Novaref continues its investments in Industry 4.0 automation

While awaiting the launch of its new NOVA HD roller at Tecna 2022, Novaref continues to automate its production departments and has already scheduled investments for 2023.

Ongoing investments in technological improvements to its equipment, particularly in the field of Industry 4.0, have long been at the centre of the development plans of Novaref, a Verona-based company founded in the 1980s and specialising in the production of refractory rollers for the ceramic industry.

Following the installation in 2019 of a new kiln for firing extra-long rollers, the company gained new market share, reduced its production waste, increased product quality and achieved significant energy savings.

By automating the kiln loading and unloading operations in accordance with Industry 4.0 criteria, the company is able to produce rollers with considerable weights, diameters of up to 80 mm and lengths of up to 6 metres while optimising procurement times. The process makes use of a robotic system that handles the rollers coming from the dryer and loads them into the kiln. Immediately after firing they are placed in dedicated cars for inspection and finishing.

As part of its Industry 4.0 efforts, Novaref has also invested in full automation of the extrusion department. With operations organised over 3 shifts, the new systems allow rollers to be extruded continuously, guaranteeing a significant increase in productivity and quality.

The dryer car feeding process is also robotised, bringing significant improvements in terms of efficiency, speed and load management during production. Further investments to extend automation to other stages of the production process have already been planned for 2023 and are expected to further boost the growth and competitiveness of a company that is already well established on the market.

A division of the Vetrerie Riunite Group, a global market leader in the production of household appliance door glasses with a turnover of more than €100 million, Novaref employs a highly qualified team of 70 people at its factory in the province of Verona with a production capacity of 500,000 rollers/year.

The company will be exhibiting at Tecna 2022 (Hall D3 - Stand 191), where it will launch its new NOVA HD roller with high technical performance in terms of durability, reduced maintenance and consequently energy savings.