System Ceramics’ integrated approach to large slab production

System Ceramics has made a vital contribution to the success of these large-format surfaces by developing a pioneering process solution for the production of through-vein slabs.

With their unique blend of functionality and aesthetics, porcelain slabs have pushed back the traditional boundaries of ceramic tiles as a floor and wall covering material.

System Ceramics, a company owned by Coesia Group, is one of the leading players in the industry and has made a vital contribution to the success of these large-format surfaces by developing a pioneering process solution for the production of through-vein slabs.

The company’s cutting-edge technologies are uniquely interconnected, ensuring a highly competitive end result in terms of functionality and aesthetics. The finished slabs now deliver far higher levels of through-body definition, strength, durability and versatility, making them suitable for use in the furniture and design sectors.

As part of its longstanding commitment to technological innovation, System Ceramics has incorporated factors such as sustainability and energy saving into its philosophy. This approach has led to the development of extremely high-performance decorating and pressing solutions that make a key contribution to the effectiveness of the complete slab production line.

With the recent presentation of Genesis at Tecna 2022, System Ceramics has taken this industrial philosophy a step further and once again revolutionised the ceramic industry in terms of fields of application, aesthetics and above all synergy between the various processing stages. The futuristic vision that has always guided System Ceramics in the design of individual machines has prompted the company to focus on an all-round plant engineering concept that brings advantages in terms of both the finished product and the process as a whole.

The integrated solution from System Ceramics

Genesis is an innovative three-dimensional full-body decoration system based on fully digital and integrable process management and is the ideal solution for today’s slab production requirements. In terms of its dimensions and characteristics, Genesis integrates perfectly with the Superfast mouldless press, which stands out for its high production flexibility based on the zero-waste mouldless process and has the lowest energy consumption levels of its category. Given the compatibility between Superfast and Genesis, the latter can be considered a hybrid between a pressing machine and a digital printer in accordance with a new plant engineering approach aimed at upgrading the production process. Superfast is also closely interconnected with the drying stage, for which purpose System Ceramics is proposing the first Fastdry horizontal multi-channel dryer ready to accept recovered heat flows.

These machines are also synchronised with decoration systems and in particular with Creadigit Infinity, the digital printer with unprecedented computing power which now incorporates water-based inks, resulting in between 40% and 50% lower emissions. This in turn is integrated with the new Eye-tron, which dialogues with the digital printer in real time to ensure perfect synchronisation between the surface designs and the through-body effects.

System Ceramics is investing heavily in this overall vision in the knowledge that an advanced, dynamic approach is essential to ensuring the highest level of competitiveness for its customers and the industry as a whole given that product quality is intrinsically linked to improved productivity.

But what are the advantages?

Above all, consistent and lasting results. As well as delivering high-quality products with outstanding aesthetic value and unlimited creative potential for both full-body and decorated surfaces, System Ceramics also guarantees long-term reliability, further aided by its membership of the Coesia Group.

Sustainable growth

The second goal is sustainable growth. Superfast, Creadigit Infinity and all the other technologies have a shared focus on saving energy resources and raw materials, and on ensuring the utmost respect for the environment and human beings. Another key contribution is made by Hypermate powered by Prime, the software services platform designed to organise the information flows of entire factories with a high level of integration and connectivity. The platform’s data driven vision allows it to offer considerable advantages in terms of reduction in energy and raw material wastage. A system-based design approach creates a collective mindset and ensures that a shared language is used throughout the process. In other words it establishes an optimal connection, resulting in improved functionality, the ability to fine-tune processes and consequently higher levels of production performance and aesthetic quality.

All-round customer service

Customer service is another important aspect of this integrated approach. An all-round vision that includes technical support and technology upgrades on all machines guarantees a consistent plant set-up. This brings advantages in terms of overall performance and enables technicians to make overall assessments and fine-tune the production process to ensure a longer machine lifetime and higher process efficiency.