{"id":17901,"date":"2025-12-09T10:47:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zschimmer-schwarz-ceramco.it\/lo-sapevi-che\/45-digital-printing-opportunities-and-challenges-in-heavy-clay-ceramics-2\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T17:48:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T17:48:55","slug":"45-digital-printing-opportunities-and-challenges-in-heavy-clay-ceramics-2","status":"publish","type":"lo-sapevi-che","link":"https:\/\/www.zschimmer-schwarz-ceramco.it\/en\/did-you-know-that\/45-digital-printing-opportunities-and-challenges-in-heavy-clay-ceramics-2\/","title":{"rendered":"#45 Digital printing: opportunities and challenges in heavy clay ceramics"},"content":{"rendered":"
  1. Mode of operation of digital printers in ceramics <\/li>
  2. Properties of ceramic printing inks <\/li>
  3. Digital printing as an option for heavy clay ceramics <\/li>
  4. What must be considered when a digital printer is installed? <\/li>
  5. Application in production: a typical example <\/li>
  6. Costs of digital production process <\/li>
  7. Conclusion <\/li>\n \n <\/ol>\n \n \n

    More than 30 years ago, the first digital printing systems were available for use in the graphic arts industry. In ceramics, the first digital printing system was put into operation in a tile factory in Spain in 2000. In tile production, 80% of the entire industry worldwide switched from screen and rotary printing to digital printing within a period of ten years. Today, digital printing is established and most of the problems that initially made handling difficult have been solved. <\/p>\n \n \n

    1. Mode of operation of digital printers in ceramics <\/h2>\n \n \n

    All ceramic printers are based on a similar functional principle, that is \u201cDrop-on-Demand\u201d (DoD). This means that a piezo-controlled print head ejects the corresponding amount of ink as required. The print is always made contactless onto the surface to be decorated \u2013 from a distance of 3 to 9 mm, depending on the depth of focus.
    The print heads are integrated in an ink circuit consisting of heating elements, pumps and filters. In respect of hardware, this circuit is responsible for the printing result. Depending on the printer and the print head manufacturer, one heating element each is installed in the supply tank, in the print head circuit and on the nozzle plate. This ensures a constant ink viscosity depending on the selected temperature. The pump system, in turn, keeps the highly pigmented inks stable against sedimentation, and influences drop formation through the meniscus effect. The filters prevent agglomerates and coarse particles from clogging the print head nozzles. When all parameters are properly matched, the result is a clear print image.
    All print heads are similar in terms of their characteristics: they have a print width of 7 to 11 cm, a resolution of 360 to 400 dpi, and several rows of nozzles. Depending on the resolution, belt speeds of 35 m\/min are possible. The type of ink ejection, print- head control and circulation of the ink in the print head can differ and depend on each individual manufacturer. The print heads can be used at different angles depending on the product and machine producer.
    <\/p>\n \n \n

    2. Properties of ceramic printing inks <\/h2>\n \n \n

    Ceramic printing inks must have specific properties in order to achieve the best possible printing results. The digital printing inks produced by Zschimmer & Schwarz at various locations and sold under the brand name Trucolor are preparations of polymers and ceramic pigments in solvents. In general, a distinction is made between inks, effect inks, glaze inks and digital glue.
    Depending on the pigment content, the density of the colours is between 1.1 and 1.4 g\/cm3<\/sup>. In the printer, the processing temperature is individually adjusted and differs between 40 and 50 \u00b0C.
    Trucolor printing inks are biodegradable and show a stable printing viscosity and surface tension. <\/p>\n \n \n

    The inks are supplied in easily manageable 5-l canisters and have a shelf life of up to eight months.
    All Trucolor inks are certified by renowned manufacturers of printers and print heads.
    The colour development\/performance depends on the whole process, in particular on the reaction between ink, ceramic body (and engobe\/glaze if used) and the firing conditions.
    <\/p>\n \n \n

