Genya: A step forward for collaborative full-digital technology

Genya is an innovative software platform for the glazing line, developed as a partnership between System Ceramics’ internal decoration and process computerisation BUs. It is a piece tracking system that provides instructions to digital printers and coordinates decorative applications on tiles or slabs.

Digitalisation. Automation. Industrial Revolution 4.0. These are the keywords that sum up the manufacturing industry’s new business philosophy oriented towards the development of smart factories and the implementation of digital technologies.

In this scenario, System Ceramics’ R&D department offers increasingly advanced solutions that guarantee high quality standards while at the same time developing smart technology in keeping with the principles of Industry 4.0.

Its latest solution, called Genya, is an integral part of this technology.

An innovative software platform for the glazing line, it was developed as a partnership between System Ceramics’ internal decoration and process computerisation BUs and straddles the worlds of Information (Internet of Things, Big Data, Cloud Computing) and Operations (collaborative ro­bot­ics, augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing).

Interconnection between machines and synchronisation of operations

Genya is a piece tracking system that provides instructions to digital printers and coordinates decorative applications on tiles or slabs. It allows the operator to control all possible combinations on the line easily and from a single location without having to adjust each unit individually.

The advent of digital printing has revolutionised the glazing line, allowing multiple machines to be used to perform all stages in the process (i.e. glazing, decoration and finishing). After the first step of facilitating synergies between the various dedicated technologies, it rapidly became necessary to interconnect the machines in order to make the processes more efficient.

While the starting point for the development of Genya was its ability to synchronise the operations along the line, it is another characteristic that has enabled the solution to stand out as one of System Ceramics’ technological excellences.

Real-time information acquisition

Genya acquires, elaborates and processes information along the glazing line in real time. Its ability to communicate with the vision systems present in the factory enables it to track and detect piece positioning or graphical variation problems as well as detecting and resolving any critical issues with tiles or slabs observed by the system.

This expands Genya’s range of functions from synchronisation and sequencing to instantaneous information acquisition for all operations, allowing it to correctly redistribute information sequentially to the machines. By using a dedicated Copilot unit together with line section tracking, it is also possible to coordinate and centralise all applications (glaze, inks or effects) from a single point, thereby optimising the entire process.

Collaborative digital printing

Genya is the final component needed to complete Full-Digital Collaboration, an entirely original philosophy developed by System Ceramics that serves to simplify the process of integrating the sequence of applications present on the glazing line. A contemporary concept of collaborative digital printing, it improves the flexibility of the process thanks to a modular infrastructure capable of responding to any future challenge.

This technology significantly expands the functionality of Creadigit digital printers, which are already popular worldwide for their outstanding quality and high computing power. With Genya, the Creadigit printers are constantly monitored and connected amongst themselves and consequently with all linked devices such as the Creavision e-View vision and self-regulation system for digital printing.

Genya also simplifies graphical aspects by managing the printers along the entire line. Simply by installing additional MMC (Multiple Machine Composer) software on the PC, it is possible to generate the complete project and develop it on all machines on the line. The software is the perfect choice for coloured graphics and synchronised or non-synchronised effects, with or without interlocking designs and divided up over multiple files, as it manages the combinations and consequently increases the number of different faces that can be printed.

The presence of sensors, encoders and photocells inside the various glazing line machines enables Genya to create an elaborate infrastructure oriented towards the latest concept of the Internet of Things. The acquired information is suitable for sharing with System Ceramics’ Prime software services platform, thereby creating a communication channel that meets the needs of smart industry.