E D I T I O N
HANDBOOK
ACIMAC
2017
Digital decoration of ceramic tiles
E D I T I O N
2017
HANDBOOK
ACIMAC
Images from the conference "Digital Glazing and Decoration of Ceramic Tiles", Tecnargilla (Rimini - Italy)
© Copyright ACIMAC, Associazione Costruttori Italiani Macchine Attrezzature per Ceramica Via Fossa Buracchione 84 • 41126 Baggiovara (MO) • Italy • Tel. +39 059 510 336 • www.acimac.it Edito da S.A.L.A. srl • Via Fossa Buracchione 84 • 41126 Baggiovara (MO) • Italy • Tel. +39 059 510 108
In collaboration with:
Introduction
The series of Acimac Handbooks devoted to digital decoration technologies is being expanded this year with the seventh publication, which focuses on the latest technological innovations introduced in this specific segment. Produced in cooperation with the magazine Ceramic World Review, it will be available at all the leading tradeshows for the sector in 2017 and can also be downloaded free of charge from www.tiledizioni.it (section technical Manuals), and from www.CeramicWorldWeb.it (section Magazines). The aim of the Acimac handbooks is to promote knowledge of technological and process aspects of the ceramic industry through publications that are straightforward and easy to read but at the same time offer exhaustive and detailed coverage of key issues.
Paolo Sassi
The ceramic technology supplier companies have supported us in these efforts by making their expertise available and providing the texts. Given the enormous interest in the theme of “Digital Decoration”, right from the very first edition of the handbook in 2009 it was clear that we would have to provide an update every year. There are two main reasons for this: firstly, ceramic digital technology is evolving at a rapid pace; secondly, the already large-scale use of ceramic digital printing systems in much of the world is forcing tile producers to broaden their knowledge of available technologies and of the potential for further optimising digital ceramic production. The enormous interest in these issues was much in evidence at the VIIIth Acimac Annual Meeting on
Digital Technologies, organised at Tecnargilla 2016 on 27th September, which was attended by more than 400 technicians and professionals from the Italian and International ceramic industry. This new Acimac Handbook contains some of the contributions presented at the conference, which was mainly focused on the latest developments in the field of “FULL DIGITAL TILE”, that will represent the future of tile manufacturing, within the frame of Industry 4.0. We feel certain that it will make an important contribution to the knowledge of industry professionals in Italy and abroad. We are also convinced that research in this field will continue steadily and will bring further advances in the next months. Paolo Sassi Acimac Chairman
Contents Colorobbia: a perspective vision ......................................................................... page 2 Esmalglass-Itaca bets on digital effects ............................................................. page 6 Full Digital - Glazing, Texture, Decoration and Finishing ......................................... page 8 Innovation in digital printing: Creavision, Crearemote and Creadigit ..................... page 14 Advances in ceramic product design ................................................................. page 18 The smart solution for ceramics: Fiery proServer for Cretaprint ......................... page 24 Is Digital Ceramic Printing on “Main Street”? ................................................... page 26 From colour to process management ............................................................... page 28
Paolo Sassi
Colorobbia: a perspective vision
by Fabio Avoni
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Colorobbia is an international group with 28 subsidiaries operating in the world’s largest ceramic clusters in 18 countries and with more than 2,000 employees. It maintains a strong focus on specialisation and is a unique allround partner in the production and distribution of raw materials and semi-finished products for the ceramic industry. Thanks to the transversal know-how of its companies and high-profile teams of professionals, it is able to meet the needs of the entire production process through an integrated approach based on synergies and vertical expertise. This expertise has enabled it to register more than 200 patents covering technological processes and products worldwide. These patents have not only resulted in product innovation but have also enabled Colorobbia to achieve ever greater levels of quality, effi-
ciency, energy savings and competitiveness. In this stage of development of ceramic process technology, Colorobbia believes that “large sizes, full digital, digital effects and new digital materials” will be the keywords defining the future of the sector. With the advent of large format panels, the ceramic production line has already seen major development and has overcome the limitations of traditional decoration (tiles that are not hot when they arrive on the decoration line, thicknesses of 4-20 mm, the width of the panel to which a uniform surface finish must be applied, etc.). Because inkjet applications can help overcome these limitations, Colorobbia sees plenty of opportunity for complete process digitalisation on large format production
lines. This in turn may lead to the socalled “full digital” process. Technological progress has influenced not just the ceramic production line but also digital application systems. Printheads have evolved rapidly, bringing to market systems that deliver higher discharge quantities. More importantly however, printheads offering excellent levels of performance in terms of definition and discharge even at high line speeds have gradually become established in the market. The possibility of increasing the discharged quantities results in a process that is not just decorative but also involves the application of effects and materials. Moreover, studies of digital application of dry materials have begun in earnest.
