SEPARATOR BEADS FOR MANUFACTURED CONCRETE PRODUCTS

A separator bead is disclosed for separating layers of manufactured concrete products, wherein the separator bead is characterized in that: the separator bead is preferably fabricated from a biodegradable bead material; the separator bead is configured with a thickness selected from 2 mm to 5 mm, a width selected from 2 mm to mm, a depth selected from 2 mm to 10 mm, and a thickness-to-width aspect ratio selected from 0.2 to 0.9; the separator bead is preferably configured with one or more nodules, each with a nodule diameter selected from 0.01 mm to 2 mm; and the separator bead is characterized by a thickness compression from 5% to 50%, under a load of 60 lb per bead at a temperature of 120 F for 5 minutes. The disclosed separator beads overcome known problems in the art of manufactured concrete products. The optimized separator beads prevent surface scratches and defects.