Frequently Asked
Questions
1. Why should I choose Pyramid Granite & Metals, Inc. as my sole
precision granite product supplier?
- JIT/KANBAN delivery
- Great supply chain flexibility
- Exemplary technical knowledge
- Legendary personal customer service
- Outstanding, large production facilities
- Full service American manufacturer (OEM)
- Committed, talented, experienced
craftsmen
- Flawless, reliable, and consistent
performance
- World class design, materials and
management
- Huge inventory of raw stock & finished
inventory
- 75 years as leaders in precision
granite technology
- Shortest time from purchase to delivery
in the business
- The highest possible quality at the most
affordable prices
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2.
How much does granite weigh?
Answer: The formula for
computing the weight of black granite is:
[(Length-inches x Width-inches x Height-inches) ?1728] x 185 = Weight
of Granite.
Step one: Using inches,
multiply the Length times the Width times the Height of the piece of
granite.
Step two: Divide the total
obtained in Step One by 1728; and
Step three: Multiply the
total obtained in Step Two by 185.
Result: The number you
obtain is the weight in pounds.
3. What
type of granite should I use in my design?
Answer: The type of granite
you should use in your design will be based on considerations such as
the uniformity of surface, accuracy requirements, deflection under load,
type of use and cost restrictions. Please see our
General Info & Granite Selection page for more information.
4. How do I minimize the
cost to add slots, holes and inserts to my precision granite product
design?
Answer: Over the 75 years we
have been manufacturing granite products, we have discovered that many
times a product's cost can be reduced by eliminating over engineering.
Our technical staff will work with you to minimize the costs associated
with manufacturing precision granite machine bases. Please see our
Design Assistance page.
5. Can
you put my company name and logo on your product?
Answer: Yes we can! In
addition to metal plate and metal foil identification tags, we also
offer Logo Engraving & Private Labeling.
6. Do you
provide refinishing, resurfacing & calibrating services?
Answer: Yes, we do offer
those services. The cost will depend on the existing condition of the
precision granite product as compared to its desired condition. The work
is usually done at our manufacturing plant, but special arrangements can
be made to travel to your site.
7. How
should I clean my precision granite products?
Answer: We recommend the use
of a mild, diluted household detergent, along with a soft, non-abrasive
cleaning cloth. We advise against using commercial granite surface plate
cleaners because, while many of them give your granite pieces a nice
shiny glow, they tend to cause a buildup on the precision surface which
adversely affects the accuracy of the flatness.
8. How much force can
I use on my inserts?
Answer: It is very important to resist
over tightening of the threaded inserts situated in your precision
granite product. One should not exceed the following maximum
torque limits for standard inserts, as you may damage your granite
product to the point where it can not be repaired, and must be replaced
in its entirety. If your requirements exceed these specifications,
contact us to assist you in designing the appropriate size inserts for
your torque
requirements:
THREAD |
TORQUE |
THREAD |
TORQUE |
.250 |
7 FT. LB. |
.500 |
25 FT. LB. |
.3125 |
15 FT. LB. |
.625 |
30 FT. LB. |
.375 |
20 FT. LB. |
.750 |
35 FT. LB. |
9. Why does granite
have color streaks, spots and seams?
Answer: Seams and color streaks occur
occasionally & naturally in granite stone. It is not uncommon for
granite plates of larger sizes to include cosmetic non-conformities,
which we endeavor to keep to a minimum. We can assure you that such
visible disconformities are carefully examined before, during and after
the manufacturing process for actual or potential problems due to
non-conforming material. Our goal during this inspection process is to
insure that we are following our own internal quality standards, as well
as federal specifications (GGG-P-463c) relating to seams and color
streaks (Sections 3.7, 6.3 (v), 6.3(w)).
Tests include visual inspection (wet and
dry), breakage of sliced specimens to determine areas of disconforming
materials (Section 4.5.8) and repeat reading checks for
material hardness differential.
We can assure you that all product
leaving our facility has been fully and thoroughly inspected and is of
excellent quality.
10. Is there an
additional cost for long form certifications?
Answer: There is no additional charge if
it is requested at the time of placing your order.
11.How does an
Autocollimator work?
How
Autocollimators Work
Light from an object point (O) is collimated or made parallel by an
objective lens. If
the collimated beam falls perpendicular to a plane reflecting surface,
the light reflects back along its original path and focuses at a point
coincident with the objective point. If the reflector is tilted through
an angle 0, then the reflected beam deflects through an angle 20 and the
image 1 displacement is given by d=20f where f is the focal length of
the lens, and 0 is the radians. Given that f is a known constant for the
autocollimator, measurement of the displacement d enables ascertaining
the tilt 0. Each measurement results in a datapoint along a Union Jack
pattern. An inspector measures each straight line of the Union Jack
independently (AB, BC, CD, DA, etc.). In data reduction, diagonals are
joined at their midpoint (called closure) and the endpoints are
normalized. The inspector adjusts the slopes of the remaining lines to
the four endpoints, and calculates peak-to-valley flatness.
("How Flat is That?" Quality, September 1994)
12. Do my drawings need to be in a
specific format when I e-mail them to you?
Answer: We accept all standard file
formats, including:
DXF |
PDF |
EDRAW |
DWF |
GIF |
JPEG |
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