The 100-Wire Stone Saw

Due to the unique nature of the project, Granilouro management aren’t willing to disclose definitive results, including the tool cost per m², total cost per m², time needed for changing wires and the wire life in relation to the material (such as granite tupe) sawn until the test schedule has been completed in late spring.

The industry has come a long way since secret trials with the first wire with electroplated beads cutting marble in England in 1955-57 were finally abandoned due to frequent wire breakage. Having resolved those problems, diamond wire was successfully introduced into calcareous stone quarrying and block squaring in Carrara in 1978 -79.

Click to enlargeIn the early 1980s, some senior scientists and technicians insisted that hard and especially igneous rocks would never be cut economically with diamond wire, due to the high cutting forces. However, the Micheletti company introduced a multi-wire machine for slabbing granite in 1986.

And a machine with 100 diamond wires or more for routine granite slabbing? This is the new reality and we should be grateful to those companies involved for making it happen.

Paul Daniel is a long-time observer of the worldwide natural-stone industry. He is based in Spain.

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