A mold for making dry cast concrete blocks includes a pair of vertical shoulder forming sections, one along each of the opposite sides of the mold to form vertical front shoulders of a block. Each shoulder forming section has a shoulder roughening arrangement to result in molded, roughened shoulders of the block. Methods of making such blocks and the resulting block are included.

Disclosed is a deagglomeration apparatus, to improve the quality of a mixture used for the production of concrete blocks. An illustrative embodiment of the deagglomerator comprises a vertical shaft high-shear mixer, wherein a rotational force (hydraulic or electric) is mounted to a vertical shaft onto which are mounted chains and/or knives, housed within a flexible rubber boot or tube. The deagglomerator is configured to be controllably powered, to rotate the shaft and the attached tools. Partially mixed formula is introduced to a top region of the deagglomerator, and falls downwardly past the rotating tools wherein the formula is pulverized and mixed, before exiting the lower area of the mixing region.

An artificial stone slab with integrally formed patterns and its manufacturing method that enables integrally forming patterns of various complicated shapes and colors in an artificial stone slab. The artificial stone slab includes a mixture prepared by mixing raw materials for artificial stone in powder state and a plurality of the patterns having various shapes and attached to a sheet. The sheet with the patterns is set to the inner side of a rubber mold. The powdered mixture is added into the rubber mold to integrally form the patterns with the mixture. The underlying sheet is removed to form an artificial stone slab with the patterns. The patterns are exposed only on the topside of the artificial stone slab or on both top and bottom sides of the artificial stone slab.

A method for manufacturing an engineered stone comprising the steps of: providing a mixture comprising at least a stone or stone like material and a binder; compacting the mixture; curing the binder; and printing a printed pattern on at least a top surface of the engineered stone.

A system and method for fabricating and installing structure siding with the appearance of logs fashioned from at least one mold configured from digital scans of existing logs of an antiquated log cabin is described. The process facilitates the reuse of scans amounting to digital files representing an existing log cabin structure. Via the system, staff members may craft a recreation of the faade of an existing log cabin numerous times on modern homes without the removal of the original logs, taking out all unwanted imperfections of the existing log cabin structure. A high-definition metrology grade scanner is preferably employed to capture the appearance of the existing log cabin in great detail such that molds may be formed to facilitate its reproduction. Composite faades may be created based on scans of logs derived from a variety of existing log cabins to create a new design.

A mold for manufacturing interlocking, dry-cast concrete retaining wall blocks in an upright orientation comprises a mold box comprising two side walls joined to end walls to define a mold cavity, a top face, and a substantially open bottom face. Partitions configured to define a space between adjacent blocks or a space between a block and a side of the mold box extend parallel to the side walls of the mold box substantially from the top face into the mold cavity, to form first transverse portions of the profile of the top and bottom surfaces the blocks which do not include any undercut portion that would impede removal of the mold box in a substantially vertical direction. At least one removable insert comprises insert members which, when positioned in the mold box beneath the partitions, form remaining transverse portions of the profile of the top and bottom surfaces, the remaining transverse portions including at least one undercut portion. The insert members, when in position in the mold box for casting, are substantially in lateral alignment with respective bottom surfaces of at least some of the partitions and can be inserted and retracted through openings in an end wall of the mold box.

Disclosed is a block press and associated process, for dynamically forming a block mold, to produce a masonry block. In some embodiments, the block mold includes a plurality of mold elements, such as a lower impact plate, an upper impact plate, and a plurality of side plates, and can further include one or more block cores. In operation, one or more of the mold elements are moved to dynamically forming a block mold, which is then filled with product formula. The product formula is then compressed, to form a masonry block. One or more of the mold elements are then released, such as to release pressure on the formed masonry block, and to allow removal of the formed masonry block from the block press, wherein the formed masonry block can be moved to a curing area, and the block press can reform the block mold for subsequent production.

A block, block system and method of making a wall block. A block with multiple embodiments of a visually exposed surface having three dimensional shaped areas and three dimensional angular valleys or joints that can be used to construct a patio, wall, fence or the like; the multiple embodiments creating a more random and natural appearance. A mold box having a moveable liner and a stripper shoe that impart three dimensional shaped areas and three dimensional angular valleys or joints onto an exposed surface of a block. The moveable liner and stripper shoe also impart a parting line onto the exposed surface of the block.

A retaining wall block having a false joint and a system of retaining wall blocks. The retaining wall block includes a body having a first textured surface and a second textured surface and a false joint dividing the first and second textured surface. The false joint can have a depth divided by the width greater than two inches. The false joint can have an interior angle of less than ten degrees. The system includes a plurality of retaining wall blocks and a first course of retaining wall blocks engaged with a second course of retaining wall blocks below. Each block in the system comprising a front face having a first textured surface and a second textured surface and a false joint dividing the first and second textured surface. The false joint can extend a predetermined depth of a third surface.

This document describes systems and processes for forming synthetic molded slabs, which may be suitable for use in living or working spaces (e.g., along a countertop, table, floor, or the like).