Ceramic materials and porcelain: new frontiers for Edilmarmi Faentina, ‘the artisans of marble’
“It was 1992 when my father Elido took over a marble workshop in Modigliana (FC) and opened ALPI ELIDO, specializing in memorial art and stone works”.
So begins the story of Daniele Alpi, who joined the family business in 2004 to work alongside his parents. The following year, the Company underwent strong expansion thanks to the acquisition of another business in Faenza (RA), the current location of EDILMARMI FAENTINA. The drop in marble demand in Modigliana pushed the three partners, ‘the artisans of marble’, to diversify their production and embrace the opportunities offered by the ceramic sector. So, in 2015, they began their first processing trials on ceramic in their workshop in Modigliana, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Company.
Bavelloni, the partner for new challenges
The growth of the ceramic business soon required the Company to update their existing technologies to meet the daily challenges: simplifying processes, improving productivity and quality, reducing manual operations and being able to process large formats, increasingly popular and trendy.
The need for intuitive and high-performance equipment led the Company to search for new solutions.
The partnership with Bavelloni began at the end of 2019, when Daniele Alpi visited the factory in Lentate sul Seveso to attend a demonstration of the VE 350 4 ST vertical edging machine: impressed by its ease of use, he decided to purchase it immediately. The following year, he then added the Bavelloni REV 372 ST cutting table to his workshop.
Bavelloni’s winning combination for cutting and grinding even large formats
The REV 372 ST cutting table and the Bavelloni edging machines of the VE ST series – available in several models according to the desired finishing – represent the ideal combination for the typical workings aimed at furniture and construction, which are the sectors Edilmarmi Faentina mainly serves.
In fact, they produce cladding for interiors and exteriors, steps, skirting boards, window sills, tops and splashbacks for bathrooms and kitchens, as well as original design objects for restaurants.
Their customers are mostly architectural and interior design studios as well as local companies, including important manufacturers of large porcelain slabs from Faenza and Imola.
Relying on Bavelloni’s technologies, Daniele therefore cuts slabs up to 3 m long, grinds 270×120 cm formats and produces mosaic cladding consisting of different sized pieces.
Using his REV 372 ST, a very compact cutting table with everything as standard, he performs dry cutting, both straight and shaped, in a fast and precise way on ceramic materials and porcelain. Daniele prepares the programs for cutting: with the aid of the optimizer, included in the scope of supply, he can make the most of the entire slab, avoiding waste and greatly speeding up this task, which was once solely dependent on the operator’s experience.
The optimizer is particularly convenient when dealing with pieces of different sizes, such as steps. The operator will only need to launch the program to execute the desired cut with great speed and accuracy.
Thanks to his VE 350 4 ST vertical edging machine, Daniele can produce 46° raw chamfering at high speed for subsequent assembly by gluing or just edge grinding (useful when making skirting boards, for instance).
The Bavelloni VE ST Series edging machines represent an innovative solution in ceramic processing technologies. Designed to work vertically, they have a smaller footprint compared to traditional machinery and are easy to use. The vertical positioning of the slab does not require any adjustments, but only the input of thickness and removal, resulting in significant time savings and easier set-up.
Once assembled, the pieces are then shipped to the customer ready for installation. In these applications, often visible, the precision of the chamfer is essential to ensure a perfect fit and an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The use of Bavelloni diamond grinding wheels also contributes to achieving this result, ensuring the desired quality for Edilmarmi Faentina.
Intuitive, high-performance and reliable solutions supporting growth
“The ease of use primarily, the speed and precision of execution, together with the reduced maintenance requirements and low operating costs were the key reasons for choosing Bavelloni,”, says Daniele and adds, “They are very intuitive and user-friendly machines. So I would definitely recommend them”.
The experience with Bavelloni’s After-sales Service was also positive, both during and after the installation of the equipment. “On the few occasions I needed to call on your Service Department, everything was resolved quickly and over the phone”, comments Daniele.
Edilmarmi Faentina represents a model of a company that has rapidly evolved, expanding its business and improving productivity, quality, and precision thanks to Bavelloni’s solutions. Mr. Daniele Alpi doesn’t hide his ambition to make new technology investments; although caution is necessary in these times, we are confident that, at the right moment, he will seize the opportunities that the future holds for him.