    3. Digital printing as an option for heavy clay ceramics <\/h2>\n \n \n

    At present, in the heavy clay industry, products are decorated mainly by applying engobe with the aid of scattered granules or by means of reduction effects created by the firing process. These techniques are suitable to produce traditional products for the existing market.
    What added value does digital printing offer? In the first place, it allows flexible decorations\/designs as well as the inexpensive manufacture of small and very small production runs. The almost infinite variety of designs, limited only by the colour space, makes it possible to give the printed materials an appearance that exactly imitates any other surface or creates a completely new product. It is possible, for example, to print a natural stone replica that either could not be laid outdoors so far or is no longer available. Individual customer wishes such as lettering or company logos can also easily be realised.
    In case of roofing tiles, for example, it would be possible to give a plain tile the look of a wooden shingle traditionally used in Bavaria or to apply a slate look. This is where ceramics can meet different aesthetic requirements at a more reasonable price. Consequently, the installation of a digital printer makes it possible to manufacture a large variety of different products while keeping the same requirements with regard to conditions in the kiln and the engobe\/glaze.
    <\/p>\n \n \n

    4. What must be considered when a digital printer is installed? <\/h2>\n \n \n

    The creation of a company-specific questionnaire is recommend- ed as a decision-making aid for the purchase and operation of a digital printer. The following should be taken into consideration: <\/p>\n \n \n

      \n \n
    • Which and how many inks are to be printed? Only coloured inks or effects, too? <\/li>\n \n \n
    • Is printing to be done onto single bricks, brick slips or the endless extruded ceramic body <\/li>\n \n \n
    • Where is the printer to be installed? Is printing to be done onto the undried surface or after the drying process? <\/li>\n \n \n
    • How many surfaces\/areas are to be printed onto? Top and edge? <\/li>\n \n \n
    • How long is the production line?
      <\/li>\n \n \n
    • What are the firing possibilities: face on face, tunnel kiln, roller kiln or chamber kiln? <\/li>\n \n \n
    • Can the printer remain in the line permanently or does it have to be movable? <\/li>\n \n <\/ul>\n \n \n

      In addition to the printer location, it must also be considered what is required before and after the printer in the production line. It is recommended to work with an engobe or glaze that absorbs possible fluctuations in the ceramic body and influences the colour development\/performance of the inks. It is also possible to reduce the number of body compositions. A good possibility for a smooth engobe application is an airless system. The drier the engobe, the better defined the printing result.
      In this case, an application of a maximum of 1 to 2g on 24 x 7cm at a litre weight of 1600g\/l is sufficient. After printing, it is important to observe when the printed surface is touched or brought into a vertical position to avoid defects due to drying behaviour. <\/p>\n \n \n

      5. Application in production: a typical example <\/h2>\n \n \n

      In January 2019, Zschimmer & Schwarz put into operation the first digital printer with a four-colour set of Trucolor inks to produce facing bricks. Commissioning was carried out in cooperation with Projecta Engineering, the manufacturer of the digital printer. In this production, printing is carried out on the continuous extruded body upstream of the cutting table. The Evo Top & Edge 8 printer manufactured by Projecta Engineering consists of two printing units, each with four print- heads per colour supplied by the print head producer Xaar. The first printing unit prints the top. The second unit is equipped with an inclinable service device, which allows simultaneous printing on both edges. An air-conditioned housing is recommended to protect the printer from dust and to guarantee a uniform indoor climate. The printer must fulfil the following requirements: <\/p>\n \n \n

        \n \n
      • The printing area is 14 cm vertical left and right (edges), and 28 cm horizontal (top side) <\/li>\n \n \n
      • Like all other decoration modules, the printer must stand on guide rails to move it into the line if necessary <\/li>\n \n \n
      • The printer has to be connected to all systems, such as the extruder, to avoid damage in the event of a malfunction (print- heads automatically move away from the extruded body) <\/li>\n \n \n
      • The printing velocity should be adjustable from 5 to 24 m\/min (at a resolution of 360 dpi) <\/li>\n \n \n
      • It should be possible to print with up to eight different ink colours and\/or effect inks <\/li>\n \n <\/ul>\n \n \n

