On 20-24 July, 2020, Uniceracmis Expo was successfully held in Foshan, China. The showcase of the latest ceramic equipment and raw materials attracted producers from all major producing areas in China. During the expo, some ceramic producers signed cooperation agreements with equipment enterprises.

Click on the Video to learn more about the expo.

Granule polishing for big slabs, digital printing for thin slabs and water-based ink are the trendy products and technologies at the expo. Large capacity and the ability to produce 3 mm slabs are the priority for choosing a good press and kiln. Machines for full-body veins are very popular, and printing and glazing equipment companies focused on displaying large surface decoration technology.

Ceramic Colour and Glaze Company

Ferro mainly displayed 3 mm thin slabs, double charging products, products with special effects and full-body veins at the expo.

According to Tian Jiafeng, the general manager of business department of Ferro China, Ferro’s  granule products are able to use less granules per square meter to achieve the mirror effect.  The products do not need to be waxed and are glossy with fine transparency.

" Tiles are now the core of the decoration and the big slab technology will further enhance this. To support the latest trends we create products with crystal and crystal bright, adding a glitter effect to the unique transparency and glossiness of our products," said Luca Pecorara, the vice-president of Ferro Asia Pacific.

Esmalglass-Itaca displayed the latest technology for big slab design, including the applications of granule polishing and full-digital printing. In addition, water-based ink and digital application of dry glaze are also two types of technologies Esmalglass-Itaca shown at the exhibition. The company aims to introduce the latest applications to the Chinese market and its customers this year.

Ruben Lleo Nicolas, the general manager of Esmalglass-Itaca China said,“We exhibit the true water-based digital glaze at the expo, which has been produced in Europe for nine months. It is well compatible with multiple printheads. And we also present the granule products, which are suitable for wet and dry application.”

Believing that digital glaze will be widely used in the production of big slabs, NGY Colour mainly launched the digital glaze products this year, which can realize fine textures with high definition and beautiful colors. The digital glaze can be combined with the processes of granule polishing and traditional glazing, which can achieve effects like real natural stone.  

Qiantao displayed the featured product called slip-resistant glaze, which reaches the R10-R11 slip-resistant level. According to the staff of the company, many customers who visited the exhibition showed their interest in the product.

Kehai Glaze released the latest digital glaze product. The glaze applied by digital printing and combined with other processes is able to realize the texture like nature stones, woods and so on. The more the texture of the product is improved, the wider range of application the product can be used in, said Qiu Haibo, the president of Kehai Yinuo Ceramic Technology.

Equipment Company

According to Deng run, the sales manager of LB, the company mainly shown the full-body big slabs realized with its feeding equipment. LB’s feeding system can achieve different effects, such as cement, full-body , flakes, etc.

“We show the 1600 mm×3200 mm full-body slabs and full-body terrazzo series,”said Deng Run.  

According to Wang Dongning, the purchasing manager of SITI B&T Foshan, the company shown the complete equipment for big slabs, including press, kiln, printer, and processing equipment. Among them, the big slab printer is designed for decorating large-sized surfaces, which can be equipped with up to 20 printing bars.

In addition, the slabs realized by SITI B&T's technology were also showcased, including slabs with full-body vein, 3D structures, high thickness, glossy finishes as well as digital finishes. The new "ecologi" quartz slabs by SITI B&T's patented technology were also presented during the exhibition.

The exclusive Automobili Lamborghini Surfaces Collection was also presented, which was born from the technological commitment of SITI B&T Group in collaboration with Best Surface.

Though System didn’t show the complete set of equipment at the exhibition due to COVID-19, it presented the cutting-edge application of big slabs, such as slabs with deep reliefs and structure effects. The texture can be carved by the belt on its press, without using molds.

According to Chen Dong, the executive deputy general manager of System China, high speed, flexibility and sustainability are the key features of the latest innovative press without mold for the industry. The press is able to work with classic standard atomized materials, from stoneware to red body, monoporous, dry-ground and so on, with a consequent reduction in industrial costs.

The Italian glazing equipment company Smac presented the Versatile mobile Airless glazing equipment, and the glazes can be well-distributed on large-sized and ultra-large slabs.  

EFI™ Cretaprint® Hybrid printer is one of the featured products displayed by Cremix & EFI, which  can be compatible with both conventional solvent inks and innovative water-friendly inks and glazes, while  other printers in the market can not apply water-based materials. Chemical compatibility and sealing problems have been solved by changing the printhead components and the printhead manufacturing process. 

Furthermore, Cremix & EFI has established the strategic partnership with Champion Tile and they signed the cooperation agreement during the expo.

 KEDA’s booth showcased products of the whole production chain including KD33000 Slab Pressing System , digital and intellectualized kiln for big slabs, high speed packing line, continuous ball mill,  ceramic colour, glazes and inks, among which the KDB33000 Slab Pressing System attracted much attention.

“We spent a year to develop the KDB33000 Slab Pressing System, with the production speed of 1-1.5 times per minute, and the maximum capacity of 11000 square meter per day. The maximum thickness error of the tile body produced by the press is 0.3 mm, ”said Liang Feifeng, the manager of technical department of KEDA.

HLT and DLT are two brands of Li Tai. At the expo, HLT mainly displayed custom big slabs, continuous ball mill and energy-saving spray dryers, while DLT showed seven-layer drying kiln, double-layer kilns, foam ceramic kiln and so on. In particular, the HB32000 Large Size Ceramic Slab Press, which is equipped with belts, is able to produce the 3 mm slabs. According to Litai, the press would be launched in the market at the end of this year.

According to the general manager of NKT, Peng Jichang, the company mainly shown the printer for big slabs designed in a more international style, which can be equipped with over 16 color bars.  

“We also launch a digital glazing machine. Eight years ago, we learned this kind of equipment in Europe, and now it is successfully manufactured in China. The product is with high-tech design, high quality and reasonable price,”said Xu Mingxin, the sales director of NKT.

Hope Digital launched a range of digital printers, such as the TW2300 series printer ,whose max printing width reaches 2300 mm and it can be equipped with up to 24 printing bars. It can produce slabs with a width of 2000mm. The machine is compatible with both printheads of XAAR and Toshiba. Meanwhile, the printer has realized high definition printing and its image resolution can be up to 600-800dpi.  

Landongli mainly showed the intelligent glazing line of big slabs, which can galze the 3 mm slabs, as well as change product types in a very short time.

RTK displayed the tunnel kiln and the roller kiln of foam ceramic tiles, whose daily capacity reach 300m³, which is the highest output in the industry while with the lowest energy consumption for producing foam ceramics. Regarding RTK’s complete automated production line, the daily capacity of the kiln for big slabs can reach 8000 square meters, and 12000 square meters for the size of 1200×2600mm. 

Yongtao presented its complete solutions of finishing process of big slabs such as intelligent five-axis water jet cutting machine, four-axis bridge type cutting machine, 45°chamfering machine, etc. 

The live demonstration of the cutting process attracted a great number of visitors.

Aitao displayed new products such as CNC bridge cutting machine and five axis NC cutting machine,ect., providing customers with a precise and intelligent solution for cutting, chamfering, and polishing big slabs.

Following are some of the photos of the exhibition: