Technical Evolution of Ceramic Tile Printing

Abstract

Ceramic tile decorating techniques have evolved significantly in recent years. Digital inkjet printing technology has enabled digital systems to be used for the direct decoration of ceramic tiles, revolutionizing ceramic tile decoration and providing many advantages over traditional decoration techniques. It was the formulation of inks with soluble and vitrifiable stains that allowed inkjet printing technology to be introduced into ceramic tile decoration. The incorporation of milled inorganic pigments into the inks broadened the available color palette. However, the colloidal instability of these inks and the constraints of the printing heads themselves made it necessary to reduce pigment particle size, thus limiting color saturation and the color gamut. In order to increase color saturation and obtain a set of pigmented inks with colors more closely resembling CMYK colors, pigments with larger particle sizes need to be used. Indeed, other digital decorating techniques, such as xerography, allow larger particle sizes to be used, while also providing the advantages associated with digital decoration. However, the implementation of this technique for ceramic tile decoration requires the development of appropriate ceramic toners and adaptation of printing machines. This article reviews the technical evolution of ceramic tile printing and describes the development of a prototype, based on xerographic printing, that is able to print ceramic tiles directly and provides greater color intensity and a wider color gamut.

Technical Evolution of Ceramic Tile Printing

“…The IJP industry emerged in the 1970s i , disrupted the dominant design of dot matrix desktop printing in the late 1980s, entered a growth phase in 1990 related to office computer system applications, and reached maturation at the end of the 1990s (Hutchings, 2009;Garnsey et al, 2010). When development was transferred to the industrial field, various issues emerged that made complicated technology transfer and development (Sanz et al, 2011). The first studies of IJP technology applied to fine…”

“…Traditional contact printing methods include screen printing, flexography and rotogravure (De Carlo and Montani, 2003;Berto, 2007). Several authors point to innovations in ceramic tile decoration enabled by the introduction of IJP technology is opening new opportunities in the ceramic industry and other economic sectors (Hutchings, 2009;Moreno et al, 2010;Sanz et al, 2011). This study analyses the generation and development of the IJP innovation from the perspective of ID, LRIS and learning regions (Becattini, 1990;Storper, 1993Storper, , 1997Florida, 1995;Asheim, 1996Asheim, , 2007Sforzi, 2006).…”

Resolução real na impressão jato de tinta de placas cerâmicas: Avaliação preliminar do tamanho de impressão sob diferentes condições de operação

“…Na última década, a impressão jato de tinta (IJT) espalhou-se por todo o mundo, tornando-se a tecnologia líder na decoração de placas cerâmicas [1][2][3][4] . Atualmente, a conversão das linhas de decoração convencionais para digitais varia de 20 a 90%, dependendo do país.…”

“…Esta tarefa foi executada pelos fabricantes de impressoras e pelos fabricantes de placas [3,4] . Segundo, o desenvolvimento de tintas, simultaneamente atendendo aos requisitos tecnológicos dos dispositivos IJT e às demandas dos usuários finais em termos de comportamento cerâmico, estabilidade ao longo do tempo, segurança e custo.…”

Prototipos cerámicos – diseño, computación y fabricación digital

“…These efforts succeeded in improving productivity and quality but they did not address the need to customize the product itself (4). Recently, however, even such high-volume production settings have undergone a change, in part through the integration of technologies such as digital ink-jet printing (5). These sophisticated systems enable intriguing aesthetic opportunities for surface and glaze effects, and, more importantly, they greatly facilitate the production of customized surface finishes.…”