FIORANO MODENESE, ITALY -- Superfast by System Ceramics is the first press in the world without a mold, which is able to produce, in a simple, flexible and rapid manner, all formats in porcelain stoneware starting from the 60-, 80- and 90-cm modules with thicknesses from 3- to 30-mm. Superfast guarantees a nominal productivity of more than 16,000 square meters per day.

Thanks to the absence of a mold, the press ensures maximum flexibility in the change of format, which occurs completely digitally via software without any mechanical intervention and without having to change the belt; it’s achieved, instead, with a simple operation resetting a number of parameters, making the format change an extremely rapid operation. This particular aspect puts this pressing technology at the cutting-edge and makes it unique in the world; thanks to the absence of a mold, there is the possibility of producing all formats on a single belt, thereby significantly reducing production costs.

From the point of view of industrial sustainability, Superfast has made a fundamental contribution in the recovery of ceramic material coming from the pressing and cutting phase. The recovered material is dry ground directly at the side of the press and is then suitably mixed and dosed in order to be introduced directly into the dozers of atomized coating material, and reused in production without having to pass to the atomizer.

This recycling process is made possible by an unfired cutting system, which allows for the slab to be cut after pressing and before introduction into the oven. This operation is managed by a software that makes it possible to dose appropriate percentages of the recovered material and new atomized material coming from other silos.

In this way, it’s possible to always reuse (and in real time) the entire recovered component, mixing it into the lower layer, contributing in a significant way to the creation of the overall thickness of the ceramic product.

This innovative process for the recovery of scraps makes it possible to reduce the quantity of material for ceramic production, with a view to making a significant saving in the use of raw materials.

The environmental sustainability of the process is also guaranteed by very low-energy consumption in the pressing phase, around 70% less compared to the traditional presses used in the ceramics industry.