The processing of marble blocks, granite and stone has historically produced quite a few problems due to the amount of waste that processing involves; both for the “natural” defects of the stone and during the various phases of processing, handling and transformation of the block into slabs. A considerable economic loss as well as the dangerousness of the processing.
The growing environmental sensitivity of excavating companies, institutions and populations requires an increasingly efficient system in the use of non-renewable natural goods such as stone products. It is thus becoming increasingly important to increase the overall efficiency of the extraction cycle, making useful also those blocks whose current techniques allow an economically viable use.