Caution: These Sharp Objects May Improve Productivity

By Sarah Peiper

When it comes to cutting stone, porcelain, solid surface or quartz, having the right tools can make a world of difference in terms of accuracy and productivity. Faster cutting speeds, reduced downtime for blade changes or adjustments, and improved accuracy can contribute to shorter completion times and increased output. With the right tools and accessories, you can optimize your cutting processes, reduce material waste, and improve overall efficiency in your shop. Consider these saws and accessories that can keep your shop on the cutting edge.

Robo SawJet M-Series by BACA Systems

BACA Systems is adding to its cutting lineup the Robo SawJet M-Series, an allinclusive mitering sawjet packaged on the industry-proven, reliable and maintenancefree Kuka Robot. With 650+ systems in production and countless success stories, the Robo SawJet M-Series is the right choice for all cutting processes. The M-Series introduces the all-important mitering process to the Robo SawJet product line. It features 0-50 degree dynamic miter angle control for both the saw and waterjet process. Also included is a new revolutionary technology to maintain accurate parts. All of BACA’s robot systems allow for the customization of the machine layout. This allows for traditional front load, side load, or pass-through cell configurations. BACA provides the only system that can be converted from a single tank to a dual tank with minimal expense. Learn more at www.bacasystems.com.

Blue Eagle Bridge Saw Blade from Diabu

Made in Germany by Diabu, this cleancutting, fast blade for quartzite, granite and quartz cuts with 20 mm high water pocket segments that reduce chipping, speed up cutting and allow less friction. Cut Taj Mahal in a single pass! Available in 14-, 16- and 18-inch sizes. Various arbor sizes are available. The recommended rpm per size for quartzite are 1500 rpm for the 14-inch blade, 1350 rpm for the 16-inch blade, and 1200 rpm for the 18-inch blade. Depending on the materials, you’ll get cutting speeds between 35 and 130 inches per minute. More information is available at www.diabu.net.

ADW iKon Dekton Bridge Saw Blades from BB Industries

The ADW iKon blade is made specifically for Dekton, Neolith, Laminam and other ultra-compact surfaces. This blade is certified and ready to cut fast and provides life with a 10 mm segment and a silent core for your projects. A leader in the UCS market, ADW is available from BBI. It is available in 14-, 16- and 18-inch sizes and is designed for wet use only. The 16-inch blade runs at 2000 rpm with a speed of 3 to 5 feet per minute. The 18-inch blade runs at 1800 rpm and cuts 2 to 4 feet per minute. For miters, operators should reduce rpm speeds by 30% for optimal performance. Learn more about this and other blades from BBI at www.bbindustriesllc.com.

STRIEBIG Edition 60 from Colonial Saw

Adding to STRIEBIG’s arsenal of features designed to make panel processing safe and easy, the Edition 60 features a strong integrated panel lifting device allowing for ergonomic, smooth cutting of panels by one operator. The comprehensive standard equipment and legendary STRIEBIG accuracy guarantee short processing times and safe operation. The Edition 60 panel saw is a full-size, fullyloaded Standard S machine plus two-panel lifters that can be used for materials up to 10 feet by 7 feet and up to 350 pounds (175 pounds each), allowing for easy one-person panel processing. Users can add a third lifter to process panels up to 16 feet by 7 feet and weigh up to 525 pounds.

Other features include the wood support wall with integrated small parts support, panel lowering device with two panel lowering units, pneumatic clamping of the motor carriage and auto-locking support rollers, digital measuring system DMS-Y with fine adjustment, and laser line to show placement of horizontal cuts. V-grooving and coving are available on all models. Whether you need a primary cutting solution or an offline saw for remakes, all models give you seam-ready cuts. New machines can be ordered with a fine adjustment thumbwheel and digital counter built into the saw head for fast and precise depth adjustments on the grooving head. Find more information at www.csaw.com.

VOYAGER XP CNC Saw by Park Industries

With power, flexibility and accuracy in one compact machine, the VOYAGER XP CNC Saw is the cutting solution you need. Powered with a 27-horsepower motor and automated ultracompact programming, it cuts difficult materials such as porcelain and quartzite with ease. Its 5-axis design brings versatile capabilities like incremental routing, arc cutting, mitering, leathering, engraving and more. The TightCut feature nests parts closer together, increasing material yield by nearly 10% while reducing the time spent milling. This helps with cutting sinks, “L” pieces and seams efficiently. With simple programming and the ability to cut in manual mode, its operator-friendly controls make it the perfect saw for your first CNC cutting machine.

One customer shared, “Park made my first CNC experience so great, I can’t help but recommend the VOYAGER XP. I am loving the saw and the service I’ve received. Everything has been quality through and through.” Learn how you can grow with the VOYAGER XP at www.parkindustries.com/voyager.

