We are opening a cheap production of decorative stone from gypsum. Alternative manufacturing options and training materials. Molding of liquid stone
The latest material Artificial facing stone is used for cladding buildings. He is better natural stone, because is a more durable and cheaper material. Also, artificial stone is “always at hand”, so you can resume stopped work at any time, and the variety of texture and color makes it a truly unique material.
Artificial facing stone is very often used for decorating buildings, in construction, and abroad for the restoration of buildings.
This article will talk about the stages of production artificial stone, as well as the sale of finished material.
Equipment for the production of artificial stone
Before starting work, in addition to special equipment for the production of artificial stone, you need to purchase wheelbarrows, shovels, trowels, scales, measuring spoons, containers for pigment, boxes for finished products, pallets on which they will need to be placed, a forklift for placing and moving goods.
The list of special equipment includes:
- Mortar mixer. It is used to mix a solution, the service life is 1-1.5 g, after which it is advisable to replace it, since repairs will be very expensive;
- Vibrating table. To remove air bubbles from the solution, you also need a vibrator, which is needed to move the vibrating table.
- Stone molds. You can either buy them ready-made or make them yourself.
As such, a special line that would help automate this process making this decorative material, V open sale no, or maybe it doesn’t exist at all. But there are molding machines.
Artificial stone production technology
To begin with, the product range may consist of 14-17 types of stone of different textures and colors. Over time, the range can be expanded.
Making artificial stone:
- First we create a master model. You need 2-3 of them. If needed different variants textures, then you will need a lot of forms, because each is used once a day. In order to make a model from wood, a box with a sample is made, which is filled with a special mixture. It consists of Por-A-Mold and synthetic, after 24 hours it is separated and further used for the production of stone.
- Then, using a mortar mixer, prepare a solution of water, dye, cement plasticizer and light sand. The proportion of sand and cement is 3:1. The solution is poured into molds, placed on a vibrating table and turned on. There should be no air in the solution. Shaking time is more than 2 minutes. If it is less, the product may be defective. After work, the molds are washed with acid.
- After shaking, the mass poured into the molds is taken to the dryer. The solution hardens in about 7-9 hours at a temperature of +30°C. After 12 hours, we pack the artificial stone into boxes and take it to the warehouse.
Video of this process:
The production of artificial stone will require a lot of water. You can get it by drilling a well or using a ready-made one, it will be cheaper.
To obtain products from 2 to 9 sq. m. (depending on what kind of stone texture is needed) you will need a mixture of 25 kg of cement and 60 kg of sand.
3-4 workers are capable of producing about 50 sq.m. per day. stone
Requirements and planning
Production room
The approximate area of the room should be 500-600 sq.m., of which 100-150 sq.m. should be left as a workshop for the production of stone, the rest will be used as a warehouse. The warehouse does not need to be heated, but in the main room the temperature should not be below 0°C, otherwise the water, which is necessarily used in the process of producing artificial food, will freeze. decorative stone.
In addition, you need to allocate a place to dry the stone... approximately 50 square meters. m with a constant temperature of 30°C without excessive air humidity.
You will also need a room for staff. There the temperature should be approximately 25°C. Also, the entire premises must meet fire safety standards.
Working staff
Before you start producing artificial decorative stone, you need to develop a recipe for artificial stone, this is done by a corresponding specialist - a technologist. He uses either his own recipe or works with already ready-made material. In addition to developing the recipe, the technologist creates models of artificial stone, selects colors, and participates in the control and presentation of the product.
It is also necessary to hire about 12 more employees. They will be 2 teams of workers of 4 people each to work in shifts of 12-14 hours, a packer to assemble finished products, 2 managers to sell finished products, and also necessarily a production manager who will purchase raw materials, plan production and supervise the work of employees.
Sales of finished products
It is advisable to sell facing stone directly to the end buyer, and not through an intermediary. To do this, you need to advertise your company on radio, television, on the Internet, and actively participate in exhibitions in your field. You can also use visual advertising - buildings lined with stone will attract buyers, as well as flattering reviews from satisfied customers.
Buyers of facing stone can be architects, designers, companies involved in the construction and supply of cottage villages.
Once you start making artificial facing stone, following our advice, you will gradually improve the technology and soon become a leader in this area of sales!
The construction business today is growing rapidly. Producing artificial stone at home is a profitable investment Money for those who want to open their own business. Thanks to the latest technologies, it is not difficult to make decorative stone using an artisanal method today. The scope of its application is quite wide:
- landscape design;
- external cladding of buildings;
- interior decoration of premises;
- restoration of historical buildings.
