Measurement & Technology
Digital Templating
Digital templating is measuring a countertop, vanity or wall on site with a digital device, such as a laser or probe system, a photo-based system or a 3D scanner, instead of making a physical template from wood strips or plastic sheet. The device produces an exact drawing of the shape, which the fabricator uses to lay out the pieces on the slab and to program the cutting machines. Many countertop shops now template this way.
The templater measures the cabinets and walls, marks sinks, cooktops, edges and seams, and saves a file. In the shop, that file goes into layout software, where the pieces are placed on a photo of the real slab to decide which part of the stone goes where, and then into the program for the saw, the CNC or the waterjet.
Compared with physical templates, there is nothing to carry back, store or lose, and fewer errors from bent strips or a misread measurement. It needs a trained templater and the device, and it pays off when the layout, the slab photos and the cutting software all read the same files.
In Noria Strata
Noria Strata does not do digital templating or CNC files. It covers the work around them: the customer picks the slab and sees their kitchen before it is cut, and the job runs from measuring to installation.