Chemicals and ceramic glaze application (Part one)

Name: Goodpods
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03/20/23 • 15 min

Apparently invisible. Chemistry in ceramics.

The ceramic glaze application that takes place along the glazing line is one of the most delicate steps of the ceramic production process.
If you want to get high performances in terms of process and product, the glaze must be marked by proper rheological features that always change according to the application conditions of the production line.
The right formulation of glaze suspensions, therefore is a precondition for a proper application and a result without technical and aesthetic defects.
What are the most important categories of chemicals used for glaze suspensions?
How do they act, and what kind of problems do they solve?

Previous Episode

Dry grit application by means of analogical systems

In ceramic production, grit applications are mainly "wet applications" made by means of airless spraying systems.
A kind of application that involves a huge amount of water within which the grit is suspended. Nevertheless, in recent time a different application method is spreading.
We could define it as a dry method that, however, has nothing to do with digital systems (that involve, instead, the use of digital glues together with a dry application of grit).
Without forcing the words, in this case we could talk about "analogue dry application of grits".
How does this application work and what sort of features must the grit have to properly develop the process and to produce high-performing ceramic tiles?

Next Episode

Chemicals & ceramic glaze application (Part two)

In the previous episode, we offered a general overview on the most important chemicals normally used for ceramic glaze applications.
We went deeper by addressing all those categories that are used during the preparatory step, that is the grinding stage, moving later towards the glazing line where we focused on the so-called binders for glazes.
This episode closes the subject with a panorama about actions and benefits provided by surfactants, wetting and suspending agents, defoamers and binders usually added along the glazing line, when the production is already ongoing.