by capacity constraints. It represents the ferrous foundry’s first use of automatic grinding. (Courtesy MAUS North America.)
Smarter and Nimbler
Thanks to Italian Advances in Sensors, Processors & Information Networks
F
rank Cunningham, founder and president of World Wide Stone Corp. (Scottsdale, AZ) so values quarry and stone processing machinery from Italy for his highly prized Durango Stone limestone and travertine that he describes his factories as being “Italian manufactured.” Cunningham estimates his 22-year investment totals $17 million at World Wide Stone’s four quarries and three factories in Durango, Mexico, including purchase of state-of-the-art heavy earth moving equipment for his quarries and stone processing machinery for his factories. Cunningham’s factories are equipped with loader/unloaders, bridge saws, high-speed gang saws, roller benches, robotics, gantry cranes
and dryers from such Italian companies as Pedrini SpA (Bergamo, Italy; www.pedrini-italia.it) and Zonato SpA (Vicenza, Italy; www.zonato.eu). Processing stone is a job that includes working with 30-ton (27.2 metric ton) blocks of limestone, swarms of dusty grit and rivers of water to manage the heat created during cutting to produce tiles, pavers and slabs along with custom countertops, fireplace mantels, fountains and more. Fortunately, Cunningham’s processing line is equipped with technology, such as robotics and sensors, that keeps things moving and eliminates the back-breaking work of pre-automation days.
1-888-italtrade
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