In the tile industry, additives are used in the preparation of ceramic bodies and glazes, as well as for decoration. The targets are numerous and, through consistent processing, energy savings and increased capacity can be achieved to obtain reproducible results according to the defined design parameters.
During the manufacture of ceramic products, energy costs have a considerable share in the overall expenses of the final product. Deflocculating additives help to save water and energy resources, and to increase the production output. The slip properties (viscosity, thixotropic behaviour, structural viscosity, dilatancy, rheopexy and Newtonian flow behaviour) can be adjusted according to the customer’s requirements.
Biocides are required for the application of organic additives and/or raw materials to counteract their deterioration caused by micro organisms such as bacteria, yeasts or fungi, and consequently to guarantee long-term stability.
Dry milling agents are additives, which are used in the dry milling process of ceramic raw materials in a ball mill and/or other types of mills to increase throughput, improve energy efficiency and to modify the quality of the material to be milled.
The use of dry milling agents from Zschimmer & Schwarz can improve the performance of a mill significantly, by up to 40%.
Our dry milling agents counteract (re)agglomeration of the particles and, consequently, help reduce caking and incrustations in the mill, increase throughput speed, improve milling fineness and, as a result, the specific surface as well as the reactivity of the material to be milled. The flowability of the dry material to be milled is improved as well.
Dry milling agents from Zschimmer & Schwarz interact with the surface of the particles and neutralise electrical surface charges (unsaturated valences at fractured surfaces) and/or generate rectified charges on the surface. Consequently, the attraction between the individual particles is reduced or eliminated.
A dry milling agent is usually introduced at the beginning of the milling process together with the raw material to be milled, dosage being about 0.01–0.20 wt.%.
The pressing of complicated geometries in the tiles sector (e.g. decorative border tiles and shaped pieces) can lead to damages on the components during the technological processes that follow, caused by internal stresses. For this reason, pressing agents and lubricants are used to promote better shaping characteristics. They facilitate the flow of the granules under pressure, thus leading to a more homogeneous compaction.
An increasing use of robots and the production of complicated geometries have lead to a growing demand for improved component strength. For this purpose, our temporary binders are employed to increase the green strength, dry modulus of rupture and edge strength.