THE RANGE OF ETR INKS AND HQ DIGITAL GLAZES
For this purpose, Colorobbia has developed a specific range of materials for digital application which can be combined with all the standard products (frits, pigments, glazes, grits, etc.) to create an unlimited number of ceramic combinations/solutions, as well as surface effects and functional materials capable of meeting the growing demand for high discharge quantities. In particular, the range of digital decoration materials includes the ETR (Extended Temperature Range) series developed as an upgrade of the EHP series The inks present in the series ensure
a wide colour space, high intensity and high colour stability in extreme firing cycles. Another crucial aspect is the ability to maintain high levels of performance in severe production conditions. This series can be used with any piezoelectric digital decoration printhead. Both the ETR series and the SPS (Special Particle Size) series include numerous digital effects such as white, glossy, matt, sinking, water-reactive and metallic inks, as well as the so-called multifunction ink. The effect inks present in the SPS series have a specially designed particle shape and grain size distri-
bution that enables large quantities of material (up to 50-100 grams/m2) to be deposited using dedicated medium and high discharge printheads. Colorobbia also offers the HQ (High Quantity) series of water-based digital glazes for the high-discharge digital glazing process. This series consists of various water-based materials that can be applied in specific combinations to create different kinds of ceramic surfaces. Numerous glazes already available include matt, glossy, white, lustre, metallic and other materials suitable for both floor and wall tiles.
DRY DIGITAL APPLICATION: THE DDA RANGE
Alongside these solvent- or water-based liquid digital products, Colorobbia also offers a range of materials for dry digital application.
Customers are seeking specific effects and decorations that are created in-body and not just after pressing.
With this in mind, Colorobbia has developed the DDA (Digital Dry Application) series of granular materials capable of producing innovative surface
Acimac handbooks - 2017 Edition . 3
designs and textures. These materials consist essentially of pellets and grits. In particular, Colorobbia has developed a wide range of new grits capable of creating many different nat-
ural surfaces including stone effect surfaces, soft non-reflecting surfaces with a pleasant tactile effect, and marble effect mirror surfaces. These hi-tech grits meet the re-
quirements of abrasion and chemical resistance while guaranteeing optimised digital colour intensity and maximum transparency (even on dark colours).
RESEARCH AND SUSTAINABILITY
By applying combinations of different materials and studying their individual functions and compatibilities, Colorobbia is able to meet all its customers’ needs in terms of optimising finished product development using either a combined process (traditional and digital) or a full digital process. In order to deliver industrially-tested solutions, Colorobbia partners with leading industry OEMs who certify its products and perform industrial experimentation on materials using
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technologies provided by the plant and machinery manufacturers. These activities are performed both at the machinery manufacturers’ facilities and at the company’s own technology centres. However, research and development – the production stage upstream and downstream of the company’s expertise – also ensures sustainable development. Through this proactive commitment, the Colorobbia group is able to draw up and follow specific procedures
and use environmentally-friendly technologies that reduce the impact of its operations. Colorobbia maintains high standards of efficiency in terms of safety, environment and quality of both the process and the finished product. This policy enables the company to comply with national and international legislation in the countries where it is production sites are located and to ensure that all regulations are observed.
CONCLUSIONS
In the context of the constantly growing demand for the use of digital products in the ceramic decoration process, the new large-format panel manufacturing processes are without question a potential field of application for the “full digital” concept as an all-round technical solution. With the aim of meeting its customers’ needs in this field,
Colorobbia offers a wide range of products tailored to the specific needs of their markets, with special attention to the potential for decorating large-format panels. Thanks to the “multilayer” concept (patented by Colorobbia and unveiled at the ACIMAC conference on Digital Technologies in 2012), Colorobbia delivers solutions that enable finished prod-
ucts to be tailored to customers’ specific requirements. With this vision and a well-established international presence, Colorobbia is a leading player capable of offering its customers products, services and customised solutions and comprehensive expertise along with Italian aesthetics and innovation.
NOTE
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Esmalglass-Itaca bets on digital effects
Although ceramic technology has been a well-established industry for years, it is now undergoing radical changes in terms of digital effects and materials. Given that ceramic products are created by combining textures, contrasts, sheen, reliefs, etc. through the addition of material, it is clear that synchronised application of digital materials provides added value. Esmalglass-Itaca aims to extend these benefits with its Digital Effects and Digital Materials families of products, which add material textures, contrasts, sheen and relief to further enhance ceramic products. The Digital Effects series is designed to work with current printheads and combines excellent physical stability with optimal performance. It consists of materials that complement digital decoration to create special effects. These include cerium- and zirconium-based whites, gloss and matt effects, lustres, metallic effects, sinking glazes and glue. Within this family, the digital glue is of special note due to its rapidity of action and ability to achieve a wide range of effects.