Properties of artificial facing stone
Artificial stone is more profitable than its natural counterpart. It is stronger, cheaper and comes in a variety of colors.
Types of artificial stones
They can be used to design an interior of any stylistic direction. It has specific advantages over natural stone:
- It is environmentally friendly and hygienic, as it does not have scratches or microcracks on the surface, which contribute to the proliferation of harmful bacteria.
- Artificial stone is much lighter.
- Has high sound insulation.
- It is unpretentious: easy to install, easy to install.
- Saves all your positive traits for a long time.
Decorative facing stone does not lose its properties under the influence of temperature changes, excess moisture in the atmosphere, chemicals. It does not change color under the influence of ultraviolet rays. It also has high thermal conductivity - a quality that is very valuable when finishing interior surfaces of a room.
Classification of decorative stone
Depending on the production technology and the raw materials used, artificial stones come in several types. Some of them can only be made at industrial enterprises. In artisanal conditions, decorative stone is produced from gypsum, cast acrylic and concrete (reinforced or molded) stone.
Artificial stone for external cladding, in particular reinforced concrete, is made from the following materials:
- sand;
- cement;
- fillers;
- colored mineral pigments;
- hardening accelerators;
- special plasticizers.
Concrete stone is used to make decorative cobblestones and boulders that do not differ in appearance from natural ones, as well as for cladding the outside of buildings.
Artificial acrylic stone made on the basis of acrylic resin with the additive composite material, hardener, color pigment. It is used for interior decoration in residential and public spaces. The disadvantage of this material is that it can be easily scratched.
But it is compensated by the opportunity to restore glossy surface simple polishing.
The composition of gypsum cast stone includes:
- gypsum;
- white cement;
- pozzolanic additions;
- oxide pigments.
Such additives make gypsum less brittle. It is used only for interior decoration, as it is not resistant to low temperatures.
Decorative gypsum tiles are environmentally friendly, practical to use, maintain indoor natural humidity, and is also suitable for long-term use and is inexpensive.
DIY artificial stone
Organization of the workroom
Before starting the production of decorative stone, you should properly plan the upcoming work and think through options for marketing the products.
Production gypsum tiles at home, other facing stones in small quantities can be arranged in a small room - a personal garage or shed. If you want to organize an enterprise of a larger scale, you need to select a structure bigger size and subject to certain requirements.
- Renting premises. It is more profitable to rent a work space on the outskirts of the city - it is easier to find a spacious and inexpensive building here. In addition, you will not have to deliver products from the center to customers.
- Water. Making artificial building material requires significant water use. Therefore, you should rent a room near water wells or a water treatment plant. In such conditions, process water will be much cheaper when purchased, and its delivery to the place of stone production will cost minimally.
- Heating. For warehouse no heating needed. If the finished product warehouse is located outside, it is necessary to make a rain shelter over it. The temperature of the main room reserved for the production of decorative stone must be positive so that the water necessary for work does not freeze. In a place specially designated for drying the stone, you must constantly maintain 30 degrees of heat and dry air. Rooms for auxiliary workers are also heated. We must not forget about ventilation in the room.
- Wiring. Important point- good electrical wiring. When producing stone, a lot of electricity is consumed. That's why electric wires must be in perfect condition and required sizes so that there is no equipment breakdown or fire at this enterprise.
Faulty electrical wiring can lead to irreversible consequences
The production of stone in large quantities requires the recruitment of working personnel - at least two people: a technologist and an auxiliary worker.
Before starting a business, it should be registered with the relevant authorities.
Equipment and work tools
To make artificial stone at home, you need equipment and various tools, which are purchased depending on the scale of production. A small volume of decorative stone can be made using a vat, a drill-mixer, a trowel and self-made molds. For example, you can make your own plaster tiles.
Special equipment for the production of artificial stone on a large scale includes:
- Vibrating table It is used to compact the material by removing air bubbles from it.
- Vibrator - for moving the vibrating table.
- Vibrating conveyor for moving bulk materials.
- Concrete mixer and mortar mixer for mixing water and dry material until smooth.
- Elastic silicone or stone molds. A varied assortment is obtained by using various forms in production.
Silicone mold for making artificial stone
But you also need tools and other work equipment:
- work tables;
- drill with a special attachment for mixing;
- boxes for finished stone;
- scales;
- racks with pallets;
- drying chambers;
- forklift for transporting goods;
- container for coloring pigment;
- pallets;
- vibrating sieve
Technological process
The technology for producing artificial stone is divided into two types.
