In the tile industry, additives are used in the preparation of ceramic bodies and glazes, as well as for decoration.
The targets are numerous and, through consistent processing, energy savings and increased capacity can be achieved to obtain reproducible results according to the defined design parameters.
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Zschimmer & Schwarz
Ceramic AuxiliariesMax-Schwarz-Strasse 3–5
56112 Lahnstein | DET +49 2621 12-485
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During the manufacture of ceramic products, energy costs have a considerable share in the overall expenses of the final product. Deflocculating additives help to save water and energy resources, and to increase the production output. The slip properties (viscosity, thixotropic behaviour, structural viscosity, dilatancy, rheopexy and Newtonian flow behaviour) can be adjusted according to the customer’s requirements.
Biocides are required for the application of organic additives and/or raw materials to counteract their deterioration caused by micro organisms such as bacteria, yeasts or fungi, and consequently to guarantee long-term stability.
Dry milling agents are additives, which are used in the dry milling process of ceramic raw materials in a ball mill and/or other types of mills to increase throughput, improve energy efficiency and to modify the quality of the material to be milled.
The use of dry milling agents from Zschimmer & Schwarz can improve the performance of a mill significantly, by up to 40%.
Our dry milling agents counteract (re)agglomeration of the particles and, consequently, help reduce caking and incrustations in the mill, increase throughput speed, improve milling fineness and, as a result, the specific surface as well as the reactivity of the material to be milled. The flowability of the dry material to be milled is improved as well.
Dry milling agents from Zschimmer & Schwarz interact with the surface of the particles and neutralise electrical surface charges (unsaturated valences at fractured surfaces) and/or generate rectified charges on the surface. Consequently, the attraction between the individual particles is reduced or eliminated.
A dry milling agent is usually introduced at the beginning of the milling process together with the raw material to be milled, dosage being about 0.01–0.20 wt.%.
The pressing of complicated geometries in the tiles sector (e.g. decorative border tiles and shaped pieces) can lead to damages on the components during the technological processes that follow, caused by internal stresses. For this reason, pressing agents and lubricants are used to promote better shaping characteristics. They facilitate the flow of the granules under pressure, thus leading to a more homogeneous compaction.
An increasing use of robots and the production of complicated geometries have lead to a growing demand for improved component strength. For this purpose, our temporary binders are employed to increase the green strength, dry modulus of rupture and edge strength.
Dispersants are used in glazes and engobes to specifically influence the rheological properties and solids content of the slip. Depending on the particular glaze and/or engobe type as well as the application procedure, the desired aim is maximum density at optimum rheological properties without sedimentation.
During the preparation of slips, foam can form through surface active substances and also through the mechanical energy input. Possible consequences can be defects in the glaze in the form of pinholes or dimples. Our antifoam agents prevent foam formation during preparation or, respectively, immediately destroy foam that has already formed.
Biocides are required for the application of organic additives and/or raw materials to counteract their deterioration caused by micro organisms such as bacteria, yeasts or fungi, and consequently to guarantee long-term stability.
Non-foaming wetting agents reduce the surface tension of aqueous glaze systems. They contribute to achieve very smooth surfaces during glazing.
Rheological additives have an important function: they create the prerequisites for a defined reproducible adjustment of glaze rheology, and they guarantee constant results with applications by hand and spray robot on vertical surfaces. Moreover, rheological additives allow a flexible adjustment of the flow behaviour, a stable viscosity, a high glaze thickness as well as an improved adhesion and an increased touch-resistant finish.
Specific suspension aids are used to prevent sedimentation of glazes. Suspension aids are either employed to adjust ready prepared glazes or introduced previously, during preparation via the glaze mill.
Temporary binders bring about an increase in mechanical resistance at the surface of glazes and engobes hence leading to an improved touch-resistant finish. This provokes a good bond between the glaze and the body. Glaze runs on the surface as well as crawling at the edges are prevented by this.
Printing pastes used in the production of tiles need to have distinct properties (e.g. viscosity, drying time). These can be tailored according to the individual customer’s requirements by introducing special additives that were particularly designed for this purpose.
Third-firing mediums are pasting agents used for printing inks to decorate onto fired glazes, which are non-absorbent in comparison with raw glazes.
Fixatives are required for the decoration onto unfired glazes directly after glaze application, to improve the touch-resistant finish of the glaze surface before printing. The touch-resistant finish of the designs that were printed first is increased during multi-colour decoration. This allows multi-colour printing.
We differ between two different types of binders for granulate application: GRANICER types are used for the liquid preparation of granules/grits to decorate tile surfaces with airless, double disk, bell and curtain coating machine. Complete coverage of the tile surface is achievable. Alternatively, DECOFLUX GR types act as binders for the application of dry glazes onto the coated tile surface.
Rotocolor and Laserroll mediums are available for the production of printing pastes with excellent pigment absorption. Special paste additives have been developed for different production methods according to the customer’s individual requirements.
Paste additives for decorating colours with excellent pigment absorption, and further specific product properties, are used for direct decoration of tiles by the screen printing process. Depending on the formulation of the screen printing mediums offered by Zschimmer & Schwarz, these mediums can be either used for fast-single-fired tiles (Monoporosa, Monocottura) or for fast-double-fired tiles.
For the self-production of digital printing inks, milling mediums are available under the name of DECOFLUX DP in combination with the mediums of the DECOFLUX DP R series which are employed to adjust the final ink viscosity and, hence, the printing properties.
Under the trade name TRUCOLOR, we offer ready-to-use printing inks for tile decoration with digital printing technology. Their intense colour, stable viscosity and long-term stability during production achieve the optimal printing results. The individual inks are perfectly adjusted to each other, allowing the user a target ink configuration to increase productivity.
The effect printing inks (reactive, matte, glossy, lustre, texture and white) of the TRUCOLOR EF series are used for digital printing in single- and double-firing applications.
A special inkjet binder with strong cohesive power is available for tile decoration with digital printing technology. This glue serves as a binder to apply dry glazes.
Additives offered under the name DIGICER PRIMER are used before the digital printing process, to avoid negative processing properties, such as for example condensation of water vapour under the printing bar. The DIGICER TU series refers to wetting agents, which provide an optimal glaze application after digital printing preventing surface defects between the printing ink and the glaze layer over the printed tile.
The TRUCLEAN cleaners serve for the cleaning of every ink-guiding machine part and for general maintenance of the digital printing equipment. These cleaners are precisely tailored to the TRUCOLOR printing inks.
POLISHIELD is a sealer for porcelain stoneware. It closes the open pores of polished surfaces through the formation of a reticular structure, thus preventing soiling of the surface.