        There are also specific requirements in terms of the process: the inks used must dry as rapidly as possible on the wet extruded ceramic body to allow the grippers to move the brick after the printing process. In addition, the design should be \u201cendless\u201c. For technical reasons, the design can have a maximum length of 7.5 m and a maximum width of 0.28 m, or it can cover a maxi- mum of 2.1 m2<\/sup>.
        During implementation of the digital printing process on dry bricks, the ink configuration was as follows: Trucolor Blue, Red Brown, Beige and Black. Printing, especially at the edges, was successful.
        In a second step, the firing behaviour was tested in the tunnel kiln and in the electric kiln. The results of both firing methods were comparable. Thus, a lot of time can be saved, especially in the development of new projects.
        The next step was to run trials under production conditions. In this case, the most demanding challenge was to use a solvent-based system of digital printing inks to print onto the endless extruded body with a water content of approx. 17%. A Grothe engobe was applied onto the surface as a basis.
        This engobe served to achieve a reasonable drying time and workable definition of the digital printing ink. The engobe serves as an absorbent substrate and improves the ink\u2019s colour performance on a red ceramic body. The engobe is applied using an airless spraying system to obtain a very fine and smooth surface. To accelerate the inks\u2019 drying time, an additive by Zschimmer & Schwarz was added to the engobe. This additive provides for a better compatibility of the solvent contained in the ink with the water-based engobe.
        The inks are stable to fluctuations in firing temperature produce stable colours over the entire cross-section of the kiln. At present, tests are being carried out with a variety of software solutions to improve the calculation of the quantity of ink required. The goal is to predict the colour development\/ performance as precisely as possible for different production parameters.
        <\/p>\n \n \n

        6. Costs of digital production process <\/h2>\n \n \n

        Since costs and saving potential depend strongly on the respective individual requirements as well as technical and financial possibilities, not all of them can be taken into consideration here.
        To better estimate the consumption and potential costs of a four-colour print per square metre, the following example calculation serves as a basis:
        <\/p>\n \n \n

          \n \n
        • In principle, a Xaar 1003 GS12 print head can output up to approx. 22g\/ m2<\/sup>. In practice, however, \u201conly\u201d up to 15g\/m2<\/sup> are required. This quantity is adjusted during the course of the colour management and preparation of the print data <\/li>\n \n \n
        • In this example, each of the four colours is used with a maximum of 15g\/ m2<\/sup> (calculated 100%). The maximum colour application is thus 60 g\/ m2<\/sup> or 400%. In total, however, this is not technically realistic and, therefore, does not prove to be reasonable. A total ink application of approx. 200% is often sufficient to achieve a good definition\/contour sharpness. With current ink prices, printing costs are less than 0.10 \u20ac\/m2<\/sup> and up to 0.25 \u20ac\/m2<\/sup> <\/li>\n \n \n
        • Further costs in connection with the digital printing will arise for the engobe with an approximate application of 1 to 2g per 24 x 7cm (for example edges). A cost advantage of the engobe: it is not necessary to develop a new engobe for new articles, as was previously the case. In the long term, the same engobe can and should be used for a large number of different products \u2013 this helps optimise costs for acquisition, storage and handling as well as conversion costs at the line <\/li>\n \n <\/ul>\n \n \n

          Once the system is established, development costs and times are reduced. With a given print file, it is relatively easy to go through different colour settings in a short time. Even during ongoing production, a test print is no problem if conditions before and after the printer are the same.
          <\/p>\n \n \n

          7. Conclusion <\/h2>\n \n \n

          All information on necessary additives and colour configurations are based on the latest knowledge and experience. The inks and design portfolio are subject to continious further developments. For all above-mentioned statements, it is necessary to point out that digital printing in the field of heavy clay ceramics is still in an early, yet promising stage of its development process and preliminary tests on colour performance or the use of further additives are necessary for each individual case. <\/p>\n \n \n

          Claudia Istel
          Application Technology
          Zschimmer & Schwarz
          Ceramic Auxiliaries Division<\/p>\n \n \n

          The article was first published in English and German in the 06\/2019 issue of the journal Brick and Tile Industry International \/ Ziegelindustrie International. <\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          More than 30 years ago, the first digital printing systems were available for use in the graphic arts industry. In ceramics, the first digital printing system was put into operation in a tile factory in Spain in 2000. In tile production, 80% of the entire industry worldwide switched from screen and rotary printing to digital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","product-category":[128,140,125],"correlatore-category":[45],"class_list":["post-17901","lo-sapevi-che","type-lo-sapevi-che","status-publish","hentry","product-category-medium-for-solvent-based-products","product-category-primer","product-category-solvent-based-digital-applications","correlatore-category-digitale"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n#45 Digital printing: opportunities and challenges in heavy clay ceramics - Z&S - Ceramco<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A digital knowledge hub on chemistry and ceramics, featuring clear, in-depth content with images and downloadable PDFs. 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