Lapping, calibrating and honing with a single head: the PREMIER satellite

By replacing the tool, the new satellite head transforms a single-product lapping machine into a line capable of processing both technical porcelain and glazed materials

Full body technical porcelain tiles and slabs maintain a significant share of the flooring market in high traffic areas such as railway stations, airports and public buildings. They are popular in particular for their outstanding wear resistance and their ability to maintain their finishes, patterns and colours over time.

Amid resurgent demand for polished products, the Premier laboratories are exploiting their 25 years of experience in the field of squaring and honing tools to develop a new satellite head with a number of major benefits.

The first advantage is the possibility of transforming an old glazed tile lapping line (many of which are already equipped with faster and less expensive Premier satellite heads) into a new, versatile line that is capable of calibrating and polishing technical porcelain tiles and at the same time lapping glazed tiles and slabs. The result is a powerful calibrating/honing/lapping machine capable of performing all kinds of processes on all types of material.

To do this, it exploits the high kinetic energy of the satellite simply by replacing the resin tool on an elastic support (used for lapping) with one with a rigid metal binder.

This simple and innovative solution brings ceramic tile manufacturers an added advantage in terms of product differentiation, allowing them to expand their ranges with high-quality polished technical tiles and slabs that stand apart from standardised, mass-produced digitally decorated products.