Polyurethane molds for the production of decorative stone.

How to choose the shapes of artificial facing stone

In the building materials market, the topic of artificial facing stone always remains relevant.
There may only be slight seasonal variations. Not everyone decides to finish a building with facing stone while doing exterior work in the winter cold. But interest in this material always remains at a stable level. Most entrepreneurs understand this. Anyone who wanted to, but put off renovating their own home, can turn to artificial facing stone at any time and even make it themselves. Its advantages are obvious. Application is possible on walls of any geometry, that is, straight, rounded, trapezoidal or wavy. In this regard, the company “Mold Plant” offers to buy molds for the production of artificial facing stone inexpensively for all categories of manufacturers. They are produced in different configurations and designs at the company’s facilities. The low cost of products does not speak in the same diminutive tone about quality.

On the contrary, you can find the most optimal combination of price and quality. The affordable price of molds for casting artificial facing stone from concrete is explained by more than ten years of development of the enterprise and the smooth running of all production processes. The price has been stabilized for several reasons:

Being a real manufacturer of the products offered for sale eliminates markups that can be made by numerous intermediaries operating in the building materials market - their chain can be as long as desired.
As stated, over many years of development, the enterprise has developed a well-functioning mold production system, which today works effectively and does not require large financial investments - all consumables come directly from their manufacturers.
An individual approach to each customer has been introduced, that is, the customer is free to choose what product he needs, even to make it according to his own patterns, without using what is on the store shelf.
When selling products, the company does not use intermediaries operating in the building materials market, including retail chains, but uses its own developments on Internet resources.
The company eliminates unnecessary bureaucratic procedures when registering goods, which take both time and money from the buyer.

This formulation of the question allows us to keep prices for molds for artificial stone at a consistently low level. In addition to this, maintaining a high level of quality for manufactured products continues to be important. It is achieved using other principles and techniques for producing goods.

How to make a silicone mold

In order to obtain a silicone mold that will ideally help follow the contours of natural stone, you need a template.

Achieving the quality of molds for the production of artificial stone

To obtain a mold with good quality characteristics, you need decent material for its manufacture, prepared equipment and qualified personnel. All this is available at the Mold Factory. By the way, the enterprise makes thermo-vacuum molding machines independently, and not only for its own needs, but also upon request of everyone, in the configuration required by the buyer. They are easy to use and reliable in operation.

The molds themselves are made using the special characteristics of ABS plastic. It produces forms that have:

The necessary flexibility for unmolding the concrete product after pouring and gaining strength.
Transferring with particular accuracy the textured configuration of the original 3D matrix (master model) and preserving it throughout its entire service life.
High strength, reliability (withstands up to hundreds of concrete pours) with low weight.
Ease of operation and maintainability.
Environmental and safety for human health.

Possessing such qualities, molds for the production of artificial facing stone also undergo a series of tests after the release of a new model. This is done to adapt the product to work in the difficult conditions of domestic concrete production with all its features. The ability of the molds to withstand high mechanical loads was also appreciated by foreign customers.

Testing molds for facing stones made of concrete by vibration casting

At the Molds Plant enterprise, all types of new elements undergo factory testing in concrete production using vibrocasting technology methods (Marble from concrete). It is widespread and not very difficult to master.

Even a worker who has never dealt with the production of concrete products can quickly master the methodological and practical material. And, if you have a conscious desire to engage in decent production, then you can begin mastering the general scheme of actions:

After preparing the workplace, equipment, and consumables, sifting of granite chips and sand begins, preferably using a vibrating sieve or a special separator - the production of artificial facing stone requires pure mineral fillers so that the future product does not lose its visual appeal during operation.
The solution is prepared using vibratory casting methods with the addition of mineral fillers, in addition to cement and water, a plasticizer for rapid strength gain by concrete (100 g per 10 kg of cement) and a coloring pigment to give color to concrete products.
On an accessible vibrating platform, molds of artificial facing stone are laid out and in them, not so much poured, but rather laid out a solution prepared using special techniques that can be mastered at the “Mold Factory”.
If a plasticizer is used in the manufacture of the solution, it is recommended to carry out demolding within 18 hours after pouring.

