In a classic production flow, a piece of stone moves between several separate stations: cutting, drilling, fine milling, and finally polishing. Every move between stations means waiting time, re-loading and re-positioning — and a real risk of small inaccuracies, since the piece is re-seated on each new work surface. A combined CNC processing center changes that: a single multi-axis bridge machine, fitted with a main cutting head, waterjet, and a side milling/drilling unit (such as TOOL+, reaching up to 15,000 RPM), carries out most of these stages on the same work surface, with the material set in place only once.
The main advantage isn’t just speed — it’s consistency. When the stone doesn’t move between stations, small deviations don’t accumulate and surface only in the finished piece. Alongside that, there’s a real saving in floor space (one station instead of three or four), in labor (fewer hands needed for repeated loading and unloading), and in the waiting time between stages — which shortens delivery time to the end customer.
Depending on the model and configuration, a combined processing center can include disc cutting, waterjet cutting for complex shapes and internal cuts, drilling and milling on a separate side unit from the main cutting head, and a rotating C-axis that allows varied cutting angles without repositioning the material. Some models can also connect to CAD/CAM design software that runs the entire work sequence automatically from a single design file.
A combined center isn’t necessarily right for every factory — the investment is higher than a single cutting machine, and the economics get stronger the more material types a factory processes (marble, granite, porcelain) and the more kinds of work it does (kitchens, flooring, design pieces) under one roof. A factory that notices it’s moving stone between several separate stations on every order, and losing time and labor there, is the natural candidate for this kind of upgrade.
MG Stone Tec’s team knows Donatoni’s multi-axis machine range in depth, and can help map out which processes are worth combining on one machine — and which should stay separate — based on your production volume, material types and factory size. Get in touch for advice that starts from your actual needs, not a spec sheet.
