This section provides an overview for stone surface plates as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 10 stone surface plate manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
A surface plate is a platform used as a reference plane when processing or inspecting materials or parts. It is generally rectangular and comes in a variety of sizes, from small to large, depending on the size of the object to be placed on the surface plate and its intended use.
Stone surface plates have a high flatness accuracy and are highly rigid to maintain that accuracy.
Plates are used to ensure an absolutely flat surface when marking, machining, or measuring materials or parts. This is true for all surface plates, regardless of material. By operating a processing machine or measuring machine with the surface plate as a plane reference, straight lines and planes can be machined and measured. In other words, machining and measuring can be performed assuming that the top surface of the surface plate is an ideal straight line or plane.
Although the material does not directly affect the application, the main requirements for using a stone surface plates are wear resistance and resistance to corrosion and other environmental factors.
Compared to cast-iron surface plates, stone surface plates are characterized by less aging, higher abrasion resistance, higher environmental resistance, no curling or rolling due to scratches, and no magnetism.
Since maintaining the flatness of the surface plate is an absolute requirement for use, if the flatness deteriorates after years of use, the surface plate is polished to improve the flatness. The low ageing and high wear resistance of the surface plate can delay the deterioration of flatness and reduce the number of regrinding operations, thereby reducing the maintenance cost. In addition, the fact that the surface plate does not rebound due to scratches caused by inadvertent dropping of parts and other objects prevents not only deterioration of flatness but also scratches on parts and measuring machines caused by rebounding.
Although it may seem that stone surface plates have many advantages over cast-iron ones, most stone surface plates are made of mottled rock, which is a hard material that requires a longer processing time to obtain a flat surface. This has the disadvantage of higher unit cost and higher initial cost.
Stone surface plates are classified into three grades: AA, A, and B, with AA being the most precise.
Since the price varies greatly depending on the grade, as well as the size of the surface plate that can be manufactured, it is necessary to select a surface plate that meets the required flatness and size.
Stone surface plates are used as a standard with guaranteed flatness accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the surface plate on a daily basis to ensure that there are no deviations in accuracy.
In the management of stone surface plates, it is important to keep the surface clean. If the surface is dirty, measuring instruments and other equipment cannot move smoothly, which may cause measurement errors. In addition, oil and adhering dust on the surface will deteriorate the flatness of the surface.
Based on the above, cleaning the surface is an important part of stone surface plates maintenance. It is convenient to use a cleaner specially designed for stone surface plates.
First, large dust and debris are removed by air blow. Then, wipe up with a special cleaner. Wipe the cleaner clean with water, then wipe dry. After cleaning is complete, the equipment is covered to protect it from dust and other debris. If the equipment is to be used for inspection, it is also necessary to check the flatness of the equipment periodically.
By performing daily cleaning and flatness control as described above, stone surface plates can be used semi-permanently, as it does not change much over time.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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