ICF & Welko kinls for large format tiles

The growing market demand for large ceramic panels and slabs produced using System Lamina technology has highlighted some specific issues relating to drying and firing.

Drying and firing a 1.6 x 4.8 metre panel or slab with a thickness of up to 30 mm is very different from that of a large-format tile up to a maximum size of 120x120 cm and thickness of 10-12 mm.

After firing, these large panels or slabs must be cut, machined and polished, so they must be totally free of stresses both on the surface and throughout their thickness.

I.C.F. & Welko has exploited its experience with firing systems for System Lamina plants to develop an innovative solution with controlled cooling capable of eliminating surface and internal stresses, thereby guaranteeing maximum workability of the panels and enabling them to be drilled and cut without problems.

Treatment time also has a big influence on product quality given that the total firing time increases as a function of thickness and surface area.

To ensure perfect quality of outgoing products, the kiln width cannot be increased beyond a certain limit, so kilns are instead becoming longer, sometimes reaching a length of 300 metres of more. However, not all ceramic companies have sufficient space in their factories for such long kilns.

To solve this problem, I.C.F. & Welko has introduced a new kiln with a length of just 150 metres that guarantees the same productivity and results as firing systems of twice the length.

The solution consists of two completely independent kilns mounted one above the other, equipped with all the instruments installed on single-channel kilns for large sizes.

The first kiln of this kind will be started up in September.