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Production process
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Production process
Production process
Research, technology and design form the basis of Florim's production process, which has made a leap forwards in recent months through the construction of new systems in the Via Canaletto factory in Fiorano Modenese, where the adventure of the Floor Gres brand began back in 1962.
The company has approached its 50th birthday building a factory with new grinding and atomising systems that have led to an increase in installed capacity within the factory and, at the same time, a rationalisation of the mixes, optimising production and improving the skills and safety conditions of staff.
An investment with tens of millions of Euro has therefore led to the construction of a 3,400 m2 shed 28 metres high.
The raw materials are stored indoors and then transported to the innovative modular mills where they are mixed with water and ground to make slip.
The systems are equipped with an industrial tintometer for colouring the slip, managed by software that enables the colour of the mixes to be kept constant over time. The slip, which is stored in four underground tanks, is channelled into the 3 atomisers through a system of stainless steel pipes regulated by mass flow meters that guarantee flow constancy and precision.
The atomised product is then stored in 42 silos that can be reached through a complex system of conveyor belts.
At the beginning of 2011 there were five presses installed, in addition to the SACMI PH 10000, for optimising the production of large size slabs.
The pressed tile is then channelled to the decoration lines, where the new digital decoration machines stand out. This new machinery is the most significant in this production stage. Using special inks, it is in fact possible to faithfully reproduce any surface inspired to in the design stage. Florim’s added value comes from its extensive technical/aesthetic research, which aims to produce exclusive design products, making the most of the combined different decoration technologies that the factory’s Research & Development laboratory provides.
The slabs thus obtained are stored in special boxes, which the robotised laser-guided systems move according to the production schedule, transporting the boxes with the unfired product to the kiln inlets.
Over 2010 a new double channel kiln was installed, made up of two superimposed kilns enabling twice the number of square metres of product to be fired with the same surface area used on the ground. Part of the heat generated by this kiln is collected and channelled into the factory to be reused.
In the kilns the material pressed and decorated becomes fine porcelain stoneware. The firing cycle reaches temperatures of over 1,200°C hence an entirely vitrified full-bodied product with unique physical and technical features.
After the firing cycle, the slabs are stored again and the robots supply the finished product to the sorting and quality control lines. Only after careful colour tone, size and planarity checks are the slabs ready to be packaged.
The new systems provide an increase of approximately 30% in the factory’s production and storage capacity, reducing processing waste and enabling faster recovery within the production cycle. The development also included the adoption of newly designed filters and purification systems, making the environment healthier for the operators.
The initial investment of € 40 million also included the installation of a cogeneration plant for the combined production of energy and heat. The electric power of the turbine represents over 60% of the power installed throughout the whole factory and generates self-production of electric energy of approximately 35,000,999kWh/year, substantially lowering the cost of electricity for the whole factory. At the same time, the waste gases from the turbine are to be channelled and injected into the atomiser burners, enabling methane gas consumption to be reduced by approximately 90%.
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