A preview of the latest pressing and digital decoration solutions: integral to the complete plant, tailored to the needs of the Chinese market and developed at the SACMI Nanhai production hub. With unrivalled quality and speed, the SACMI range is more and more market-oriented and tailored to specific product types.
Foshan Uniceramics Expo, Asia’s biggest ceramics fair (18 - 22 April 2024), will see SACMI play a leading role as it previews its latest technologies, specifically designed and developed to meet the needs of the Chinese market. At Uniceramics, the company will - under the direction of the SACMI Nanhai production and assistance hub - be illustrating how it adds value to ceramic products by using solutions of outstanding versatility, speed and reliability.
New PHC 7200: the “Red Edition” range keeps on growing
“The highest output rates on the market’s most popular sizes” sums up the PHC Red Edition® perfectly: and this year sees the arrival of the new PHC 7200.
Optimized power control, consistent repeatable quality and 20% more speed are the cornerstones of the SACMI PHC Red Edition® press range, built in SACMI Nanhai on the basis of an in-depth understanding of Chinese markets and customers.
Uniform, consistent product size and the utmost reliability even at the highest speeds are SACMI’s value-adding hallmarks: the PHC Red Edition® is specifically designed to maintain plant profitability and availability at the highest levels and features solutions optimized according to the requested product type and size.
Hence the development of the PHC7200, an ‘intermediate clearance’ machine with a 2100 mm wide inlet and high pressing force on all the main sizes. Optimized for 75x150 cm slabs, the most popular on the market, the press is also perfect for the two-cavity 80x80 cm format to maintain a competitive edge in terms of speed.
The PHC ‘Red Edition®’ ensures unequalled reliability and low consumption - even at maximum speed - thanks to more efficient use of power. Simultaneously, the outstanding quality of the processed material reduces the amount of finishing work and, therefore, its cost.
Continua+: unmatched versatility
At the start of 2024, SACMI had sold 180 Continua+ lines worldwide, 40 of them in China alone. This market-leading technology delivers outstanding versatility in every area of manufacturing: with slabs and sub-sizes, with products thick and thin, with smooth or textured surfaces, with any type of body.
Easy to install, as there’s no need for foundation work, and with the lowest specific consumption on the market (as low as 0.04 kWh/m2), Continua+ is the heart of the SACMI digital ceramic plant. Working in concert with SACMI Deep Digital decoration, ‘Maestro’ digital kilns and BMR 4.0 finishing lines, Continua+ delivers unique products of repeatable quality as part of an efficient, digital, automated process.
SACMI Digital Printer (SDP), engineered and manufactured in China
SACMI’s seeks to drive the development and expansion of global ceramics by giving products added value, broadening their field of use and opening up new markets. As part of that strategy, at Uniceramics SACMI will be presenting the all-new SACMI Digital Printer (SDP), the first digital decorator produced in SACMI Nanhai.
Offering unique digital solutions for the controlled, coordinated deposit of inks, glazes and effects, this printer gives the SACMI Deep Digital range a solution that’s been engineered with the Chinese market in mind.
In the proposed configuration, the SDP is a wet decoration module that applies carving inks, colors and effects: from a technological perspective, this greatly extends the know-how developed by SACMI with DHD (Digital Humid Decoration). Several different models are available (SDP1000, SDP1400 and SDP2000), with HMIs and management/operation dynamics designed to match Chinese production logic. Above all, the SDP incorporates a new hydraulic system engineered to optimize compatibility with the specific chemical-physical characteristics of the inks used in China.
The machine’s solidity and ultra-fine adjustments - a cornerstone of the SACMI range - make this modular solution exceptional. For Uniceramics 2024, it will be paired with the exclusive SACMI DDG, which coordinates material deposits. The result: products of unparalleled texture and aesthetic depth, plus the advantage, with the SDP approach, of having design, technical matters and assistance managed by a local team.
‘Maestro’ kiln: efficient, high-performance and ready for a ‘zero emissions’ future
In 2023 SACMI became the first company in the world to develop a prototype kiln capable of running on variable methane-hydrogen mixes and up to 100% hydrogen: a crucial step, together with the digital evolution of kiln controls, towards cutting CO₂ emissions and achieving climate neutrality in the ceramic industry.
And this is only the latest step in the development of a range of kilns and dryers that already deliver world-leading quality, low consumption and - once again - specificity in terms of size, as seen with the new types of ‘wide mouth’ kilns designed for large formats.
In parallel, SACMI supplies complete systems to recover heat from the kiln (for re-use in spray dryers and dryers) and thus reduce gas requirements, or even run entire departments without any fuel at all (‘zero fuel’ dryers). These technologies are already on the market: they reduce costs and consumption, significantly improve the factory's energy balance and safeguard the planet.
Sanitaryware & Tableware
Automation, sustainability and fewer manual processes are the hallmarks of the SACMI sanitaryware and tableware range. The year 2023 was a rewarding one: SACMI completed multiple projects, with the industry’s leading global players investing steadily. All technologies – high-pressure casting, robotic sanitaryware glazing, isostatic pressing and pressure casting for tableware, high-performance Riedhammer kilns – continued to set the market standard.
From a 4.0 perspective, installation of LaserMove solutions (laser-guided vehicles that fully automate in-factory handling) in China proved successful, paving the way for implementation of advanced tracking functions, process quality and repeatability, and better working conditions.
SACMI Sanitaryware & Tableware extends that same excellence to service: SACMI Nanhai, now further strengthened by a technical assistance team dedicated to these businesses, provides valuable assistance not just on the Chinese market but across the entire region, from India to East Asia.
Digital assistance services
Alongside technical and on-site assistance from the Nanhai hub, SACMI provides new high-added-value digital services. These include the new Smart Service maintenance plans, increasingly appreciated by SACMI customers worldwide as they deliver even more advantageous Services that maximize the potential of the machines and protect investments over time. Customers can access all SACMI Service functions via the SACMI S.P.A.C.E. portal and the new App.
Visit the SACMI stand at Uniceramics 2024, Hall 10 - stand no. 1016, Foshan Tanzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center, Foshan, China.