Patent ID: 8747712

Claim:
Method for manufacturing slabs of conglomerate material, the slabs having relatively large upper and lower surfaces with relatively small side wall thicknesses, the method comprising the steps of, in order: (a) preparing an initial mix consisting of one or more granular products composed of stone or stone-like material, said granular products having a selected particle size, and a binder consisting of a thermosetting synthetic-resin binder; (b) depositing a layer of the initial mix to have a predefined thickness onto a surface of a temporary support or into a mould, and subsequently covering with a similar support; (c) vacuum vibrocompressing the layer of mix by subjecting the layer of mix to the action of a press in an environment in which a predefined vacuum has been formed and at the same time applying a vibratory movement of predetermined frequency to the layer; (d) hardening of the resultant rough-formed slab by means of thermal catalysis of the binding resin; (e) removing the rough-formed slab from the temporary support or mould, and (f) uniformly cooling the rough-formed slab into a perfectly flat-finished slab, the rough-formed slab being supported while laying flat in a major plane of the rough-formed slab, cooling is performed to a temperature at least below a glass transition temperature of the resin with a flow of a cooling fluid, and the flow of the cooling fluid is freely coming into contact with both the upper and lower surfaces of the slab.