The quality of our cast stone product is excellent and this is a result of many years’ experience, a skilled and dedicated workforce in place, combined with rigorous quality control measures throughout the manufacturing process.
Once the full requirements are agreed and the quotation approved, we start the manufacturing process. Manufacture is carried out at our factory in Garforth, West Yorkshire and under closely controlled conditions to ensure consistent high quality standards of production and curing.
There are five main stages to the manufacturing process:
- Moulds – The moulds are made from timber and to the exact dimensions and form taken from the CAD drawings. We have our own team of in-house joiners who are highly skilled and have many years’ experience behind them. Once the moulds have been tested and checked to ensure they are perfect they are approved and ready for the next stage of manufacture.
- Preparation of the cast stone mixture – This is an especially critical part of the process because there are a number of key factors we have to take into account. Firstly, there are the relative quantities of different loose materials int he mix which have to be right to ensure the end product is of the correct finish and strength. Next there’s the consistency of the mix with the exact right quantity to ensure a) that the product colour is exactly as specified, and b) that colour is consistent across multiple products for the same job.
- Filling the moulds – A relatively straightforward process involving filling and compacting the fill using vibrating tools. Filling will always work because we’ve got points one and two above exactly right.
- Curing – This is a very critical aspect of the cast stone manufacturing process, and with the product released from its mould, we always ensure that the main three factors in curing are fully controlled: the temperature, humidity and the length of time in the chamber. Our modern and efficient curing chamber allows us this tight level of control. Read more about cast stone curing.
- Final quality checks – Once fully cured, we now carry out final quality checks before approving the product and packing on pallets with shrink wrapping, ready for delivery.
Overall, at Procter Cast Stone we consistently demonstrate that we are experts in the manufacture of high quality cast stone products.
Manufacture of bespoke cast stone features
Once the design is agreed, the next stage involves our highly skilled craftsman producing timber moulds. These moulds are created to engineering dimensions, and the skill and care that goes into them is reflected in the final superb finished cast stone feature. Once a mould is complete, checked and ready for use, the manufacturing process for the cast stone feature commences. This process is carefully controlled and monitored to ensure the colour is correct and consistent, and the finish of the item superb.