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It is sufficient to load the digital glue into the printer and subsequently use any type of dry application device. This allows all kinds of grits and granules to be applied and synchronised with the design, producing unlimited combinations of effects and finishes. It is possible to apply effects ranging from matt to gloss, opaque to transparent, lustres, metallic, coloured etc. and to create micro-reliefs and non-slip textures. The Digital Materials series is designed for use with new high-discharge printheads capable of working with application weights well above 100 g/m2 and even 1 kg/m2. These products are water-based and have a particle size of more than 3 Âľm. This larger particle size is directly linked to the ceramic effect that can be obtained. Digital techniques can be used to apply the same quantities that are currently applied using bells, flat screen-printing machines, rollers and other applicators. They are also significantly cheaper, a critical factor in high-weight industrial applications. These two factors have further con-
tributed to the goal of creating a totally digital ceramic production process. The Digital Materials family comprises a wide range of products, including a matt white, a clear matt, a satin clear matt, a crystalline, a metallic and a lustre. These materials can be used to create any kind of surface covering comparable to those obtained with current methods but with all the benefits of digital technology. Both families of materials are developed for application on any type of product, including porous single firing, porcelain, stoneware, double firing, etc. All components are formulated to achieve optimal technical and aesthetic characteristics in line with today’s requirements while at the same time guaranteeing the maximum colour intensity of Esmalglass-Itaca pigmented inkjet inks. Another innovation presented by Esmalglass-Itaca as part of its Digital Solutions family is a new set of cost-effective inks. This set of inks has more intense colours, resulting in greater luminosity, lower ink consumption and cost
savings. Esmalglass-Itaca continues to be the market leader in this field in terms of innovation, reliability and product and service quality. The company also presented a new Open Glaze effect which creates low-reliefs in the glaze and reproduces the imperfections of certain types of natural stone and marble. Last but not least, Esmalglass-Itaca offers the most comprehensive range of products for decorating large-format tiles before or after pressing. Body colours, spray-dried glazes and flakes can be used prior to pressing to produce a high-quality ceramic body. After pressing, it is possible to use inks, effects and digital materials, as well as glazes, colours, grits and granules to achieve the most natural finishes or the best polished finish.
Tab. 2. Gamma Digital Effects Acimac handbooks - 2017 Edition . 7
Full Digital - Glazing, Texture, Decoration and Finishing by Norbert von Aufschnaiter
The 2016 world premiere of the Full Digital Glaze Line confirmed Durst as the technological leader in the field of industrial printing for the ce-
ramic sector. In a market with high expectations of a full-scale digital revolution, the launch of the new full digital glazing line has ena-
bled Durst to meet the challenge of bringing to market the solution long anticipated by all players in the supply chain.
Durst Full Digital Glaze Line is the end result of five years of intense research and development efforts aimed at offering tile producers a complete glazing line capable of integrating a fully digital process based on an open system. The solution, which incorporates lat-
est-generation Durst glazing, printing and finishing technologies, offers the unique advantage of being designed to work with third-party glazes that are very similar to those used with conventional systems. The resultant line guarantees maximum versatility and a high degree of
flexibility together with high quality standards and extremely competitive management costs. Further benefits include space rationalisation, optimisation of production and a high degree of management control thanks to process automation
1. Full Digital glazing line
2. Durst Digital Glaze Gallery
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A FULL DIGITAL WORKFLOW
3. Durst Gamma DG 4.0 - Singlepass printer for digital glazing
By perfectly synchronising the entire process as part of a 4.0 solution, Full Digital Glaze Line adopts the Durst Gamma DG 4.0 digital glazing systems and the new 8-colour inkjet printers from the Durst Gamma XD 4.0 range within a single workflow. Controlling the entire cycle from file processing through to the finishing stage is essential in order to optimise the advantages of digital glazing and to ensure perfect registration between the variable textures and the printed graphic designs.
HIGH-QUALITY DIGITAL GLAZING
Based on single-pass inkjet technology, the Durst Gamma DG 4.0 glazing system incorporates proprietary printheads entirely developed and patented by Durst to handle high-viscosity water-based glazes. It is designed to deliver large particles with a grain size of around
45 Âľm without any reduction in productivity. This characteristic allows a large variety of glazes to be used, including those with similar formulations to conventional glazes and low-cost products. The reliability of the Durst system
guarantees high-quality glaze application on tiles even at very high temperatures (up to 70°C and higher) without the risk of clogging the nozzles. This ensures that output remains stable over the entire production cycle.
MODULAR CONFIGURATION
4. Durst Gamma DG 4.0 - Configuration with two glaze bars
The key strength of the Durst Gamma DG 4.0 glazing system is its modularity, allowing the machine to be configured with a single or double glaze bar and with different printing widths.
Each colour bar is designed to deliver up to 1 kg/m2 of glaze. The innovative double colour bar configuration allows for the simultaneous application of two different glazes for effects that could not previously be
achieved on the glazing line. When the bars are used individually, the one that is not in operation can be prepared for the subsequent job without interrupting the production process, thereby increasing overall productiv-
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ity. To ensure continuity of production, glaze changing is guaranteed in under an hour and the variable speed
of the conveyor belt can reach 20 m per minute in the single-bar configuration.
