The right recipe for sustainable ceramics

SACMI and the Emilia-Romagna Region have signed an Installation and Development Agreement relating to the ‘Sustainability-focused powder and fiber pressing and forming technologies’ project, selected as part of the 2023 tender for ‘Attraction of Investment in the Emilia-Romagna Region’ (in implementation of Italian Law 14/2014). 
This project targets one of the regional economy’s key supply chains, one still defined as ‘hard-to-abate’ in terms of energy consumption and emissions. It does so by drawing on SACMI’s extensive pressing and shaping expertise as regards both the powders used to make industrial machine parts/components and those used in ceramic compaction processes (clays, yet also glazes, composites and fibers) for applications in Tiles, Sanitaryware, Tableware and Advanced Materials (i.e. non-ceramic areas, such as anode powders for lithium batteries).
This R&D project comprises the development of sustainable powder processing solutions and the use of recycled raw materials, significantly reducing material, energy and water consumption. Key investments - facilitated by Emilia-Romagna regional funding - include the purchase of advanced lab instruments for analyzing and characterizing ceramic, polymeric and composite materials, compaction test machinery and the relative simulation software. 
To expedite industrialization of the results, pilot-scale test lines will be set up, allowing assessment, with the acquired instrumentation, of how machine components behave in contact with the powder (wear tests), again with the purpose of improving their performance in terms of duration, efficiency and, consequently, consumption.
Just as importantly, the project aims to promote knowledge-sharing among the various SACMI Business Units by exploiting shared technological processes to generate cross-contamination and sustainable innovation. More specifically, the aim is to pool developments in powder and fiber processing technology to allow implementation of eco-compatible solutions that reduce the environmental costs of process and product: a strategically vital issue for the entire SACMI Group. 
Partnerships with universities, leading research centers and client companies themselves target the same goals: these involve testing specific materials or formats on installed test devices, verifying the applicability of solutions, and identifying/developing tools and processes with a view to achieving further improvements.

Launched in April 2024, the project involves an investment of 3.5 million euros and the hiring of over 20 staff.

The project will be implemented thanks to Emilia-Romagna Region EU funds.