The first is vibrocompression. This method is characterized by low cost of goods and fully mechanized production. This technology is suitable for the production of a large number of products.
The second method is vibration casting. Its advantages are inexpensive equipment, quality surfaces, large selection products, rich color of artificial stone. Vibratory casting technology is appropriate for the production of medium quantities of products.
The technological process includes several sequential actions:
- Creation of a master model. To get started, three pieces are enough.
- Preparation of forms. There should be at least ten of them if you need to get different textures, since each of the forms is used only once a day.
- Prepare a mixture of the required components by mixing them in a mortar mixer until smooth.
- Pouring the resulting mixture into molds.
- Compact the solution on a vibrating table for at least two minutes. Thus, air is expelled from the solution.
- For several hours (8-10) at a temperature of 30 degrees, the solution in the molds is in the dryer until it hardens. Then it is transferred to a room with normal temperature and humidity for two days.
- The molds with the frozen mixture are transferred to a special work table and the products are separated from them. Then high-quality finished products are selected, placed on pallets and sent to the warehouse.
- At the end of the work, the molds are washed with acid to remove any remaining solution.
Acid for cleaning solution residues
The production of gypsum tiles has some differences from the production of other types of artificial stone:
- casting molds - small size and weight;
- a vibrating table is not used for production;
- painting process finished stone quite simple and inexpensive;
- ready-made gypsum mixture has a low price.
Producing decorative stone is quite simple and profitable. A competent approach to the enterprise and excellent product quality will make your income high and stable.
Video: Making stone from gypsum at home
The technology and equipment have been around for over 50 years. Calibrated products made of cement-sand or gypsum mixtures Any surface texture is called artificial or decorative stone. It is used in all areas of construction: from the construction of fences, paving paths and to interior decorative finishing.
Advantages of artificial stone
The main advantage of artificial stone over natural stone is the low cost and uniformity of the products, which makes their installation easier. Newest technologies using airbrush equipment, they allow you to apply a pattern to the surface of the stone that most accurately imitates the natural texture.
The simplicity of the technology for manufacturing artificial stone, the availability of materials and equipment for organizing the production process, plus the demand for products in construction market are the main factors that allow a novice entrepreneur to start own business with minimal risk.
The entrepreneur is not limited by the choice of sizes and textures of the stone produced. Each type of product has its own niche in the market. At the first stage, it is necessary to deal with the minimum necessary set equipment and materials needed to start your own production.
Production room
For production, first of all, it is necessary to prepare a room in which the equipment will be placed and finished products will be stored. IN ideal it should consist of 3 separate parts:
- basic production room;
- warehouse for storing finished products;
- warehouse for Supplies.
The work shop in which the production equipment is located must have an area of at least 50 m2 and be heated.
Space is necessary for comfortable movement of workers and convenient placement of equipment. To winter time the solution did not freeze, the air temperature in the workshop should not be below 00C. The optimal range is 15–250C.
The production premises are supplied with water supply and electrical communications with a voltage of 220–380 V for connecting equipment.
Warehouses must be connected to the production workshop. The heated warehouse of finished products is equipped forced ventilation. The air temperature in it is maintained at 15–250 C. The warehouse area is calculated depending on the planned volume of products.
Production methods
There are several ways to produce decorative stone. The simplest and most accessible is vibration casting. Vibrocompression is mainly used for the production of cinder blocks. To organize full-fledged production, you will need to purchase expensive equipment. There are manual vibratory pressing plants, but they are used to produce stone for their own needs in small volumes.
Production by vibrocompression is cheaper in terms of the cost of consumables and energy costs.
In addition to the equipment for stone production, these technologies differ:
- product properties;
- surface texture;
- the ability to manufacture elements of complex shapes.
Stone made by vibration pressing has a specific “raw” surface, and the shapes are limited to a monolithic small size.
Vibration casting is distinguished by large decorative possibilities and gives a smooth front surface of the stone. This method is used to produce decorative quality elements, fence sections, and countertops.
Stone made by vibration casting is easily polished and painted.
Equipment for production of vibration casting
For the production of artificial stone by vibration casting, high-tech and expensive equipment is not used. Many craftsmen make the main working units with their own hands:
- vibrating table;
- concrete mixer or mortar mixer;
- vibrating sieve;
- precision weighing equipment for dosing pigments and plasticizers;
- work tables or workbenches;
- plastic containers for dispensing water and bulk materials;
- plastic molds for casting stone;
- wooden pallets for stacking filled forms;
- hand tools (ladles, trowels, spatulas, trowels, wheelbarrows).