EFFECT TEXTURES
As an efficient alternative to the complex traditional procedures, Durst Gamma DG 4.0 is able to apply a layer of glaze with total coverage starting out from a smooth mould. This makes it possible to create authentic textures with extremely high defi-
nition and significant relief, thereby giving a material look and tactile effects to the ceramic surface. These characteristics enable tile producers to fully express their creative potential, including the production of unique on-demand textures
such as realistic simulation of wood grain, stone, concrete and textiles. They also allow for the development of utterly novel designs for the industry, completely renewing the look and feel of ceramic tiles.
5. Durst Gamma DG 4.0 - Full Digital printed textured tile (glazing, texture, decoration)
HIGH-DEFINITION DIGITAL PRINTING ON CERAMIC TILES
As an integral part of the Full Digital Glaze Line, the Durst flagship line for ceramic tile printing, Gam-
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ma XD 4.0 is designed to fully exploit the potential of digital decoration with the use of material
effect inks. This system is capable of achieving a speed of 76 m/min. and is part of the Gamma XD se-
6. Durst Gamma XD 4.0 with DM - Digital Material technology with extremely high discharge of effect inks
ries, the new generation of 8-colour ceramic inkjet printers. High quality is guaranteed by the one-of-a-kind print engine which delivers unique levels of reliability and productivity while maintaining the ability to deposit large quantities of ink. This function is guaranteed by the DM “Digital Material Printing Technology� capable of applying more than 100 g/m2 of ink, essential for the application of glossy, lustre, matt and metallic inks, glue and other effects in order to create original and striking graphic designs.
7. Durst DM - Digital Material Gallery
TOP LEVEL PERFORMANCE
8. Durst Gamma XD 4.0 - 8-colour printer with printheads for colours and effects
Durst Gamma XD 4.0 is equipped with the innovative Durst High Definition printhead technology, featuring double ink circulation, electron-
ic alignment and a self-calibration function. The integrated Adaptive Dot Placement Technology produces band-
ing-free images with high quality and colour uniformity over the entire print area. The innovative transport system
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helps to maintain colour uniformity and avoid production stoppages, thereby reducing the need for operator intervention.
The exclusive integrated long-interval self-purging system minimises maintenance times and costs and eliminates ink deposition on the
conveyor belt, thereby guaranteeing the stability of the process and a long printhead lifetime.
INNOVATIVE DESIGN
The Durst Gamma XD 4.0 has an innovative design that enables it to be configured with up to 8 colour bars and a printing width of between 319 and 1404 mm, ideal for decorating large-format tiles. It is also the only system with a patented dual-side colour bar ac-
9. Durst Gamma XD 4.0 - patented extraction of the colour bars from both sides
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cess and extraction system, a solution that reduces overall dimensions. The machine can be configured for Dual Line mode, allowing it to print two rows and simultaneously decorate tiles with different sizes and/ or designs.
This function further increases the flexibility and productivity of the entire Durst Full Digital Glaze Line, the only fully digital solution currently available on the market capable of meeting the needs of tile producers in terms of innovation, definition, efficiency and quality.
NOTE
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Cera mic s by Gianluca Poli
Innovation in digital printing: Creavision, Crearemote and Creadigit At Tecnargilla 2016 System unveiled a powerful vision and self-regulating image system for digital printing called Creavision. This technological solution was developed by System to perform dynamic centring of the graphic design on tiles. Creavision detects the position of the tile before it enters Creadigit then determines the position para-
meters and sends them to Creadigit, which repositions the graphic design with respect to the real profile of the tile to ensure perfect printing to within a tenth of a millimetre. In particular it identifies the position of a corner of the tile and the degree of rotation with respect to this point. Benefits include:
• The print is always centred on the tile. • Elimination of guides and extremely precise centring. • Ink savings and greater cleanliness. • Synchronisation between various Creadigit units located at variable positions within the plant layout according to the different required surface applications.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE CREAVISION SYSTEM
The system consists of two inspection heads, each equipped with a linear 4K black and white video camera and an LED lighting system with
cylindrical lens focusing. These heads can be positioned manually as required with respect to the position of the incoming tile so as to modify both
the reading height and the lateral position. Creavision is installed at the entrance to Creadigit on a suitably extended conveyor belt.
CREAREMOTE
The Crearemote software is capable of remotely controlling the printing process by means of a flexible Windows-compatible platform. The RIP (Raster Image Processor) is the multiplatform software used for processing the graphic designs to be printed on the ceramic surfaces. It runs on Windows and OSX operating systems.
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The System patented software processes and transforms the print file so as to guarantee maximum quality and definition and ensure perfect conversion of the CMYK, RGB or multichannel image colours into the colour parameters required by the machine. The updated RIP 2.0 version brings improvements in terms of low tone linearisation along with a series of
functions including: reduction of total ink in the ceramic profile, the ability to simultaneously process a file in greyscale and binary, improved portability with other digital machines using Lab values, and a processing speed that is five times faster than the previous version. This aspect is particularly useful when processing large graphic designs.