Veloce Blade by Lapitec: +50% speed +30% Longer Lifetime

Driven by its pioneering spirit, Lapitec continues to invest in research and innovation to offer fabricators cutting-edge technologies and meet the needs of demanding fabrication shops. Lapitec Academy developed the Veloce Blade to increase the processing performance of Lapitec sintered stone and other materials.

Extensive testing has been conducted on traditional and nontraditional cuts, making it a reliable tool for a variety of cutting scenarios. Available in two sizes (14 inches and 16 inches) with a 50/60 arbor and two pin holes, it’s suitable for both straight and miter cuts.

This technology’s thick and durable core construction combined with a segment height and width of 10 mm by 3 mm offers unparalleled cutting performance. Professionals in the industry will find this blade invaluable for their cutting needs, and it is sure to set a new standard for sintered stone cutting performance. For more information, visit www.lapitec.com.

Combi by Breton USA

The newly upgraded Combi by Breton is an advanced combination waterjet and bridge saw. The Combi is fully equipped with automated features to maximize production and efficiency, such as vacuum cups to reduce overcuts. Miterwave is the software and hardware package designed to execute perfect miters, especially on porcelain, sintered and ceramic material. Built to last, this new version of the classic combination machine comes in a compact and rigid monoblock structure without requiring invasive foundation work to increase stability and perform higher-quality work with greater accuracy. All Breton machinery comes with a guarantee of local, American-based service, including a 24-hour hotline. For more information, visit www.bretonusa.com.

Terminator Blades for Porcelain, Granite and Quartzite

For more than 25 years, Terminator has continued to innovate to provide efficient products for its customers. With its continuous rim construction, Terminator’s “oldie, but goodie” Continuous Rim blade is another perfect pair for your porcelain and granite projects. Laser cut “J” slots facilitate cutting performance. Four-inch and 5-inch diameters can be used wet or dry. Seven-inch and up blades are for wet use only.

The Nanocut.Q3 blade has been designed, tested and retested to yield fast, reliable results on quartzite materials. On 3cm Taj Mahal quartzite, it achieves pass-cutting parameters of 120 IPM for standard 90-degree cuts and 45 IPM for 45-degree miter cuts. The ability of the Q3 to cut freely on a hard material makes it a great cross-over blade to cut other materials such as granite and engineered stone. Savings can be realized by not purchasing multiple blades and reducing blade change-out times. For more information, visit www.terminatordia.com.

V-Grooving Router from Betterley Industries

The Betterley V-Grooving Router is the only hand-held router designed to miter fold half-inch-thick solid surface material. Miter folding solid surface material saves time by creating built-up edges, dropped aprons, backsplashes and more in a single-pass operation. The tool cuts a precise “V” groove (or miter) in the material, an adhesive is applied in the groove, and the material is then folded. The resulting joint is virtually invisible with no adhesive squeeze-out on the exposed surface, providing a finished square edge as is or ready for profiling without the additional edge routing and sanding typically required for built-up edges. With the ability to quickly adjust the fence from 1 to 6 inches from the edge of the sheet, the tool easily accommodates almost any application for drop edges, aprons and backsplashes. To learn more about this and other tools, visit www.betterleytools.com.

The ZOLLER »smile 420« Presetting and Measuring Machine

Distributed exclusively in the United States by GranQuartz, the ZOLLER »smile 420« presetting and measuring machine allows stone fabrication shops to quickly and precisely preset tools outside of a CNC machine. The presetter calibrates offline to reduce setup times, increase machine productivity, extend tool life and save money. The machine’s SK 50 high-precision spindle means almost any tool-receiving system can be inserted without conversion measures. The »smile 420« gains enhanced data gathering capabilities when used with the ZOLLER »flash« Tool Management System. This software tracks tool usage and location and notifies users when it’s time to dress or EDM tools. As more data is collected, users can forecast future tool consumption, estimate when new tools are needed, determine tool consumption by user and machine and more. This hardware and software combo saves users an average of $25,000 annually per machine. To learn more about the »smile 420« and schedule a demo, visit www.granquartz.com.

OBSIDIAN Blade by ZENESIS

Meet the newest ZENESIS silent core bridge saw blade, OBSIDIAN, designed to cut fast and clean on engineered stone, porcelain, marble and even the hardest quartzite. This is made possible using their latest and most innovative diamond patterning technology. This new technology increases the number of cutting/contact points by up to three times and significantly improves performance. The unique metal bond matrix is engineered to work with virtually all natural and engineered stone. It’s available in sizes ranging from 12 to 20 inches with segments of 25 mm and an arbor size of 60/50 mm. Learn more at us.zenesistechnology.com.