6 . Acimac handbooks - 2016 Edition

Esmalglass-Itaca: New developments

in digitalisation of the ceramic tile production process

inkjet technology has brought grea-ter flexibility and improved warehou-se management, allowing producers to satisfy requests for increasingly small and differentiated batches of materials.Digital technology has grown enor-mously since 2008.It is estimated that out of approxi-

The introduction of digital inkjet technology has prompted one of the biggest changes in the history of industrial ceramic tile production, helping floor and wall tile producers create more diversified products and improve their position in the global market. In terms of the production process,

mately 9,000 glazing lines in opera-tion all over the world, the conver-sion rate from traditional to digital technology stands at about 72% (Table 1). This does not mean that all these lines operate entirely with digital technology but simply that they in-clude a digital decorating machine.

Table 1. The diffusion of digital printers worldwide

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Digital printers installed during the year - 397 951 2,049 1,537 1,216

Total number of digital printers in operation

333 730 1,681 3,730 5,267 6,483

Conversion rate 5% 9% 21% 45% 60% 72%

Total number of glazing lines worldwide - - 8,000 8,400 8.800 9,000

Fig. 1. Decoration line conversion rate from traditional to digital in different countries

printheads, resolution, the quality of inks and machines, and so on), manu-facturers who today choose to adopt inkjet technology are in a much bet-ter position to decide which decora-ting machine and which colours are most suited to their needs. With today’s knowledge it is possi-ble to optimise all digital technology parameters to achieve maximum per-formance. It is hardly a surprise that the cera-mic tile producers who have benefited the most from digital technology are

In some countries such as Spain and Italy the conversion rate now stands at more than 90%. This trend indicates that digital technology has in effect become the dominant decoration method in the ceramic tile sector and is the technological segment benefiting from the greatest investments in terms of research and development. Compared to the early years of digital technology when there was still very limited awareness of its potential (there was a lot of discussion about

the ones that have succeeded in suc-cessfully integrating all components of the digital process (optimisation of glazes, use of colour management software, choice of correct colour configuration according to produc-tion requirements, etc.).

However, this progress in terms of technology and products prompts a new question: What can be done to further diversify finished products and make them more competitive in the global marketplace?

by Alessandro Ferrari

Acimac handbooks - 2016 Edition . 7

Esmalglass-Itaca has attempted to answer this question by using digital techniques to apply material with the ultimate goal of digitalising the entire glazing line. This fully digital process has nume-rous advantages, including improve-ments to the finished product, the production process and cost mana-gement. From an aesthetic standpoint, it is possible to obtain new finishes and textures and to synchronise graphic designs so as to achieve unique and very natural effects.

Production and management advan-tages include the possibility of:

• reducing or eliminating the defects that typically occur with conven-tional applications, which have limi-ted control over the physical pro-perties (density, viscosity, surface tension, particle size, etc.) of the materials currently in use;

• increasing the flexibility and speed of change of models;

• reducing prototype development times;

• reducing numbers of tones and consequently increasing produc-tion yields;

• reducing warehouse stock and consequently increasing the com-pany’s working capital.

After years of research and testing, Esmalglass-Itaca has developed two new families of products called Di-gital Effects and Digital Materials which create digitally applied mate-rial effects. These two families complete the Di-gital Inks range which for years has

been a point of reference in the digi-tal ceramic world.

Products in the Digital Effects se-ries are oil-based submicronic mate-rials (based on the same medium as the Digital Inks) and can be used with existing printheads. Due to their strictly controlled par-ticle size, these products maintain a very high level of stability in both the printing circuit and the printheads. This category includes materials that can be combined with conventional decoration techniques to create special effects.

Products in the Digital Materials series are micronic water-based ma-terials that can be used exclusively in new-generation printheads with high application weights (from 50 g/m2 to 800 g/m2). These products are

water-based and have a particle size of more than 3 µm. Thanks to this large particle size compared with submicronic pro-ducts, these materials create an authentic ceramic effect and can be applied digitally in the same quanti-ties as with conventional techniques such as bell applicators, flat screen printing machines, rollers and other devices. They are also significantly cheaper than submicronic materials, a criti-cal factor for industrial use with high application weights.