A vibrating table is used to remove air bubbles from the solution in injection molds and its compaction. If the form has small drawing, on the vibrating table, full penetration of the solution into all its parts is achieved.
Vibrating tables are often made independently. Depending on the location of the motor with the eccentric and their number, vibrating tables come in 2 types: with vertical and horizontal vibration.
A vibrating sieve is used to separate large fragments from bulk materials. To produce high-quality stone, the raw materials must be homogeneous. If the stone is polished, flaws will appear in areas of large fragments. The equipment is completed different types grids that differ in cell calibration.
A construction mixer (mortar mixer or concrete mixer) is a device for producing decorative stone, which can be purchased or rented. The quality of the solution depends on the thoroughness and uniformity of mixing the ingredients.
Do-it-yourself mold making
They are purchasing because a continuous production cycle will require 50 or more dies of the same type. But for exclusive elements you can make them yourself:
- a master model is created from plaster;
- then a box is made from sheet metal or wood according to the size of the model;
- the model is fixed in the box and poured polyurethane composition Por-A-Molda;
- After a day, the frozen form with the imprint of the master model hardens. It is removed and used to cast stone.
Over time, the surface of the molds wears out, and the sets are updated by purchasing or making new ones.
Necessary raw materials for production
Artificial stone is made from cement-sand mixture with the addition of fine crushed stone (for paving slabs) or from gypsum polymer mixtures.
For production you will need the following materials:
- cement;
- crushed stone;
- sand;
- gypsum polymer;
- chemical compositions (plasticizer, coloring pigments, oil for molds and acid for cleaning them);
- fiber;
- reinforcing metal mesh.
Gray or white cement is used, depending on the color options of the stone. Gray cement is used for coloring in the mass, and white cement is used for surface drawing.
Gypsum polymer is a mixture of gypsum and polymer, which reduces fragility, increases water resistance, and increases bending strength.
Monochrome products are obtained by dyeing in the mass. By applying paint with a compressor, brushes or airbrush equipment to the front surface finished item the creation of a natural pattern imitating natural materials is achieved. This technique requires a lot of experience.
Working staff
To establish a continuous process, which includes formulation development, production of artificial stone, packaging and management, the entrepreneur needs to think about the staff.
What to do first
The technologist, in addition to developing technical specifications, is engaged in the manufacture of new models and forms, selects equipment and controls the quality of products.
Continuous work process is ensured by two or three teams of 4 people. in each.
Packers ensure the formation of finished pallets in the warehouse and their proper storage, and managers ensure the sale of products.
A new entrepreneur usually performs the function of production manager himself, supervising the work of all employees and purchasing raw materials.
Production technology
The technology for producing artificial stone by vibration casting includes the following stages:
- preparation of the mixture;
- dye additive;
- pouring the mixture into half the mold;
- shaking on a vibrating table;
- reinforcement process;
- pouring the second layer of the mixture;
- repeated shaking on a vibrating table;
- transferring forms to drying.
The sand is sifted on a vibrating sieve. The solution is prepared from one part cement, three parts sand and one part water. First, water is poured into the concrete mixing equipment, then dry ingredients, pigments and plasticizer are added. Ready mix should have the thickness of sour cream.
When producing colored artificial stone, to reduce the cost of production, the molding mixture is mixed in two concrete mixers. In one, a colored solution is prepared, in the other - a regular one. When filling out the form, the first layer is the tinted compound, and the second layer is the regular one.
After pouring the first layer, a reinforcing mesh is placed into the mold. Fiber fiber is added to the mixture during the mixing process.
For better adhesion of the stone to the mortar and the surface to be finished, on freshly poured concrete mortar The stripes are applied with a spatula-comb.
The solution hardens within 12 hours. The molds are stacked on pallets through spacers. After drying, the resulting artificial stone is removed from the molds and laid out in the warehouse until the concrete finally acquires strength.
After removing the stone, the molds are washed to remove any remaining solution. Dried deposits are removed with hydrochloric acid. Before reusing molds for making artificial stone, their surface is lubricated with special oil.
Equipment for the production of countertops
The manufacture of countertops is a high-tech industry. To organize it, you will need more expensive equipment, which is ready-made lines. If you have an idea to master this process yourself, then in addition to the specified equipment for vibration casting you need to purchase:
- milling cutter;
- grinding machine;
- jigsaw
At self-production table tops Special attention paid to the reinforcement of the poured material, high-quality milling and grinding. To obtain smooth surface, bulk materials are added to the solution, passed through the finest mesh of a vibrating sieve.
