How Thin Can You Cut Marble and Granite?

November 30, 2021 2 Comments

 

The short answer to how thin marble and granite can be cut into is 0.3mm thickness. Many people in the natural stone industry may insist that 1cm tiles is the thinnest.  And they are correct in terms of the application intended for the construction industry.  Also the machinery commonly used to process natural stones can only cut them into 1cm thick tiles. 

 

0.3mm Thick Marble Watch Face Cut outs

When we think about natural stones, most people think of furniture or construction industry related companies as stone experts.  We often forget that jewelry makers are even more precise and specialized in natural stones than the construction industry.  Take David Yurman for instance who has been producing luxury jewelry items since the 80’s and has a beautiful collection of designs incorporating natural stones into their products.

We have personally come across many “experts” who immediately dismiss the fact that 1mm thick stone is not possible or that it is not natural stone.  The technology involved is actually not new, it’s just new to certain industries. We live in a world that posses the technology of robotics, machine automation, and artificial intelligences, is it really that hard to believe natural stones can be cut as thin as 0.3mm thick?

Then there is the next hurdle of thin marble education. Once people finally believe it really is natural stone, they think it must be very fragile.  

We always use the example of glass and how fragile it is. It’s even more fragile than marble, yet most people can accept the technology to make bulletproof glass is possible.

It is possible to process natural stones very thin and reinforce its strength so that its application can become of a reality.  What would be the purpose of cutting the stone so thin if you can't use it? 😊 

So let’s dive in and show you the applications of thin marble stone products. 

We hope a designer or someone with a beautiful imagination and creativity can take this thin stone technology to new heights and applications after reading this blog post.

 Timepiece

 

The Nero marquina marble is an integral part of a classic collection which is why we chose to use it for our first minimalist timepiece. The slim timepiece goes perfectly with every occasion. With a flawlessly round and simple marble dial matched with a classy leather band and an elegant rose gold casing, you have a timepiece that proves that perfection in engineering.  When you bring a dream into reality!  The stone face used into this minimalist watch was only 0.3mm thick.

CASE SIZE 38 mm

CASE THICKNESS 6.75 mm

STRAP WIDTH 18 mm

MOVEMENTBattery Powered 2 Hand Miyota Quartz

GLASS Hardened mineral crystal

WATER RESISTANCE

Stainless steel

 

Dog Tag Necklace

 

The dog tag necklace has a beautiful stainless steel surrounding with a laser cut marble insert of 0.5mm thickness.  Dog tags necklaces have become a popular accessory. And adding a piece of stone unique to that individual adds even more character. Since it is natural stone, every piece will always ben different.  And there is also the option to personalize a name or design onto the marble. 

 

Signature iPhone Case and wireless charging pad

 

Although our company has been manufacturing stone for 50 years, the retail brand has only been around since 2015.  The entire reason we chose a marble iPhone case to launch is because we can demonstrate that it is possible to produce marble that thin and durable for someone to carry and use everyday. 

The marble wireless charger was the perfect compliment to the marble iPhone case.  The round flat marble design acted as a perfect home decor item that also functioned as a tech accessory. 

Marble Business Cards, Poker Cards & notebooks

 

It wasn’t enough to create products made with real marble, as many people still had doubts if it is genuine marble or the durability of the stone being so thin. So that’s when we wanted to demonstrate our processing ability even further. We introduced the world’s first real marble business cards, poker cards and notebook journal.  These lifestyle designed products are made entirely out of 1mm thick marble stone. 

Although notebooks seem like something of the past, you would be surprised how many people still enjoying jotting down their notes in a notebook. On top of that, there is a significant amount of mental health benefits in writing.   Lastly, there is some thought correlation between marble and weight. But when you cut natural stones so thin, it reduces the weight significantly.  Metal is also a heavy object, and yes, there is some weight to metal credit cards. However, you don't really hear people complaining how heavy a metal credit card is? On the contrary, that little added weight compared to plastic credit cards gives it a "luxury touch" to it don't you think?

 

When we produced these marble lifestyle products, we knew there would be a lot of questions and doubts about fragility. Therefore, we really wanted people to test out the marble and see for themselves. In this case, seeing is believing. 

 

Here is a video of Wuwulives demonstrating that these business cards can be dropped or tossed around without worrying of damaging the cards.  Now if you take a hammer or forcefully bend it, that is a different story.  Like anything in this world, there is a breaking point for most products.  Paper business cards can be ripped apart, but you see people going around testing the quality of the paper business cards by ripping them up.  Our point is that it is durable enough to carry around and use daily without the concern of damaging the product unintentionally.

 

Cigar Bag

The marble cigar bag was the founder's passion piece. It started off as something he wanted for himself. Being a cigar enthusiast, he wanted a bag that was different than what was available on the market. The design was made functional and versatile where the inside pockets can be moved around by magnets.  You can overload the bag with cigars and accessories, or you can remove some of the pockets if you felt it to be too bulky.  The zipper has a smell proof seal to keep your cigars safe from contamination.

For the exterior of the bag, having a signature hand selected marble piece will definitely be the only cigar organizer on the market. The purpose was to also demonstrate the ability of fusing leather and marble together, combining two amazing materials into a bag. Something that has never been done before!

 

Construction & Furniture

At 1cm or 1.2cm large format tiles is very impressive in the natural stone industry. Many companies will promote 1cm as ultra thin compared to slabs at 2cm thick to be easier to handle, cost reduction, environmentally friendly building material, etc. 

But we decided that is still too heavy and thick to work with. Even though we can produce ultra thin sheets. The perfect thickness is 2mm thick marble and granite slabs to work with. And we use MIKOLITE marble panels in several areas:

• Yachts
• Cruises
• Aircraft
• RVs
• Elevators
• Consumer Electronics
• Cars
• Office Supplies
• Wedding Gifts
• Any application that the weight capacity is an issue

Applications

• Wall Panels
• Countertops & Vanities
• Store Signage
• Shower walls / Ceilings
• Quick Turn Around Projects
• Capping columns/wall cladding (veneer)
• Balcony Panels
• Corridors
• Furniture 
• Many more

The beauty of natural stones such as granite, marble, limestone, travertine & onyx in lightweight applications is that you can turn any of these natural stones into MIKOLITE thin slabs. We have even done ultra thin terrazzo slabs and engineered marble. There are many finishes to choose from like you would with traditional stone slabs. There's polished, flamed, honed, sandblasted finish, mosaic designs, or laser engraving.  Lighter and thinner means easier to work with, and faster to install. There are no new tools needed either to work with MIKOLITE thin slabs.  Thin marble slab technology is here to make your life easier and less stressful to work with.  Trust us, if you've ever worked with natural stones before or have done a renovation project, you will know how stressful it can be.  

 

Hope this gives you answers your question of how thin marble can be cut as well as applied without concerns. And who knows how much further technology can bring us. Even in a traditional industry such as the natural stone & construction industry.  We would appreciate any comments, suggestions and shares so more people know this is available. Mikolite ultra thin marble slabs will be the Zillow or Opendoor of natural stone like those companies did to the real estate brokerage market. 

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