THE CREADIGIT DIGITAL PRINTING SYSTEM
Creadigit, Creavision and Crearemote represent a perfect combination of hardware and software in which technology and innovation from System have transformed digital printing into a process that is unique anywhere in the world. The Creadigit digital printing machine produced by System now sets the standard in the ceramic digital decoration sector in terms of reliability, print quality and versatility. More than 250 machines were sold in 2015, bringing total sales to 650 units in the 27 months since the machine was first launched. The significant growth in volumes continued through 2016, demonstrating the outstanding performance of System’s unique digital printing processes. Creadigit respects the innovative and pioneering character of System, a company that has been operating for more than 45 years in the field of industrial automation for the ceramic sector. It is a technology partner with a global presence whose processes have profoundly transformed the world of ceramics while maintaining a future-oriented vision. Creadigit is a prime example of a latest-generation digital printing sy-
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stem that has adapted and diversified over the years to meet customers’ needs. Creadigit has evolved in terms of design, software and electronics. Its potential has been steadily enhanced without sacrificing its characteristics of extremely high productivity (in terms of both output and top quality yield), absence of banding due to clogged nozzles, and robustness of the hardware and software solutions. Creadigit’s key characteristics include: • optical printhead alignment; • optimised hydraulic circuit with three recirculation loops; • attention to construction details; • electronics, mechanics, software and the constantly-evolving proprietary RIP. Modifications and software upgrades are always available. All of these characteristics have led to the design of an extremely reliable digital printer which operates with 100% of nozzles at full efficiency. The enormous versatility of Creadigit has led to the development of various full digital lines, a ceramic
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process in which all decoration steps are performed digitally, from glazing through to final protection. For the production of large sizes, Creadigit stands out for its high degree of stability, excellent printing quality and ability to handle 21 or 28 in-line printheads. On large-format panels, digital decoration creates stone-imitation effects and other kinds of designs with a maximum surface area of 200 square metres, making each panel unique. Creadigit’s success is largely due to the printheads. The printheads are an important part of the printing technology developed by System. While some printheads are designed for depositing small quantities of ink and are therefore suitable for printing images, others are designed with large native droplets to facilitate the application of large quantities to create material effects such as metallised, sinking, matting and reflecting effects. System has developed a wide range of latest-generation printheads for printing with Creadigit. Another important aspect of Sy-
1. The video cameras detect the tile’s position on the belt, then process the geometric data and send them to the Creadigit printer, which transfers the graphic design in real time 2. The digital printer rotates the position of the graphic design according to the values provided by the software
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Cera mic s stem’s digital printing technology is the introduction of latest-generation Dimatix 1024 HF and PQRL printheads with ink recirculation. The HF and PQRL printheads are
particularly suitable for depositing larger quantities of material. These types of printheads are ideal for creating surface material effects and consequently unique and
original decorations. System technology ensures quick and simple control over the quantity of material deposited while maintaining the same graphic design.
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3. With Creavision: a sharp and clearly-defined image 4. Without Creavision: smudging and centring defects
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Over the years, System’s expertise has enabled the group to stimulate not just the ceramic industry but also the sectors of packaging, logistics, intra-logistics and electronics by developing new production processes, anticipating trends and opening up new market segments.
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NOTE
Acimac handbooks - 2017 Edition . 17
Advances in ceramic product design
The increasingly widespread use of digital decoration has led to dramatic changes in a number of finished product prototyping processes. In particular, analog systems for the design and development of new models have been replaced by fully digital processes that provide a virtual and physical simulation of
by Davide Medici, Benedetto Spinelli
the finished product. These changes have also significantly shortened the timeframes for processing and developing new models and have led to radically different production layouts, including that of the glazing and decoration lines. As a result, the traditional sequence of analog accessories is being
transformed into an often integrated set of digital devices. The main goal of advances in digital technology is to enable ceramic materials to be deposited using a digital process. Powders, grits, glazes and colours are all used to create a finished product based on the digital instructions provided by the graphics file.
EVOLUTION OF THE GLAZING AND DECORATION LINE
This short introduction sums up the key aims of Sacmi’s digital research efforts, which fall within the two major technological areas of the ceramics age 4.0: digital lines with conventional pressing and digital lines with Continua+ techno-
logy (figs. 1 and 2). Given Sacmi’s plant engineering background, it naturally sees integration of digital technology as the way forward for the production line. In this vision, stand-alone devices
are replaced by an advanced automated system capable of designing, prototyping and producing ceramic products as part of an essentially digital process that guarantees the efficiency, control and repeatability of the models produced.
1. Digital line with conventional pressing
2. Digital line with Continua+ technology
DRY DIGITAL DECORATION PRIOR TO SHAPING
Decoration machines are central to this vision. The research efforts that have been underway for a number of years have
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produced industrial devices that put the sector’s new technological concepts into practice. Starting out from pre-press digital
powder decoration, the piezoelectric deposition technique is now available for both traditional (smart) lines and the new Continua+ lines.