Artificial stone is a material that was obtained not naturally, but artificially, and consists of unnatural substances.
Such material has no value and is simple element decor. The main advantages of such a stone will be beauty, a light weight, low cost, as well as ease of manufacture and, accordingly, inexpensive production. The technology of such production is carried out using the most simple equipment, but at the same time, the strength that such an artificial stone gives is in no way inferior, and may even exceed the strength of products made from natural stones.
Advantages of the stone
Decorative stone is very popular. The main advantage of manufacturing is the simple and cheap materials that are used in the production of simple concrete. It turns out that raw materials for cooking can always be easily and quickly found, and this will not be a big problem.
When using decorative stone, you can get any colors you want, you can make any shape and make any dream come true. Another great advantage is that the base of the decorative stone will never fade under the influence of sun rays, therefore this material is often chosen for finishing the facade of a house. The house not only becomes beautiful, but it is also much better protected from humidity and other weather conditions, as well as from minor damage. A huge advantage is that such work can be carried out at any time of the year, since the stone is unpretentious in construction.
The technology for the production of decorative stone makes it possible to obtain products that cannot be distinguished from natural ones, and at the same time use such simple materials, like sand, cement and chemical additives, from which you can create any color and any pattern. For this reason, designers and decorators love to work with this material.
The production of a material such as artificial stone is based on cement, to which fine or coarse filler, sand or crushed stone is added, respectively, and chemical additives are added, thanks to which all the elements bond with each other and form a strong connection. Mineral pigment is responsible for obtaining color, thanks to which resistance to fading and moisture appears.
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Production methods
Make artificial stones using silicone mold possible on your own.
The technology for manufacturing decorative stone is based on two methods, such as vibration casting and vibration pressing.
The advantages of vibrocompression will be the production of products that will be slightly cheaper in cost, and there will also be more mechanization in production than manual labor.
In general, the technology for producing artificial stone has its advantages. This is also light, unlike natural stone, it can be used for finishing the outside of a building and the inside, it does not require special processing, the stone is very easy to install and no additional protection is needed for it.
If you need production with an average quantity of products, then it is better to use vibration casting technology, and if you want to produce a lot more products, then you should choose vibration pressing technology.
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Vibratory casting technology for the production of decorative stone
Let's talk about manufacturing technology using vibration casting, during which the stone is obtained. First, you need to decide what equipment will be needed for production.
Of course, you will need a vibrating table in order to process concrete products. It is used both in large enterprises, and in small ones. The types of vibrating table can be different, it will depend on what products will be manufactured.
You will definitely need a mixer, with which you can obtain a high-quality solution.
The next piece of equipment is a vibrating sieve, since for decorative stone it is very important to use well-sifted filler.
And the last mandatory equipment will be molding equipment for the production of good and beautiful shapes products.
There is also other additional equipment, but we do not consider it, since it is used in vibrocompression technology on a large scale of production.
We have decided on the equipment and now we will directly consider the process of producing decorative stone. The procedure will be as follows. First you need to cook concrete mixture. To do this, the necessary components, such as cement, dye, filler and additives, are taken and mixed in a concrete mixer.
Then, on a vibrating table, the concrete is placed into forms and compacted into them.
Then the products are aged for two days in natural conditions, that is, no complex actions need to be performed. Temperature, humidity and breathability should be normal.
The next step is to separate the products from the molds on a special table.
Well and then finished goods they sort, select the right quality, without chips or scratches, and put them on pallets, which are taken to the warehouse.
We should also talk about molds for the production of products. Molds for cast products must be of high quality. Previously, when artificial stone was not so popular, they mainly used rigid forms made of concrete, plaster, wood and metal. Nowadays, many new technologies, new equipment, improved materials have appeared, so casting molds can now be of any texture, any size and any geometry.
It becomes clear that with good equipment and with in capable hands Setting up the production of such products from decorative stone is not at all difficult. The main thing is to follow the procedure and have quality materials, and of course, a decent workforce.
If you choose the idea of producing such a stone for your business, you will not go wrong, because it will pay for itself very quickly due to high demand. But, of course, if you just need to use the stone for yourself, for example, lay out a path on summer cottage paving stones or making a staircase in the house, then it is best to hire professionals and buy ready-made products, since it will be problematic to make stone alone and at home without equipment. Therefore, to save your time, money and nerves, it is better to entrust this work to specialists. They will complete everything quickly and efficiently short term, since such work usually does not cause any difficulties.
