Methods and systems for finishing plaster layers applied to block products

Abstract

Methods and systems for finishing hardened plaster layers of block products that require further finishing. The apparatus, methods, and systems may be used to finish hardened plaster or other cementitious coatings applied to one or more surfaces of block products, such as CMUs and ICFs. A finishing process includes trimming excess plaster material from the short and/or long sides of block substrates, coarsely grinding the trimmed plaster layer, finely grinding the coarsely ground plaster layer, polishing the finely ground plaster layer, optionally cleaning the polished plaster layer, and optionally applying a treatment to the cleaned plaster later. A system for finishing hardened plaster layers of block products includes one or more trimming stations to trim excess plaster material, a coarse grinding station, a fine grinding station, a polishing station, an optional cleaning station, and an optional spraying station. Finishing block products can expose crystal facets or other desired esthetic characteristics of the plaster layer to have the appearance of natural stone.

1 . A method of finishing block products having one or more plaster layers, the method comprising:
 providing a plurality of initial block products, each comprising a block substrate and one or more plaster layers on the block substrate;   trimming excess plaster material from one or more sides of the block products to yield trimmed block products;   coarsely grinding the one or more plaster layers of the trimmed block products to yield block products having one or more coarsely ground plaster layers;   finely grinding the one or more coarsely ground plaster layers of the block products to yield block products having one or more finely ground plaster layers; and   polishing the one or more finely ground plaster layers of the block products to yield block products having one or more polished plaster layers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein trimming excess plaster material from one or more sides of the block products is performed by one or more cutting blades or grinders. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein trimming excess plaster material from one or more sides of the block products includes trimming excess plaster material from one or more short sides of rectangular-shaped block products. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein trimming excess plaster material from one or more sides of the block products includes trimming excess plaster material K from one or more long sides of the rectangular-shaped block products. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein coarsely grinding the one or more plaster layers is performed by a coarse grinding cylinder or roller. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the coarse grinding cylinder or roller has a grit size of about 20-grit to about 35-grit. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein finely grinding the one or more plaster layers is performed by a fine grinding cylinder or roller. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the fine grinding cylinder or roller has a grit size of about 70-grit to about 85-grit. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein polishing the one or more plaster layers is performed by a polishing cylinder or roller. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the polishing cylinder or roller has a grit size of about 110-grit to about 125-grit. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising cleaning the one or more plaster layers of the block products by at least one of air or water. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising applying a sealer or surface treatment to the one or more plaster layers of the block products. 
     
     
         13 . A method of finishing block products having one or more plaster layers, the method comprising:
 placing a plurality of intermediate block products, each comprising a block substrate and one or more plaster layers applied to the block substrate, onto a conveyor;   conveying the intermediate block products to a trimming station configured with trimming apparatus, the trimming apparatus trimming excess plaster material from at least two sides of the block products to yield trimmed block products;   conveying the trimmed block products to a coarse grinding station configured with coarse grinding apparatus, the coarse grinding apparatus coarsely grinding the one or more plaster layers of the trimmed block products to yield block products having one or more coarsely ground plaster layers;   conveying the block products with one or more coarsely ground plaster layers to a fine grinding station configured with fine grinding apparatus, the fine grinding apparatus finely grinding the one or more coarsely ground plaster layers to yield block products having one or more finely ground plaster layers; and   conveying the block products with one or more finely ground plaster layers to a polishing station configured with polishing apparatus, the polishing apparatus polishing the one or more finely ground plaster layers to yield block products having one or more polished plaster layers.   
     
     
         14 . A system for finishing block products having a plaster layer, the system comprising:
 a conveyor for conveying a plurality of initial or intermediate block products comprised of block substrates and a plaster composition applied to one or more surfaces of the block substrates to a plurality of finishing zones or stations;   a trimming zone or station comprising one or more cutting blades or grinders configured to trim excess plaster composition from one more sides of the block products to yield trimmed block products;   a coarse grinding zone or station comprising a coarse grinding machine configured to grind down and remove a thickness of the plaster composition disposed on the block substrates to form a coarsely ground plaster layer;   a fine grinding zone or station comprising a fine grinding machine configured to finely grind the coarsely ground plaster layer to form a finely ground plaster layer; and   a polishing zone or station comprising a polishing machine configured to polish the finely ground plaster layer to a polished plaster layer.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , the trimming zone or station comprising:
 a first trimming subzone or station comprising:
 a housing defining a channel configured in size and shape to receive block products in a first orientation, and 
 a pair of opposing cutting blades disposed in the housing and separated by a distance approximately equal to a length of the block products; 
   a second trimming subzone or station comprising:
 a housing defining a channel configured in size and shape to receive block products in a section orientation orthogonal to the first orientation, and 
 a pair of opposing blades disposed in an interior of the housing and separated by a distance approximately equal to a width of the block products. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the coarse grinding machine comprises a roller framework and a coarse grinding roller or cylinder having a grit size in a range of about 20-grit to about 35-grit. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the fine grinding machine comprises a roller framework and a fine grinding roller or cylinder having a grit size in a range of about 70-grit to about 85-grit. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the polishing machine comprises roller framework and a polishing roller, or cylinder having a grit size in a range of about 110-grit to about 125-grit. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a cleaning zone or station configured to apply compressed air and/or water to the block products remove dust or debris from the plaster layer. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a surface treatment zone or station configured to apply a surface treatment composition to the plaster layer.