The brand new digital decoration system for traditional presses, DGD (DiGiDrawer), is equipped with 3 colour bars which deposit coloured powders during the final loading stage in keeping with a predetermined digital graphic design (figs. 3-4-5). As for the new Continua+ techno-
logy, the Digital Dry Decoration, DDD system is already in operation at a number of production facilities (figs. 6-7-8). The digital device is used to apply up to 4 materials in the dry stage directly onto the soft ceramic body. The “continuous� loading sequence includes materials for both
the ceramic body and decoration. Raw materials, glazes and decorative materials are applied in accordance with the predefined graphic sequence and are coordinated with both the three-dimensional structure created during shaping and the subsequent wet digital graphic applications.
3 / 4. DGD DiGiDrawer: digital loading of coloured powders
5. Example of ceramic products created using DGD
6. Digital Dry Decoration system, DDD 7 / 8. Digital Dry Decoration, DDD, on Continua+ line
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DRY DIGITAL DECORATION ON THE GLAZING AND DECORATION LINE
The dry digital decoration technique on the glazing line adds significant value to the aesthetics of the ceramic product. Enhancing the decoration by adding typically ceramic materials helps to customise the finished product. Specific solutions that give free rein to manufacturers’ creativity are available.
DDG (Digital Dry Glazing) is the dry digital application technique for the glazing line. The device is designed in two-colour-bar modules which can be positioned on the line before or after wet decoration. It offers the possibility of either performing standard deposition or considerably increasing defini-
tion by coordinating the sequence with the application of digital glues. This has the major advantage of reducing the quantity of material that subsequently needs to be removed, thereby increasing savings and improving the efficiency of the production cycle. (figs. 9-10-11-12).
9 / 10. DDG (Digital Dry Glazing)
11. Example of post-decoration application sequence with option of digital glue, or native digital deposition of the DDG system
12. Example of wet pre-digital decoration application sequence
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DIGITAL DECORATION – DIGITAL HIGH DEFINITION (DHD)
The latest generation of ceramic digital printers from Sacmi are at the cutting edge of technology (figs. 13-14). Designed and built entirely at the Group’s facilities, they are equipped with an advanced electronic control system which guarantees the highest degree of operational flexibility. The ability to handle ever larger graphic files (deriving both from larger sized tiles and from the need to diversify the images used in a given project as far as possible) is one of the essential requirements of today’s ceramic printers. The electronic control system architecture responds to this need through the real-time data transmission mode, which allows large quantities of information to be processed within a timeframe consistent with high production speeds. Projects with large numbers of images for each tile size no longer represent a limit, and the same applies to the need to coordinate the images with a variable texture on the ceramic body.
Despite its clean and simple graphics, the device maintains an extremely high level of efficiency and ergonomics, and the key components are completely accessible to the operator. The colour bar can be completely removed for simplicity of maintenance, and all the hydraulic and electronic components are mounted on the bars. The ink refill is located in the lower section and is always accessible to the operator, who for no reason needs to go behind the printer for routine operations. Much attention has been devoted to the design of the operator interface (Graphic User Interface), which is simple and intuitive. It also allows crucial production data to be collected automatically, enabling statistics to be produced to evaluate the costs and efficiency of the process. The device is equipped with generous self-diagnostics to inform the operator of the printer’s status and the need to replace some of the most important components such as filters,
degasser and pumps. The degassing system is managed automatically by the central control system and guarantees optimal pressure reduction at all times. It performs automatic self-regulation and informs the operator of the need to replace the filter when the pre-set limits have been reached. This ensures that the entire system maintains the same level of efficiency at all times. Raster Image Processing is performed on board the machine. A dedicated area inside the supplied industrial PC is able to perform this important operation very rapidly, even during production. The operator can choose from a wide range of operations in terms of printing mode and management of the graphic designs/images. The extensive Crono colour management software is installed on the machine and has a section specially devoted to image processing. Various shear, randomisation and toning methods are available to the machine operator for specific prin-
13. DHD Digital High Definition printer
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ting and tone variation choices. The extremely high quality of the waveforms created in the company’s own laboratory has led to the development of a new printing screen which ensures extremely high definition and above all efficient rendering of soft tones. Due to the well-defined and consistent drop shape and the absence of satellite droplets, dots are not visible even at the most sensitive points, namely the colour gradients. Likewise, a better drop arrangement and a more sophisticated drop selection strategy (grey levels) ensure effective printing of even the most intense tones (fig. 15).
14. DHD Digital High Definition printer
NOTE
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For improved print quality consistency, a pre-linearisation process has been introduced for each machine to improve the reliability of settings and to simulate printing using other machines (to reproduce products already in the manufacturer’s catalogue that were originally created using different technologies).
