Body Preparation Solutions
New frontiers in development of solutions for more sustainable processes.
Cutting edge processes to reduce our environemental impact
The ceramic industry has always required body preparation products that ensure a lower water and energy consumption, like our REOTAN® and REOTAN® FLUX.
Recently, the market has also witnessed a growing need for bodies with higher levels of plasticity and toughness at the “green” stage as well as increasing requests to use local, economically convenient and renewable raw materials.
These aspects apply for various sectors and processes involving different body preparation and shaping systems. In the tile sector it is applied for the production of tiles with lower thickness but standard strength. For instance, large slabs with thicknesses from 3 to 20 mm and lengths of more than 3 metres, currently are formed with bodies considerably different from classic body compositions. In sanitaryware and tableware sectors - with complex delicate geometries and increased levels of automation manipulating wares in different steps of the process.
The ceramic body normally contains a certain amount of water to ensure the shaping operations. However, it makes the body more fragile. The solution of increasing mechanical characteristics by introducing temporary binders based on film forming organic polymer is an already known practical solution, that has its limits in industrial applications because of costs, concern of achieving complete combustion of organic substances during the fast firing cycle and excessive rheology modifications of body slip.
To prevent these limitations, we at Lamberti have developed TENAGREEN line, based on natural raw materials. It has several positive properties such as: Body strength (M.O.R.) enhancer, both in "green" and dry stages - Better rheological properties: higher density, lower viscosity of the slip - No black core formation.