Albion Stone have recently invested nearly £500,000 in a new ashlar line. During discussions had with Breton UK and Breton SpA, Albion explained that they were looking for a technical solution ensuring reliability, productivity and flexibility in manufacture. Having purchased tile and ashlar lines back in 2000 and 2001, Albion Stone was already a Breton customer.
Albion Stone’s new line is composed of a most powerful grinding and polishing KFG machine holding two high-removal grinding heads and four polishing heads with 15 kW spindles that ensure outstanding thickness precision and top-notch finished products which are pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the touch.
The line is followed by a flexible cutting line with belt work bench; which includes; a photographic station reading the slab dimensions, pre-optimization and loading of the work program, automatic positioning of the slab and execution of the cuts. Thanks to its extensive work area and patented system with vacuum cups installed on the special guard of the bridge saw, it is possible to perform any kind of polygonal cut utilizing the dimensions of the slab and minimizing the material waste, resulting in a more sustainable product. The new line is significantly more productive than the two existing lines that it has replaced.
Carl Sharkey, Sales Director at Breton UK commented that,
‘The new production line enables Albion Stone to quickly perform all the required processing to the material, in one automated process: from initial calibration and polishing, the prepared raw stone is then automatically fed into Bretons state of the art S/NC 550 Optima CNC saw with suction lift for final sizing and shaping before coming off the line finished.
As a long standing customer of Breton it has been a great opportunity to update already proven technology to the 21st century, whilst keeping a valuable customer moving forward. Breton’s flexibility and bespoke manufacturing has made this an easy process and left the ability to easily expand the line to accommodate higher future production levels.’
Michael Poultney, Managing Director of Albion Stone said,
‘Albion Stone conducted exhaustive research into all the tile and ashlar lines currently available in the market place, including visits several factories on the continent. We are confident that the Breton line will give us an excellent high quality product to the tight tolerances that our discerning customers now require. This is part of a major programme of capital expenditure over a five year period which will total over £3 million and will further increase our capacity to ensure that we continue to have the most productive limestone quarries, mines and factory in the UK.’
For more information, please contact:
Michael Poultney, Managing Director
Albion Stone plc, Robert Denholm House, Bletchingly Road, Nutfield, Surrey, RH1 4HW
t: 01737 771772 f:01737 771776