• • • • • •
proprietary profiling engine; simulation profile; profiling and video rendering; project management and archiving ink saving; special ink and materials management; • CMYK and multichannel previewing. And for production management:
As an old but effective slogan puts it, “power is nothing without control”. In other words, the entire sequence of devices requires a powerful control centre. Crono Process Management is the perfect solution for both colour and material management:
• • • • • •
device link; machine alignment; internal RIP; process activity synchronisation production statistics; integration with DHD, DDG, DDD, DGD.
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The smart solution for ceramics: Fiery proServer for Cretaprint by Victor Asseiceiro
EFI™ specialises in the transformation of print from analogue to digital. The EFI Fiery® proServer for Cretaprint® Digital Front End is leading this transformation in the ceramics industry for digital tile production. It supports the brand-new Cretaprint D4 with up to 12 print bars, and provides tools and value from
design creation to final print. Fiery proServer for Cretaprint is a dedicated colour management solution for digital tile decoration that produces the most accurate colour results, with the lowest ink costs, independent of final production conditions. A key part of the only complete prin-
ter, ink, and colour management solution in the digital ceramics industry, it offers tile producers many unique benefits: Shorter design development times with paper prototyping; Accurate and consistent colour quality in different production conditions; Lower ink consumption and costs.
ACCELERATE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
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For greater productivity, the client/ server architecture allows designers or operators from different departments to work and use the Fiery proServer tools at the same time. The designer is able to convert a design for a specific printer and print out a proof, while a colour technician is reading in test charts and profiling for another production condition. Operators don’t need to stand up
and to go somewhere, but can do everything right from their desk through a Mac or Windows® Fiery proServer client. The colour management system also allows users to profile monitors so they act as a softproofing system to allow operators to see what will come out on press live as they retouch or edit an image. EFI’s exclusive Fiery Image Editor tool
allows the accurate editing of final multi-channel separations, meaning on-screen changes can be made accurately and easily right up until production. In addition, precise simulation of final decoration on inkjet paper using Fiery ColorWise® technology provides fast, low-cost, and accurate paper prototyping, which reduces design development time.
ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT COLOUR QUALITY IN DIFFERENT PRODUCTION CONDITIONS
The overall colour of any tile run you produce has to match the original design. Ink set, printer, glaze or kiln differences can be compensated for with the Fiery’s easy but accurate design conversion tools, meaning tile producers can guarantee consistent results no matter where production happens. Fiery ColorWise® technology helps
them do all that and more. In addition, the Fiery Calibrator allows users to linearise EFI Cretaprint devices and devices from other manufacturers for a consistent response from highlights to shadows before creating the printer profile. Matching floor and wall tile production need a common colour gamut in order to facilitate good product
matches. Developing one involves taking into consideration the ink types, printers, and kilns to be used, and creating a gamut that fits within two device capabilities. The Common Gamut feature automatically considers the feasibility of colours for both print conditions, reducing valuable development time while increasing efficiency.
LOWER INK CONSUMPTION AND COSTS
As a result of the multi-channel colour-separation strategy Fiery ColorWise delivers separations with the lowest ink cost compared to regular ICC separations. Combined with EFI Cretacolor Inks Fiery proServer achieves lossless-quality production with ink cost savings of up to 30%. With Smart Ink Savings, EFI is opening a new area of ink cost savings for customers who want to save more ink. Fiery proServer’s industryfirst feature can reduce ink costs further by considering the actual cost of each ink, and calculating the most
affordable ink combination possible for a design. Users can configure real ink prices, and control their acceptable colour deviation per job, plus see a report on the actual ink volume and cost savings prior to producing the tile.
Fiery proServer helps users compensate for different ink sets, printers, glazes, or kilns, so they can guarantee consistent results - no matter where production happens. It lets users share individual printer profi-
les among multiple Fiery proServers to standardise colour and quality for global tile production. Plus, users can export conversion and proofing workflows with all the needed settings to any location, so producers can save on shipping, cut turnaround time, and balance production workloads without sacrificing consistency. With Fiery proServer for Cretaprint, manufacturers are not tied to one production environment or location. Rather, it adds essential flexibility to digital ceramic tile manufacturing businesses.
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Is Digital Ceramic Printing on “Main Street”?