The Digital Materials range also includes the Digital Powders fa-mily, which consists of spray-dried powders, grits, grains, etc. with par-ticle size and flow properties suitable for application with dedicated dry in-kjet printheads.

DIGITAL EFFECTS

Table 2 shows the current range of pro-ducts, which can be used with most prin-theads on the market.

Tab. 2. Digital Effects range

White Reactive Glossy Matt Lustre Glue Metallised

8. Acimac handbooks - 2016 Edition

This means that when deciding to use Digital Effects to crea-te a product, it is important to make the right choice of glazes

The application weights that can be obtained with current printheads vary but are not normally higher than 50 g/m2.

these effects will be used with (i.e. conventional glazes or Digi-tal Materials).

GL1205 (effect used to produce hi-gh-gloss surfaces) according to the

The graph in figure 2 shows the behaviour of the digital effect Cik-

type of glaze applied to the ceramic substrate.

Fig. 2 Behaviour of the digital effect Cik-GL1205 according to the type of applied glaze

possible to duplicate the ceramic ef-fect. Correct use of materials that can be combined chemically allows for the creation of unique effects while at the same time reducing specific con-sumption of the material.

From the graph it can be seen that the Gloss level (expressed in GU) correlates closely with application weight and above all with the type of ceramic glaze that the effect comes into contact with. By using an appropriate glaze it is

This is an advantage not just in terms of consumption and aesthe-tics, but also from the standpoint of production as the printheads can operate in low stress conditions and will therefore require less mainte-nance.

Raw materials / Frits Pigment

High interaction Low interaction

High interaction Colour

Composition

Glaze

Firing

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1 - White2 - Metallised3 - Lustre4 - Glue + Dry5 - Reactive

1 2

3 4

5

DIGITAL MATERIALS

the production benefits of digital technology.The Digital Materials family includes

As previously noted, Digital Mate-rials are micronic materials designed for use in new-generation printheads capable of applying large quantities of material (wet or dry).

They can be applied full-field either before or after decoration, and the design can be synchronised with the rest of the process to create effects reminiscent of those obtained with screen printing machines or rollers or to generate the kind of relief that would normally be obtained with a press mould. In short, it is possible to create any surface that can be obtained with existing methods while enjoying all

a range of options: matt, glossy whi-te, clear matt, satin matt, crystal-line, metallised and lustre.

Tab. 3 – Characteristics of Digital Materials

Dispersing

medium

Water

Water

Dry

material

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6 - Crystalline7 - Clear matt8 - Application of a grit with Dry Inkjet9 - Matt

6 7

8 9

DIGITALISATION OF THE CERAMIC PROCESS

All compositions are optimised to improve technical and aesthetic cha-racteristics in keeping with today’s requirements while at the same time guaranteeing the maximum colour in-tensity of Esmalglass-Itaca pigmen-ted inks for combined use.Some examples of different setups for digitalising the glazing line are shown in figure 3 to give an idea of what can be achieved by combining

Integration of these diversified fami-lies of products (Digital Effects and Digital Materials) on the glazing line increases the potential for creating a fully digital ceramic production pro-cess. The various types of materials (mi-cro, sub-micron and powders) have been developed for application on any kind of product, including monoporo-sa, porcelain, double fired tiles, etc.

the various digital technologies.

To conclude, the Digital Solutions fa-mily from Esmalglass-Itaca not only performs digital decoration with pig-mented inks but also applies layers of material digitally, giving ceramic manufacturers and designers the opportunity to create highly differen-tiated products using a fully digital process.

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Fig. 3 – Examples of digitalisation of the glazing line

Digital

powders

GLAZING LINE

DIRECTION OF TILE MOVEMENT

tile

tile

tile

tile

GLAZING LINE

DIRECTION OF TILE MOVEMENT

GLAZING LINE

DIRECTION OF TILE MOVEMENT

GLAZING LINE

DIRECTION OF TILE MOVEMENT

Digital

powders

Digital

powders