The advantages of SUPERA® Rapida conquer the market

The press without mould for all sizes by Gruppo B&T

Large slabs have created a market that formerly did not exist, that of surfaces which, both in terms of size and intended use, have created new commercial opportunities and developed a sector which is currently experiencing expanded growth. At the same time, however, there are factory needs that require high productivity and flexibility to be able to offer small formats.

To meet both these demands Gruppo B&T, an Italian time-honoured manufacturer of complete ceramic systems, has launched SUPERA^®_, the innovative press without mould for large slabs, also in the Rapida version for more traditional sizes through green cutting, maintaining the advantages of standard pressing while reducing production costs. Both versions give the customer the opportunity of creating unique products.

SUPERA® Rapida owes its name to the high pressing speed, guaranteed by the remarkable deaeration capacity of the system and the modularity of the pumps.

It is precisely these unparalleled advantages that have convinced important players in the ceramic industry in Brazil, Iran, Portugal, Spain and Italy to install SUPERA^® Rapida at their own production plants.

Unlike the most common market products, this pressing system uses a high-hardness resin punch with patented perimeter containment system.

The procedure is used to avoid the operational constraint of pressing a larger slab size and then trimming it until the optimal density is reached, thus ensuring minimum waste which corresponds to only 1-2% of the weight of the slab, which in turn is completely recycled within the pressing process. In fact, at the exit of the press, the reduced quantity of spray-dried powder not subjected to mechanical stress is recovered, mixed with new powder, and reused via the innovative recirculation system, thus eliminating waste. It is important to underline that recovering waste alone is not enough to reduce consumption because recirculation still requires an additional quantity of energy: for this reason, it is vital to achieve maximum recycling and, upstream, an almost complete reduction in waste. A special mill guarantees the optimal particle size distribution of the recovered material, while the optimum distribution of the pressing force on the surface being formed ensures perfect geometry and orthogonality of the slab.

The resin punch used in this system is very easy to store: this means a reduction in the space required, logistics and maintenance costs.

Thanks to SUPERA^®, the traditional back pattern can be impressed on the underside of the tile, guaranteeing greater adhesion of the glue, facilitating laying operations, and reducing the amount of clay which, in turn, leads to a significant annual saving.

A further advantage of SUPERA^® is that it can be used with all body formulations, which makes it possible to use local raw materials not necessarily characterised by high plasticity or humidity, thus cutting down operating costs and reducing annual production costs by 50%.

Furthermore, thanks to the use of a cylinder as wide as the entire surface, pressing takes place homogeneously at every point of the slab, thus preventing the risk of breakage. The better compaction of the spray-dried powder then provides for shorter firing cycles in the kilns and greater production efficiency.

Gruppo B&T – backed by solid unrivalled know-how – offers presses along with a complete solution to make the entire production line more efficient.

TITANIUM^® 2.0 kilns by SITI, developed directly in China by the subsidiary B&T Foshan, are Best in class as far as firing technologies, energy saving and emission reduction are concerned, because they offer a cutting-edge technology that guarantees uniform temperatures at every point of the kiln module, thus reducing fuel consumption by more than 30%.

However, the range of solutions is much wider since there is also room for HYDROGEN technology, flagship of the R&D Department together with all H2 ready thermal machines.

Another way to reduce costs is to equip the press with the Start&Stop^® patented system, the innovative hydraulic power unit with pumps that can be modulated according to the pressing cycle and guarantees minimum electrical consumption with 50% energy savings compared to traditional presses. This saving goes hand in hand with very high productivity: over 24,000 sqm/day.  In terms of sizes, the press can produce slabs with a width of 120/160/180 cm and variable length according to customer needs. Depending on the size, it can complete up to 4 cycles per minute.

The green cut takes place with the slab stopped during the pressing phases. SUPERA® Rapida presses the exact slab size required and the size change is achieved by changing the position of the cutting discs.

The size change takes place by replacing the punch, a simple and quick operation that takes no more than 30 minutes, thus avoiding long production stops. All these features make SUPERA® an attractive solution since it is versatile and easy to use.

SUPERA® is the outcome of state-of-the-art technology combined with design and innovation, ranging from cutting-edge machine layout to outstanding finished products. With the press by Gruppo B&T it is possible to create slabs with unique aesthetic effects such as full-body vein, layered, riverstone and marble effect, also combined with digital decoration, by pressing slabs whose thickness ranges from 5 to 30 mm, with 3D textured surfaces up to 4 mm depth on very thick slabs, and unparalleled definition.

Last but not least, the Smart Factory. SUPERA® technology is in fact equipped with bt-TUTOR proprietary management software, which offers constant diagnostics and reporting of the correct functioning of the line, real-time communication with the company management systems and precise calculation of consumption and the cost of raw materials.