Getting Small(er) at Stone+tec ‘11

June 24, 2011

Click photo to enlarge• With hand tools, Stenheim, Germany-based FLEX-Elektrowerkzeuge GmbH (known to folks stateside as just “FLEX”) aimed for the stone market with the L 12-3 and LE 12-3 wet grinders. Both sport a 1150-watt motor with a maximum no-load speed of 3,700 rpm; they also feature a new design with the water feed and control below the housing for more free space in the tool grip. The LE also lets users vary tool speed from 1,200-3,700 rpm. The maximum tool diameter is 115mm.

Not everyone looks to downsize equipment, though, as several German manufacturers set up some robust equipment in the exhibit halls, including:

Click photo to enlarge• Burkhardt GmbH, as it showed variations on its 598 bridge-saw line. The series from the Bayeruth company can be configured a number of ways – including an optional waterjet cutter – but the exhibition piece featured a continuous belt feed that also provides material holddown. For true factory work, the bridge can accommodate up to seven blade spindles.

Click photo to enlarge• Löffler Engineering + Service GmbH unveiled its LDZ 2000, a programmable bridge saw with a big 12.3’ X axis and an expandable Y axis from 9.75’ to 21 1/8’, powered by spindles running between 21.4-26.8 HP. The Langenaltheim plant also set up its Powerjet 2011, with a working area of 11.7’ X 5.2’ with accuracy to 0.38mm, powered by a 60.3 HP intensifier pump.

• M. Kolb Steinbearbeitungmachinen GmbH of Illettissen is a new incarnation of the Martin Kolb line of stone machinery often available in the United States. For this Stone+tec, the company brought the MKD-HEXA, a 6-axes CNC saw in a monobloc frame. The machine includes a cutting head with full 360° rotation and a production area of 11.3’ X 5.6’ with a standard 14.75 HP spindle.

Stone+tec 2011 wasn’t the new machinery festival of years past, and there’s no guarantee that some – if any – of these products will show up at future U.S. trade shows. However, it shows that manufacturers are still counting on continued recovery in the stone market to invest in new products and technology … and that’s a hopeful sign, regardless of size.

— Emerson Schwartzkopf