Polishing Heads for Granite and Ceramic Slab Lines
The CIKA polishing head: six cam-driven arms on a rotating aluminium body, in 470, 520 and 570 mm diameters, rated to 15 kW and 550 rpm. It is the part of a polishing line that actually touches the slab, and the part that decides whether the gloss is even.
- Cam-driven oscillation spreads pressure evenly, so abrasives wear flat instead of tapering
- Customers report roughly four times the working life of cheap imported heads
- Manufactured in Ankara, fitted to the major slab and tile polishing lines
The head is the only part of the line that touches the slab
A polishing line is a frame, a conveyor and a row of heads. The frame sets the speed and the pressure, but the head is what carries the abrasives across the stone, and it decides whether the gloss comes out even or banded. It is also the part that wears out and stops the line.
Cam-driven oscillation, not just rotation
The body rotates while the six arms oscillate in and out across the slab, driven by a cam. That second movement is the point: it spreads contact pressure across the whole abrasive face instead of loading the leading edge, so the stones wear flat and cut for longer. A head that only rotates wears its abrasives into a taper and the gloss goes with it.
Three numbers decide whether it fits
Body diameter, available power and spindle speed. The head is made in 470, 520 and 570 mm; it is rated to a maximum 15 kW and a maximum 550 rpm, and it takes abrasives of 140 to 170 mm. Match those to the line and the head fits; get the diameter wrong and nothing else about it matters.
Why cheap heads cost more
The failure pattern we are called in to fix is consistent: imported heads bought on price that fail inside three to six months and take the line down with them. The replacement cost is the small part. The real cost is the stopped line, the uneven gloss on everything produced while it was going out of tolerance, and the slabs downgraded because of it.
Built to be left alone
Rigid arms on a light, impact-resistant aluminium body, a reinforced shaft and high-quality bearings, lubricated with EP 0 grease. The head is designed to run without routine spare-part replacement, which on a continuous line is worth more than any single specification on the sheet. 100 kg, and it mounts to the major polishing lines without modification.
What it fits, and what it does not
This is one product doing one job well. It is worth being clear about the edges before you enquire.
Right for this
- Granite and ceramic slab polishing on industrial lines
- Line and satellite polishing machines taking 470, 520 or 570 mm heads
- Continuous, high-volume production where a head failure stops the line
- Lines running up to 15 kW and 550 rpm per head
- Abrasives 140 to 170 mm in standard arm fittings
Not what this is
- Not a polishing machine. It is the head that mounts on one
- Not a hand-held or portable polisher, and not an angle-grinder accessory
- Not an abrasive supplier. The head carries the stones, it is not the stones
- Not for edge, profile or bullnose work — this is flat slab surface polishing
- Not a quarry tool. It belongs in a processing plant, not on a bench
The CIKA polishing head
One product, made in three diameters. A rotating aluminium body carrying six rigid arms that open and close symmetrically under a cam, so pressure is spread evenly across the abrasive face rather than loaded onto its leading edge. Reinforced shaft, high-quality bearings, EP 0 grease lubrication, 100 kg, rated to 15 kW and 550 rpm, taking abrasives of 140 to 170 mm. Built in Ankara and fitted to the major granite and ceramic slab polishing lines.
CIKA polishing head, as published
- Number of arms 6
- Body diameter Ø470 mm, Ø520 mm or Ø570 mm
- Abrasive length 140 to 170 mm
- Maximum power 15 kW
- Maximum speed 550 rpm
- Weight 100 kg
- Lubrication EP 0 grease
- Body rotating aluminium, impact resistant
- Materials granite and ceramic slabs
Compatible with the major slab and tile polishing lines. Tell us the machine make and the head diameter it currently takes and we will confirm the fit before you order.
Replacing heads on a line you already run? Send the machine make and model and the diameter currently fitted and we will confirm the match before you order. Check the fit for my line →
Which diameter
The line usually decides this for you — the head has to match the mounting and the spacing already on the bridge. Where you do have a choice, it comes down to slab width and installed power.
| Body diameter | Typically used on | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Ø470 mm | Narrower lines and lighter machines | Smaller slab widths, lower installed power per head, tighter head spacing along the bridge |
| Ø520 mm | The common middle size on most slab lines | General granite and ceramic slab production, the default where the line does not dictate otherwise |
| Ø570 mm | Wide, high-throughput lines | Large-format ceramic slabs and wide granite, where fewer passes and more coverage per head matter |
All three diameters share the same six-arm cam-driven construction, the same 140 to 170 mm abrasive length and the same 15 kW and 550 rpm maximums. Diameter changes coverage per pass, not the mechanism. If you are replacing heads on an existing line, the safest answer is the diameter already fitted — send us the machine make and model and we will confirm it.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Send the make and model of your polishing line, the head diameter it takes and how many heads are on the bridge, and we will confirm the fit and quote the set.
Confirm the fit for my lineHow to specify a replacement head
Four things, and the first one answers most of it.
1. What is on the line now?
Make, model, and the diameter of the heads currently fitted. A polishing line is built around a head size, so in almost every replacement this is the whole answer. Send a photograph of the mounting face if the documentation has gone missing, which on a line more than a few years old it usually has.
