Our Blog Archives - Edge Lab Countertops

Have you ever wondered how countertops are fabricated to exact specifications, including a sink or fixture cut-out or a more difficult cut that requires exact precision?

We can assure you that there is a little more to the fabrication process than the age-old advice of measuring twice and cutting once! Here at Edge we are proud to give you a firsthand look into our fabrication shop to learn all about how our epoxy resin countertops are fabricated perfectly to your liking.

First, we start off the process with a raw slab of epoxy resin. Each countertop weighs approximately 400 lbs, which is extremely heavy (not to mention an awkward lift) for shop staff to manage manually. To ensure safe lifting practices during the fabrication process, we utilize a vacuum lift crane that suctions to the countertop allowing shop staff to guide tops throughout the entire shop from start to finish.

The countertop is then moved over to be cut to size with our gantry saw.  This saw was manufactured and shipped to our shop all the way from Italy and does an excellent job cutting the tops to their precise size requirements. Shop staff input the exact dimensions for the countertop into the saw and the cutting is done electronically. This also eliminates any risk to employees cutting or injuring themselves by keeping arms or other limbs out of reach from the saw blade.

Once the top has been cut to size it needs to be moved over to the edging machine. This machine was proudly designed and built by our President Terry Thorsen and our Vice President Andrew Thorsen (like father like son!) to ensure a shaped and smooth edge on each and every countertop. Once the edging process is complete, the top is moved over to the CNC router so any cut-outs can be made for electrical boxes, sinks, faucets, fixtures and safety equipment.

Finally, once the top has been cut to size, edged to specification and any additional cutouts are complete, the top is moved over to the packaging station. Shop staff will meticulously check the quality of every countertop to ensure it has been fabricated to exact specifications, and will wrap the top in a protective sheet, place it on a pallet, and wrap the entire shipment in plastic. The countertop is now ready to ship to the jobsite where it will be put into place by our skilled installation crew.

There you have it – in a nutshell, this is exactly how a laboratory countertop is fabricated at Edge for each and every project that we take on. If you have any questions about our fabrication process or if you would like to receive a shop tour to look at our state of the art equipment give us a call!

Welcome to the new Edge website! We hope you like it and can easily find the information you are looking for. Interested in learning more about the laboratory countertops and accessories we can provide? Check out our “Products + Specs” page for more information.

We are a family owned and operated fabrication shop based in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada that specializes in laboratory countertops. Our president and founder Terry Thorsen, has over 35 years of experience in designing, supplying and installing a wide range of laboratory types with our sister company Interlab Inc. Over the years, Terry noticed a demand for locally fabricated laboratory countertops, with the ability to make changes whether it be additional cutouts for an electrical boxes, faucets/ fixtures or changes were made to the space resulting in changes to the length or width of the tops. This way, changes can be made to the countertop without resulting in major time lost or projects not being completed on time.

If you have any questions at all about our products or the services that we can provide, please do not hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!