Levibreton KFT 3600 - Lines for polishing marble slabs

LEVIBRETON KFT 3600: A PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHY 
Nowadays, the Levibreton KFT 3600 polishing lines for marble are the best and most advanced solution for companies requiring high productions combined with low transformation costs.
Breton was the first company to develop the machines for the continuous polishing of marble slabs, revolutionizing the field.
Automation, production, user-friendliness, simple maintenance and low operating costs are absolutely familiar concepts to Breton who knew how to masterfully convey them in the tried and tested, world-famous Levibreton KFT 3600. 

HIGH-REMOVAL DRESSING/POLISHING SPINDLE UNITS
The dressing-polishing spindle units feature a sturdy cast-iron casing ensuring maximum rigidity and a consequent high removal capacity of the abrasives; under the mechanical and technological viewpoint, they are a concentration of reliability, safety and simplified maintenance.
Spindle units are lifted by a couple of pistons with constantly protected rod.
The lubrication points are centralized in front of the spindle unit in order to simplify the routine maintenance operations.
The water feeding system is positioned over the spindle units with passage along the spindle axis so as to prevent any possible build-up of residue, and an ingenious system diverts water outside the spindle casing in case of over-supply or clogging.

 
SPECIAL BRETON PLATES
Each spindle is equipped with a high-performance special Breton abrasive-holding plate with a diameter of 550mm, holding 9 abrasives, which ensure an extremely high removal capacity and work stability for a perfect and uniform polishing even up to the edges of the material.
The special Breton plates are equipped with an exclusive one-way shock-absorbing system ensuring the correct flexibility and a homogeneous and optimal working pressure.
This also results in a lower consumption of abrasives.
THE BEAM
The beam is built using a special design with box-type section in order to both contain weight and provide high rigidity.
Therefore, the spindle/beam assembly is very dynamic and enables to attain extremely rapid acceleration/deceleration ramps and a very high travel speed (up to 70 m/min). 

THE MOTORIZATION OF THE SPINDLE-HOLDING BEAM
The reciprocating movement of the beam is actuated by two motor reducers (one for the KFT 3600/08) attached at each end, mechanically synchronised and controlled by a single frequency variator.
Motion is transmitted by means of a pinion/rack system.
The beam working speed achieves 70 m/min.

THE TABLE
The table constitutes the supporting structure of the machine and is fabricated as a distortion-proof, arc welded steel, single-piece chassis.
The conveyor belt slides upon a thick steel table, milled as a single unit to assure perfect flatness.

THE BEAM SLIDING SUPPORTS
The beam rests on two shoulders moving along two sturdy, cast-iron supports, which house tempered, rectified and thick tracks with large diameter roller slides in an oil bath.
The sliding components are protected by stainless steel labyrinth seals. 

