Sustainable innovation in ceramic processes, natural surfaces and digital effects.
Sicer’s research focuses on developing ceramic and glass-ceramic materials capable of creating three-dimensional surfaces with outstanding technical and aesthetic qualities, as well as a wide range of digital effects, materials and colours that replicate the texture and beauty of natural materials.
At the same time, digital products help improve the efficiency and flexibility of production lines, accommodating up to five or six product changes per day.
The growing use of digital applications on ceramic surfaces is evident in the layout of modern production lines, both in Italy and abroad. Increasingly, digital printers are being positioned immediately after the dryer to apply structuring or resisting agents, followed by an airless engobe application to create relief effects. Next, another digital printer is used to decorate the surface by applying colours, materials or special effects. The process is completed with a final digital application of glue and dry grit, followed by a final airless coating.
This layout can be modified, for example, by shifting certain digital applications to the pre-dryer stage. This makes it possible to deposit digital structuring agents (including water-based products), as well as digital glue and dry grit, to form an initial structured layer. When combined with the engobe applied after the dryer, this effect can be enhanced by adding a final digital glue and grit application at the end of the line.
Sicer offers a range of materials to help customers create increasingly sophisticated, textured and three-dimensional products, including:digital structuring agents,
- digital glues and grits,
- glass-ceramic coatings
- and transparent digital matt glazes.
DIGITAL STRUCTURING AGENTS
Sicer’s structuring agents now include a wide range of products, divided into:
• beginning-of-line structuring agents, which create deeper reliefs and are further classified into pre-dryer and post-dryer structuring agents;
• end-of-line structuring agents, which produce highly defined and pronounced reliefs.
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