Terrazzo has been around for hundreds of years, evolving from a classic design staple to a modern creative marvel. In more recent times, terrazzo can be seen in almost every major infrastructure in every major city in the entire world. Whether as flooring, wall installations, stairs, countertops, and other design elements, terrazzo has steadily become the preferred building material by designers, builders and architects.
Now, take terrazzo’s design flexibility and add to that the advent of technology that allows builders to make innovations and improvements on dated methods, then you’ve got limitless design potential on your hands. If you can conceptualize it, chances are, it can be done with terrazzo through the many advancements and developments in technology.
Three of the more prominent technologies being used today in terrazzo installation and construction are the Waterjet technology and the Screed Pump. Two of these technologies are utilized in the uniform shaping and cutting of terrazzo and one is used to help in the installation of terrazzo in those difficult to reach areas.
Waterjet and CNC Technology
Waterjets are tools capable of cutting and shaping a wide variety of materials using a very high-pressure jet of water. Essentially, what Waterjet technology does for the terrazzo industry is that it allows terrazzo to be cut and shaped to a specific shape or design. The same goes for CNC machines. A computer converts any complex design into numbers which are considered coordinates of a graph which then controls the movement of the cutter in producing more complex shapes of terrazzo. Typically, CNC machines utilize CAD (Computer Aided Design) software to produce the designs the terrazzo will be cut into.
Screed Pump Technology
Not every installation area is easily accessible. During times when terrazzo needs to be poured in situ and the area is one of those difficult to access areas, installation sans screed pumps tend to utilize more resources and could potentially cost more. With screed pumps, this installation problem has become a thing of the past.
By the looks of it, terrazzo will still be around for a long time and with technology making leaps and bounds in innovations and improvements, the possibility of terrazzo’s design flexibility will literally be endless.