Patent ID: 8444892

Claim:
A method for manufacturing articles in the form of sheets or blocks, the method comprising: (a) preparing a plurality of starter mixes, each starter mix consisting of one or more granular materials having a selected particle size and a binder, each starter mix being monochromatic; (b) depositing according to a program in succession a first layer of each of the plurality of starter mixes onto a single common conveyor belt to form a multiple layer structure, each first layer having a predetermined thickness, the first starter mix being deposited directly on the conveyor belt, the subsequent starter mixes being selectively deposited onto the immediately preceding starter mix that was deposited; (c) discharging the multiple layer structure onto a rotating support or into a container to form a final mix having an annular shape, the rotating support or container being disposed in an axially offset position relative to the conveyor belt; (d) discharging the final mix having the annular shape onto a temporary support; (e) covering the multiple layer structure with a cover; (f) vacuum vibro-compressing the multiple layer structure to form a rough-formed article; and (g) hardening the rough-formed article to form a finished shape.