THE SLAB PROFILE AND THICKNESS READERS 
An optical reader memorizes the slab profile with 10x10 mm resolution, while a sonar reader memorizes its thickness. These two systems work without any contact with the material.
This system allows to automatically control the raising-lowering of the heads and guarantees both the self-adjustment of the spindle beam travel as to the width of the processed slabs and the automatic positioning of the frontal, anti-splash and sound-proof protection guards according to the slab thickness.
THE AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF THE ABRASIVE CONSUMPTION
Connected to both the control PC and the sonar sensor registering the thickness of each individual slab, this optional system performs the following functions:
- continuous, automatic monitoring of the abrasive consumption for each individual head, with video-messages and pre-alarm before the tool is completely consumed
- minimal raising of the heads at the entry/exit of slabs and subsequent rapid lowering guaranteeing a better polishing of the slab sides as well as a higher working speed. THE WATER PLANT
The water supply to the heads is by a common, large-diameter, PVC-made central piping, placed above the spindle units.
The water supply from the main pipe to the slabs passes vertically inside the shaft of the spindle unit.
With this system, when the machine is stopped, all the water inside the piping automatically flows out by gravity thus avoiding any possible stagnation and consequent build-up of solid residues inside the pipes. An ingenious system diverts water outside the spindle casing in case of overflowing or clogging, thus preventing excess water from coming into contact with the spindle internal components. THE ELECTRIC/ELECTRONIC PLANT
The electric/electronic plant is wired with the innovative “field-bus” technique. It is a simple, single cable delivering all the PC signals with digital transmission to the different control units installed on the machine.
With this state-of-the-art system, the signal transmission is safe and free from any interference, and the identification of possible failures is greatly simplified.
The electric plant connecting the stationary parts of the machine with the mobile beam is by a parallel sheathing system, which secures safer working conditions and a longer life of the cables.
All the electric/electronic equipment, including the PC installed on the machine, are of the commercial type and supplied by first-class world manufacturers so as to make easier both the technical assistance and the readiness of spare parts, virtually throughout the world. PROGRAMMING
The operator interface is simple and immediate, realised with a PC operating in a Windows environment, and is provided with touch-screen.
The major work processes are controlled, such as:
- speed of the machine conveyor and synchronism of the whole line, including loaders and connection roller conveyors.
- back-slipping correction on the anti-skid conveyor of badly-sawn, bent slabs, for both single slabs and packs of slabs
- beam movement (speed, customised programming of acceleration and deceleration ramps)
- continuous automatic monitoring of the abrasive consumption for each single head, with video-messages and pre-alarm before the tool is completely consumed
- possibility to “exclude” all, some or just one slab under processing, or even a portion of the slab (head, end, corner). 

TELEDIAGNOSIS 
The Levibreton KFT 3600 is equipped with evolved software the assisted Internet connection with Breton service, which facilitates remote trouble-shooting and expedites solutions.
STATISTICS
Furthermore, the PC gathers and processes the statistical data relating to the production and consumptions, such as:
- production statistics on partial periods, or on job orders, or per shifts, progressives, or accumulative (hours of machine switched on, in operation, in alarm, square meters processed, etc)
- tool wear statistics (per each individual head, square meters produced - at a given time - with the operating tool, square meters produced with the last replaced tool, etc.)
- diagnostics of machine condition, with video display of any alarm occurred;
- maintenance programming with alarm on the display when preventive maintenance has expired
- image file of the slabs processed (as they are memorised by the optical reader placed at the entrance of the machine)
Moreover, the PC control of all these data makes them readily available to other supervising or control PC, or data can be exported in “.txt” format files so as to be processed by any “office automation” application software (for instance, Word, Excel, etc.).

CONTROLS AND DISPLAY

Analogical manometers with operating pressure regulators and the spindle cycle selector switches are positioned in correspondence to each honing-polishing unit over the front sliding  protections, protected from humidity, and easily accessible to the operator.  
An operator’s control panel with display touch-screen is mounted to one of machine side panels.

SAFETY PROTECTIONS

The Levibreton KFT 3600 machines are fitted with front sliding soundproofed safety panels of robust construction with an ABS and polyurethane sandwich structure, and are resistant to water and waste generated during machine operation.
Protective rubber spray guards are fitted to the beam facing the abrasive backing plates “in line” with the workpiece to polish.

LEVIBRETON KFT 3600 comes in three versions, with 8, 14 15 and 17 spindles which are driven by a 11 kW motor each and hold plates with diameter of 550 mm; each plate holds 9 abrasive bricks for maximum removal capacity. 

The version with 17 spindles, specially designed for the most demanding production requirements, is equipped with a halfway bridge installed after the 7th spindle that "separates" the dressing from the polishing section. The dressing section is therefore stiffer, more "aggressive" and, if desired, capable of holding calibrating spindles on the first positions. A high-flow washing unit is mounted under the halfway bridge to wash out the residue of the coarse abrasive grains before slabs are processed by the finer polishing grains.
Well, that’s all for today.
For more INFO about Levibreton KFT 3600 write to mail@breton.it
By-by
Sergio Prior

breton marble machines, breton stone machinery, levibreton KFT 3600, polishing marble lines