by Gerard Winn
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In his book “Crossing the Chasm” (1991), the author and consultant Geoffrey Moore introduced the concept of The Technology Adoption Lifecycle to describe how new technologies are adopted into a market – initially by innovators who are keen to experiment, closely followed by early adopters looking for a competitive advantage, then the late majority who wait for the technology to become well established before buying, and finally laggards who resist change. We can model digital ceramic decoration onto Moore’s lifecycle – from the first experimental digital ceramic printers in the late 1990’s, then the breakthrough into the mainstream in 2007 with the first recirculating printhead – the Xaar 1001. Digital inkjet technology has enabled tile manufactures to replicate natural materials and produce highly creative and textured tiles as well as larger and thinner tiles. By 2012 the technology had become widely accepted and now, by
the end of 2016, almost full digital adoption has been achieved and even laggards have converted. Having completed the technology adoption lifecycle, Moore describes the next phase as the Mature Market Phase, characterised by tough competition where only the fittest survive. Innovation is not an optional nice-to-have, he says – it’s a requirement for differentiation and growth. Luckily innovation can take many forms – product innovation, marketing innovation, process innovation, and more – so it’s certainly not doom and gloom in the ceramics printing industry and we can look forward to many innovations in the industry in the years to come! So how is Xaar innovating? Xaar introduces the new Xaar 2001+ family of printheads, which delivers ultimate versatility in ceramic tile decoration by combining unrivalled production flexibility, market-leading print quality and in-
dustrial reliability. With 2000 nozzles, the Xaar 2001+ can jet one colour at 720 dpi or two colours at 360 dpi each – tile manufacturers benefit from high print quality and high productivity, so they can easily manage a very wide range of ceramic tile designs. Fast line speeds of up to 50 m/min enable high production throughput and a fast return on investment. Available in three drop sizes, manufacturers can select the printhead combination that meets their exact needs: choosing the Xaar 2001+ GS6C printhead for fine details, the Xaar 2001+ GS12C to balance detail and laydown for a wide range of tile designs, and the Xaar 2001+ GS40C to achieve the highest laydown for special effects. Companies using printers featuring the Xaar 2001+ family of printheads will also benefit from industrial reliability delivered by multiple technologies unique to Xaar printheads. Xaar’s leading TF Technology® ink recirculation ensures
continuous ink flow at a high rate directly past the back of the nozzles during drop ejection; air bubbles and unwanted particles are carried away. The XaarGuard™ nozzle plate provides highly effective protection from mechanical impact so that production interruptions are minimised, and coupled with other design innovations, achieves the longest maintenance-free production runs in the industry, typically once per shift or less.
The new XaarSMART™ technology reports ink temperature and printhead status so that printer performance can be optimised in real time, providing consistent print quality throughout the production run even as factory conditions change. Plus, actuator performance in each printhead is optimised with Xaar’s Tuned Actuator Manufacturing. This process ensures full scalability with a simple and quick set up, streamlining printhead replace-
ment, and achieves consistent print quality across long print bars with multiple printheads, at different greyscale levels. Xaar’s market-leading printheads for ceramic tile decoration are the result of Xaar’s commitment to continuous improvement. For over 25 years, Xaar has led the way in inkjet innovation. With state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the UK, Xaar exports its products to manufacturers all around the world.
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From colour to process management
by Antonio Maccari
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The future of digital decoration will increasingly focus on software tools that allow for the use of an unlimited number of inks and reduce the costs and timeframes of the design and production start-up process while maintaining the product’s colour. The role of the graphic design technician is to convert an idea into a
finished ceramic product, i.e. to determine the tools needed to create the finished product by means of the ceramic production process. Graphic designers are therefore accustomed to handling images in such a way that they can be reproduced in the ceramic production process, which is unfortunately unstable and variable over time.
The “tools” of an inkjet printer consists of the digital information produced by the graphics programs used by the designer. Adjusting these “tools” manually entails a degree of complexity and expense that increases with the number of inks. Moreover, only four inks are generally used in the ceramic industry because Photoshop is unable to correctly
display more than 4 colour channels. The human brain itself is unable to imagine how a combination of more than 4 inks can produce the desired colour. While the limitations imposed by manual operation are already evident, they will become even more so pronounced over the next few years as the number of digital applications increases in order to cope with the unlimited combinations of effects that cannot be handled by the human brain. Only an appropriately programmed software package will be able to offer tomorrow’s ceramic producers an effective solution. Keracromia provides a simple but effective response thanks to its ability to generate new digital files easily when the ceramic production process has undergone changes that are likely to lead to undesirable colorimetric results.
Keracromia is a system specifically developed for use in the ceramic industry (hence the name “KeraCromia�) and is able to handle an unlimited number of inks, including the special case of 4 inks. By using suitable software tools it is now possible to manage an impressive number of colour channels. Keracromia essentially offers the advantage of providing a realistic idea of what a final product will look like based on objective measurements. Unlike human experience, it has the significant advantage of objectivity. The graphic analysis of the process model reveals the best possible results within seconds, highlighting the limitations of a specific production process compared to the desired graphic results. If a specific product is not compatible with the chosen process, it is possible to choose between two options: de-
ciding whether to change the model and choose one with a closer colour gamut to that of the desired graphic design, or adapting the colour so that it is suitable for production. Although the result will differ from the original and will need to be evaluated, this process has the big advantage of taking just a few minutes compared to the several days needed to perform printing tests. It is clearly useful to know in advance whether or not a product can be produced with the current production process, avoiding the need for lengthy and costly tests. At the same time, the savings in time and inks makes Keracromia a valid technical aid and a useful tool for cost control. Statistics obtained from samples of customers have shown that up to 50% of ink costs can be saved over a year simply by increasing the number of inks on the line.
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