Exclusive VeinMatch Technology

Due to the varying characteristics of natural stone, there has always been a problem with cutting pieces so that the final installed job appears to “flow” naturally. Also, when two pieces come together to form a seam, the movement, direction or any other characteristics, should make it appear as though they are one solid piece. This task can be rather involved, especially when trying to gain the most yield out of material, which requires pieces to be rotated, nested or set so close to a second piece that one cut path is used for both pieces.  In the past, this has always been done by eye and would be measured and marked with masking tape, or by attaching templates to the material. This process has never been 100% accurate and has caused problems for both companies and customers. VeinMatch is the digital alternative to this process and in the end, saves the company and customer money, time and material.

Photographing Material

 Using VeinMatch, fabricators can take calibrated pictures of their slabs without the need for a vast photo-booth setup or an over-complicated calibration process. Color, brightness and photo quality are all dependant on an individual company’s needs. Extra lighting, backdrops, or costly cameras are not required. However for a customer presentation, these might be necessary. These pictures are then fed through the VeinMatch Image Processor which will calibrate the image to the proper size, adjust the picture angle and the naturally curved shape of the digital photograph to create a flat working space. The calibration process is set by adding dimensions and targeting them within the photo.

Layout In VeinMatch

 Once both the calibrated photographs and the file have been obtained for a particular job they can be opened in VeinMatch. The file will open in two areas. It will open within the working area with the photographs where pieces can be selected, moved, rotated and snapped together over the images. It will also open in the VeinMatch Virtual Layout window where the portion of the images enclosed by the file will show. This separate window will allow an overview of the entire job, and adjustments can be made to set the ideal layout. A JPEG file can also be saved of the layout, which can be emailed for customer’s approval, saved for company records, or used as a reference guide for sawyers.

Alignment Marks

 After all pieces have been set in their ideal location, VeinMatch alignment marks are set digitally to match sticker indicators that would have been placed on the slab before the picture was taken. Depending on the type of machinery used to actually cut with, more of these stickers might be necessary. Once all alignment marks have been set, the file is saved. Here, VeinMatch will take the initial file and split it into separate files for each open photograph. These new files will show the pieces enclosed by each photograph and the alignment marks.

Cutting Material

 Once users have obtained these new files they are used for the cutting process. The alignment marks that were set in VeinMatch are now used to re-position the slab back into its proper location through the use of cameras, lasers or plotters, depending on the type of machinery. By re-aligning the alignment marks with the sticker indicators, this will also set all of the pieces used to form the layout back into place. No matter which way it is used, VeinMatch will allow you to cut the perfect layout.