Fabrication

With the panels fully formed and ready for use, they can be fabricated either at the plant or in the field in a number of ways for specific uses. The so-called “raw slab” comes out of the kiln with rough edges so the slab needs to be squared and rectified before it can be used as a building material. Once that is done, the panels can be cut to specific sizes using wet diamond saws or high-pressure water jet machinery, all suitable for dense stone materials and providing a high degree of precision. In cases where the material is being applied to a corner, a mitered edge can be fabricated by cutting the slab at 45 degrees and 135 degrees using a bridge saw or waterjet. Then, the two pieces can be adhered together, creating a full mitered edge.

Corner conditions can be fabricated using sintered compact surface panels either by the manufacturer or in the field.

It should be noted that handling the thin panels is not much different than handling glass panels, although the sintered products are stronger. Nonetheless, even with the high flexural strength found in sintered compact surfaces, handling should always be done using appropriate handling equipment. That includes frames with mechanical suction cups to support and move the panels safely, just like moving glass or stone panels.