2. How much power does each spindle deliver?
The head is rated to a maximum of 15 kW and a maximum of 550 rpm. If your line drives harder than that, this head is not the right one and we will say so. If it drives considerably softer, the head will work but you will not see what it is capable of, and the abrasive choice matters more than the head.
3. Granite, ceramic, or both?
The head is built for both and the mechanism does not change. What changes is the abrasive and the pressure the line applies. Tell us which you run and in what proportion, because a plant alternating between them has a different wear pattern from one running a single material, and it affects how often heads come off.
4. How many heads, and how often do they fail now?
This is the question that tells us whether you have a head problem or a line problem. If heads are failing in three to six months you almost certainly have imported heads and the fix is straightforward. If they fail unevenly along the bridge, the line needs looking at first and a new head will not solve it.
If you run a ceramic plant
Large-format slabs, continuous running and gloss consistency that is checked rather than eyeballed. Your constraint is usually unplanned downtime rather than head price, and the arithmetic that matters is cost per square metre over the head life, not the invoice. Our ceramic processing case study is exactly this situation.
If you run a stone processing plant
Granite slab lines are harder on heads than ceramic, and the gloss standard is set by what your buyers accept rather than by a meter. Here the useful conversation is about abrasive sequence as much as the head itself. Tell us the stone you process and the finish you are selling and we will talk about both.
Where this came from
The head exists because of a problem we kept being called in to fix.
Case study · Ceramic slab plantHigher surface quality and longer tool lifeA high-volume ceramic slab manufacturer with uneven gloss, high spare-part costs, and imported heads failing inside three to six months and taking the line with them. Customers report the CIKA head lasting close to four times as long.Read the case study 
IndustryCeramic processingWhat Set Makina supplies into ceramic production, and where surface finishing sits in it. The polishing head is the piece of that work that most plants come to us for first.See the industry page ProductCIKA polishing headSix arms, three diameters, 15 kW, 550 rpm, 100 kg. The full specification, the construction detail and the compatibility notes on the product page itself.Open the product page Frequently asked questions
Will this head fit my polishing line?
It is made in 470, 520 and 570 mm bodies and is designed to mount on the major slab and tile polishing lines without modification. The way to be certain is to send us the make and model of the machine and the diameter of the heads currently on it, or a photograph of the mounting face. We would rather confirm the fit before you order than have a head arrive that does not mount.
What is the difference between the three diameters?
Coverage, not mechanism. All three share the same six cam-driven arms, the same 140 to 170 mm abrasive length and the same 15 kW and 550 rpm maximum ratings. A larger body covers more slab per pass, which suits wide lines and large-format ceramic slabs. On a replacement the diameter is already decided by the line, so the honest answer is usually the size you have.
What does the cam system actually do?
It makes the arms oscillate in and out while the body rotates, instead of simply spinning. That spreads contact pressure across the whole abrasive face rather than concentrating it on the leading edge. The practical result is that the abrasives wear flat and keep cutting, instead of wearing into a taper and losing gloss consistency before they are used up.
How long does a head last?
That depends on the material, the line speed, the pressure and the abrasive sequence, so we will not publish a figure that would be wrong for most plants. What we can tell you is what customers report: close to four times the working life of the cheap imported heads they replaced, which in those plants had been failing within three to six months. Tell us your run hours and material and we will talk about it in your numbers.
Does it need servicing?
It is designed to run without routine spare-part replacement, which is the point of the construction: a reinforced shaft, high-quality bearings and a light impact-resistant aluminium body. Lubrication is EP 0 grease. It is not a sealed unit that can be ignored entirely, and the plants getting the longest life out of them are the ones maintaining them properly, so treat it as low-maintenance rather than no-maintenance.
Can it polish marble as well as granite and ceramic?
The published material scope is granite and ceramic slabs. Marble is softer than both and is normally polished with a different abrasive sequence rather than a different head, so in most cases the answer is yes with the right stones. Because the product page does not state it, ask us before specifying for a marble line and we will confirm it properly rather than let you assume.
Do you supply the abrasives too?
The head carries the abrasives, it is not the abrasives. It takes standard 140 to 170 mm stones in the arm fittings. Tell us the material you are polishing and the finish you need and we can advise on the sequence, but the head and the consumable are separate decisions and separate orders.
Is this a polishing machine?
No. It is the head that mounts on one. If you are looking for a complete polishing line rather than heads for a line you already run, say so in your enquiry and we will point you in the right direction rather than quote you heads.
Where is it made?
In Ankara, by Set Makina, alongside the drilling and cutting machinery. Being the manufacturer rather than a distributor is the reason we can answer compatibility questions properly and the reason parts come from the people who built it.
Can I use it for edge or profile polishing?
No. This is a flat-surface head for slab polishing lines. Edge polishing, bullnose and profile work use different machines and different tooling entirely, and we do not supply those.
Related categories and reading
Tell us the line, not the part number
The make and model of your polishing machine, the head diameter it takes, how many heads are on the bridge and what you are polishing. We come back with the fit, the diameter and the price. If your line needs something outside the 15 kW and 550 rpm range, we will tell you rather than sell you a head that will not last.