The products can be sent to the customer after four days, but installation work can be carried out after the concrete has gained sufficient strength for this purpose - after six days. With practice, you will gain an understanding of the methods for preparing the solution and pouring it into plastic molds.

To begin with, you need to take the most optimal option for the volumes of materials required for production and conduct your own testing. For one bag of cement, in order to obtain 200 kg of finished product, buy at least three “squares” of plastic molds of any facing stone at the “Mold Factory” and fill them using the vibration casting method. These are optimal calculations and should help you gain basic concrete casting skills.

Polyurethane molds for the production of decorative stone

If you have a desire or need to buy molds for making decorative stone, then you are probably faced with the problem of choosing the material from which these forms will be made. Let's look at what they are:

plastic molds (polypropylene, ABS)
polyurethane (with and without additives (fillers))
silicone molds (with and without additives (fillers))
rubber (Thermoplastic vinyl (PVC plastic), etc.)

All types of molds for the production of decorative materials will have different costs (the difference can reach 5-10 times), durability, practicality, ease of use and the ability to clearly convey the structure of the stone.

Plastic molds are the cheapest option, with a lifespan of approximately 200 castings. They do not convey the natural structure of the stone well; products made from them look “washy.” Another disadvantage is that the plastic plaster stone mold product is difficult to remove without damage. They are more suitable as forms for making paving slabs, curbs, and paving stones. But behind the cheapness lies the need for frequent replacement. Be careful.

Silicone molds for artificial stone are used in the manufacture of decorative stone from gypsum and polymer resins. Such forms do not like the alkaline environment of cement, where they quickly collapse. The resource is already more acceptable - from 500 to 800 castings from one mold. They copy well the structure of natural materials, including possible negative angles.

Polyurethane forms are the most popular and versatile. With such forms, you can use any source material - gypsum, cement, casting resin. But here you definitely need to use a release agent. It is also possible to cast from 500 to 800 products using such molds. The cost of such a mold for polyurethane brick or stone is greatly influenced by the additives and fillers that are used when casting the molds. Polyurethane forms without fillers will have the greatest resource, but they will also have the highest cost.

Rubber molds (thermoplastic vinyl) are also universal, i.e. can be used when working with gypsum, cement and resins. They have the longest working life among all bending forms - up to 2000 castings. Rubber molds do not require a release agent to work with artificial stone on any binder. The price tag for thermoplastic vinyl molds is even less than for polyurethane ones, but their production requires special complex equipment and heat-resistant matrices, so this is not feasible in small workshops.

Considering all the pros and cons of various types of forms for artificial stone and finishing bricks, polyurethane models become the best solution, as they are the most versatile and durable.

Installation work with artificial facing stone

You can use the most common technology for installing artificial stone when facing walls. The elements are fastened to the wall using cement mortar or special mounting adhesive. It is enough to clean, for example, the paint and prime the walls:

If you do not have experience in cladding, then initially mark the wall and lay out the cladding elements on a horizontal surface, marking the wall with horizontal markers in increments of no more than 50 centimeters. This will help you avoid the rows from collapsing when laying.
Installation is carried out from top to bottom so that the adhesive solution does not fall on the already tiled surface. First, the corner elements are attached, which have a long and short side; it is recommended to alternate them in opposite directions. Next, the top horizontal row and decorative elements around the window and door openings are attached. After this, proceed to laying artificial stone on the remaining surface.
The artificial stone must be laid on the surface and fixed for 30 seconds. When the solution loses its adhesive properties, it should be removed and a new one applied. When cladding external walls, swimming pools, industrial facilities, the adhesive mixture is applied to the surface itself and to the back side of the tile. After the operation of laying on the wall, the tiles are lightly knocked down with a rubber hammer.
After a day, they begin to grout the joints when the tiles are firmly connected to the surface, using grout solutions of the desired color. Cleaning of artificial stone after jointing is carried out after the solution has gained strength.

You can do all the work yourself. Therefore, if you decide to order forms for making artificial facing stone from concrete, you can do it now and directly on this website. Select the desired form in the catalog and place an order through the “basket”, contacting the managers of the “Form Factory” to conclude a transaction.