Patent ID: 7815827

Claim:
A process for manufacturing artificial stone slabs having a veined effect comprising the following steps: (a) grinding different materials of varied granulometry so as to form a filler; (b) obtaining a composition comprising a polymerizable and thermosetting resin; (c) mixing the filler of step (a) with the composition of step (b) so as to obtain a homogeneous mixture; (d) transporting the homogeneous mixture of step (c) by means of a belt to a distributor; (e) discharging, from the distributor to a mould, an amount of said mixture necessary for making a slab according to the dimensions of the mould; (f) protecting the mixture with one of a paper and an elastomer; (g) moulding and pressing the mixture in each mould by compaction using vibro-compression under vacuum; (h) hardening, by polymerizing the resin in the resulting molded and pressed mixture of step (g) by means of heating in an oven; (i) cooling, calibrating, polishing and cutting said slab; wherein a coloring agent is incorporated in step (c) during mixing; during transporting in step (d) or in the distributor itself; or during step (e); and said coloring agent is incorporated by injecting in liquid form under pressure, such that the obtained slab has veins of said coloring agent distributed throughout the slab such that the vein would be visible throughout a cross-section of the slab; and wherein the mixing step (c) is of a duration so as to cause the filler to absorb the resin, and further, after incorporation of the coloring agent and the vibrocompression process, results in the obtained slab having veins of said coloring agent distributed throughout the slab such that the vein would be visible throughout a cross-section of the slab.