System Ceramics’ Full Digital revolution

From market to technology: a sustainable vision driving innovation.

System Ceramics’ research and development efforts are rooted in a profound understanding of market demands and guided by a long-term vision of the industry’s future trajectory. In this context, sustainability is not an isolated goal, but a pathway to measurable benefits across the value chain, from manufacturers to end users.

Reducing waste and optimising consumption not only lowers operating costs, capital investment and the use of consumables, but also increases machine uptime, extends plant service life and boosts profitability.

In this approach, sustainability becomes the connecting thread between technological excellence and value creation for customers, delivering concrete advantages that extend beyond individual machines or processes to the entire production cycle. This integrated, fully digital approach is what System Ceramics defines as “Full Digital”. But what does this mean exactly?

Digitalisation and sustainability: a new production ecosystem

Digital transformation is a powerful driver of innovation in the ceramic industry, with digital decoration playing a key role in promoting circular economy principles and reducing environmental impact.

System Ceramics began its journey in ceramic decoration back in 1994 with the groundbreaking Rotocolor, a silicone roller system for automatic tile decoration. This marked the beginning of the company’s transition from analogue to digital technology, supported by substantial investments and R&D efforts. The introduction of Creadigit in 2011, followed by Creadigit Infinity, represented major milestones in intelligent digital printing.

This evolution reflects System Ceramics’ ongoing commitment to customer engagement, fostering dialogue, understanding needs and offering practical solutions. It also illustrates the company’s vision of a circular economy where human capital plays a key role in the innovation process.

The same philosophy characterises System Ceramics’ technology, envisioned as an integrated ecosystem in which every machine is interconnected, capable of sharing information and operating in synergy. Quality control systems at both entry and exit points ensure precision and reduce waste, resulting in a digital, traceable and intelligent production process that can be tailored to the needs of manufacturers and the evolving demands of the market. Sustainability is a fundamental aspect of this approach.

The water-based transformation: a green revolution

The transition from solvent-based to water-based digital printing is a prime example of System Ceramics’ ability to transform dialogue into technological solutions, environmental challenges into opportunities for innovation.

This complex and ambitious project was the result of over four years of R&D efforts, including tests conducted on more than 1,000 printheads and over 1,000 tonnes of ink and adhesives. The result is a series of drop-on-demand printheads capable of operating with water-based inks while maintaining extremely high print quality.

Key benefits include:

• A healthier workplace free from unpleasant odours;
• A 40-50% reduction in atmospheric pollutants;
• Elimination of post-combustion systems, reducing CO₂ emissions;
• Significant energy savings across the entire production process;
• Superior print definition due to faster ink absorption by the substrate.

This breakthrough marks a turning point for the ceramic industry, offering technologies that are efficient, environmentally responsible and uncompromising in aesthetic performance.

Infinity Sky and Infinity Dry: the future of sustainable digital decoration

With its new Infinity Sky and Infinity Dry platforms, System Ceramics responds to one of the most pressing needs of today’s market: the ability to create unique products that are difficult to replicate.

Thanks to its outstanding technological and design flexibility, System Ceramics offers virtually unlimited production potential. Through the integration of different digital technologies, it allows high-end global manufacturers to create the distinctive material effects they need to remain competitive.

Infinity Sky

Equipped with 16 independent bars, Infinity Sky offers outstanding production flexibility. A self-maintenance system prevents ink sedimentation, while each bar is fitted with a pneumatic lifting mechanism that allows production to continue even in challenging conditions. Inverted hydraulic recirculation and active ultrasound technology preserve printhead integrity during standby, drastically reducing downtime and maintenance costs.

Infinity Dry

Infinity Dry resolves a longstanding issue in powder and grit application by replacing mechanical handling with selective pneumatic technology. This allows for precise control over powder flow. This highly sustainable, single-step process delivers superior quality and precision, resulting in perfectly clean and well-defined designs.

The development of Infinity Dry builds on technical expertise acquired through System Ceramics’ Genesis technology, which pioneered the dry application of materials. Drawing on this technical background, the system can handle a wide range of materials and volumes, producing multiple digital designs while overcoming the constraints of current digital printers, which typically require powders with predetermined properties and allow for only limited variation. Infinity Dry supports both full-field and selective decoration, including the sequential application of different grits via separate bars. This versatility enables it to meet the most sophisticated aesthetic requirements while maintaining operational flexibility.

Towards fully digital production: an integrated vision of the future

The Full Digital concept developed by System Ceramics represents an integrated model of ceramic production that meets today’s market demands for traceability, customisation and process control. Rather than just a collection of machines, Full Digital is a complete system capable of managing and monitoring every stage of ceramic production digitally, as well as performing remote diagnostics, product tracking and troubleshooting.

To complete this digital transition, System Ceramics is making substantial investments in digital glazing technologies that can handle larger particle-size materials (greater than one micron) while ensuring enhanced material depth and superior mechanical strength. The goal is to go beyond the current deposition limits of digital machines while maintaining selective application and allowing for the creation of micro- and macro-textures directly on the tile surface.

Customer Service: efficiency, operational excellence and sustainability

System Ceramics’ global customer service network plays a key role in supporting its digital solutions and ensuring their international success. Available 24/7, the service guarantees operational continuity, extends equipment life and reduces both environmental impact and unplanned downtime for machine stoppages or replacements.

System Ceramics Customer Service also specialises in restoring and repairing digital printer heads, a vital component of the process. To date, more than 10,000 printheads have been serviced with a 92% success rate, thanks to a network of ten repair centres strategically located to guarantee a rapid response.

Services range from simple flushing to reconditioning (which restores full printhead functionality by replacing worn components), complete regeneration (restoring printheads to like-new condition), and polarity reversal (switching from water-based to solvent-based inks or vice versa). All repairs guarantee 100% nozzle recovery and come with a six-month warranty.

In keeping with the goals of sustainability and reuse, Customer Service also refurbishes Firepulse electronic boards used in System Ceramics’ digital systems. This popular programme is expanding in South America and will soon also extend to the Middle East and Far East with the aim of further improving component recovery, extending equipment life and contributing to a more responsible and efficient industrial model.