Granite is a naturally ocurring hard stone which can be formed and polished into various shapes. This article focuses on granite polishing and granite polishing fickert abrasives.
To polish granite into glossy and beautiful slabs, diamond fickert abrasives are used usually on a line polishing machine or on a bridge polishing machines. These are giant machines which apply the various grits of diamond fickerts on to the stone as the slabs pass through below the polishing heads on a conveyor belt. The key to achieving brilliant polish on these machines relies on two main factors.
- The quality of the stone and
- The quality of abrasives used to polish stone
- Operating Parameters
Quality of Stone
The quality of the stone depends on many factors like the quarry from which the said stone is mined, the type of cut and inclusions in the stone. This affects the final product directly. A well cut block of granite with minimal unwanted inclusions can be polished into a brilliant slab which can adorn any countertop or floor for many decades.
Granite Polishing Fickert Quality
Once the quality of stone is ascertained, the quality of polish that can be achieved depends entirely upon the quality of abrasives used to polish the same. A high quality diamond fickert abrasive ensures that the stone is ground, levelled and polished to superior sheen. Whereas, it is the series of grits of high quality diamond engrained in said abrasives will ensure that proper removal of material, grinding, and polishing marks, and prepares the stone for flawless buffing and finish. However, selection of materials used in the manufacture of fickert abrasives will lead to dull or lacklustre finish on the granite surface.
Operating parameters
Factors like the water used as coolant as well as medium of material removal play a crucial role in the polishing process. Any stray particles from previous polishing if found in the removal medium, can lead to unwanted marks on the stone. Similarly, other operating parameters like the speed of the conveyor belt, and the pressure applied by each head need to be monitored closely for the machine manufacturers specifications so as to achieve good polish without creating any marks or patterns.
Conclusion
Abrasives used in the polishing process determine the quality of polish. Higher the quality of fickert abrasives, better the polish. Operating parameters need to be monitored closely and corrected for blemish free granite surface.
