[China Ceramic Slate Industry Research Institute] Issue 1
Interviewed guest｜Zeng Jiawei, Quality Center Manager of Jiangjun Ceramics Group
Interviewer | Director of the Editorial Department of China Ceramics Network Zou Sijin
Live broadcast time｜The afternoon of January 10, 2022
Interview location｜Stone slab R&D and manufacturing base of Jiangjun Ceramics Group
Text writing｜Hong Xiaochun
Video shooting｜Yang Xuelian
In the past two years, slate has definitely been the most popular product in the entire home furnishing industry. For the word slate, most people can count the characteristics of superior performance and wide range of uses, but what is the definition of slate? What is it? How is this product produced? Many people are ignorant.
In September 2020, the Jiangjun Ceramics Group’s stone plate R&D and intelligent manufacturing base with a total investment of 1 billion yuan was officially completed. The production base introduced Sacmi presses and Modena double-layer kilns. The world's advanced ceramic production equipment such as furnaces and Keda intelligent polishing equipment is an industry-recognized top-grade slate production line. At present, a total of 6 smart slate production lines have been put into operation in several major production bases of Jiangjun Ceramics Group, and a number of professional high-end slate brands have been launched, such as Jiangjun, Mulan, and Grand Marshal. They rank among the top in the industry in terms of production capacity and sales volume. Top.
On January 10, the first issue of the column "Stone Slab Factory Visit" under China Ceramics Network [China Ceramics Slate Industry Research Institute] was launched. In the first episode of the program "Visiting the Slate Factory and Entering the Slate R&D and Intelligent Manufacturing Base of Jiangjun Ceramics Group", Zou Sijin, director of the editorial department of China Ceramics Network, and Zeng Jiawei, manager of the quality center of Jiangjun Ceramics Group, joined hands in a live broadcast to reveal the birth of a high-quality slate. process.
Formation
Adherence to quality and flexible production
Italy's Sacmi continua+ continuous molding equipment can be said to be the standard equipment for the highest-configuration slate production line put into operation in the construction ceramics industry since 2019. The slate R&D and manufacturing base of Jiangjun Ceramics Group is equipped with two fully equipped slate production lines.Such a press. According to Zeng Jiawei, the biggest advantage of this equipment is that it can produce rock slab products with stable thickness and specifications through roll forming. The theoretical width of the products it can produce is 1,600mm. With the support of mature continuous molding technology, it can produce The theoretical length of the product is almost unlimited.
▲Sacmi continua+ continuous molding equipment
Since the application scope of rock slabs is completely different from that of traditional ceramic tiles, the sizes and thicknesses of rock slabs are required to be richer. Many rock slab manufacturers are also trying their best to find ways to achieve flexible customization. At this point, Jiangjun Ceramics Group, through the seamless cooperation of cooperative customers, sales team and PMC department, integrates information based on sales orders and existing production capacity, provides the optimal production scheduling plan, and greatly reduces the number of different product specifications. resulting in production transition issues.
The density, integrity, workability and other properties of rock slabs are closely related to the molding and fabrication processes. In order to produce higher quality, high-performance rock slabs , Jiangjun Ceramics Group has optimized all aspects of production. In terms of raw materials, Jiangjun Ceramics Group insists on using finely processed raw materials to better avoid the instability of raw mineral products; in terms of technology, Jiangjun Ceramics Group has a technical R&D team of dozens of people to continuously develop and upgrade products; In terms of equipment, Jiangjun Ceramics Group has spent huge sums of money to introduce the most advanced and stable equipment in the industry to protect the quality of the stone slabs.
Burning
Energy saving and consumption reduction, promoting dual carbon
As a kind of plate that has been fired at a high temperature of more than 1200°, slate has very high stability, and it is inseparable from one piece of equipment, which is the kiln. It is understood that the No. 1 intelligent slate kiln production line of Jiangjun Ceramics Group's slate R&D and intelligent manufacturing base was built by Modena Company and was successfully ignited and put into production on November 8, 2020., this high-end large-size slate production line was the first production line in China to use a double-layer kiln and a seven-layer drying kiln to produce large-size slate. It can be said to be the first to try it.
▲Modena double-layer kiln
Zeng Jiawei said that the advantages of Modena's double-layer kiln are mainly reflected in three aspects. First of all, the double-layer kiln has one less heat dissipation surface than the ordinary kiln, so it also saves energy consumption. Through the comprehensive utilization of new energy-saving burners, nano-insulation materials and waste heat, the comprehensive energy saving can exceed 15%; secondly, in the same In terms of output, the double-layer kiln saves 50% of the space than the traditional single-layer kiln, and the transmission components are more stable, providing greater operating space for the production of large-sized products and thin products; not only that, the double-layer kiln can also achieve up and down The two layers are produced independently, which contributes to flexible production.
▲Modena seven-layer drying kiln
With the proposal of "double carbon", energy conservation and emission reduction will be an important issue for slate production in the future. In the future, slate companies will need to save energy and reduce consumption while increasing energy consumption unit production capacity, which means that their equipment, fuel, Key factors such as technology need to be comprehensively upgraded. In order to make the production of rock slabs consume less energy and be more efficient, Jiangjun Ceramics Group carried out the work of replacing coal with gas as early as 2019. By transforming production equipment and improving the production system, the energy utilization rate in the production process has been greatly improved. Improve and greatly reduce pollutant emissions. Among them, the seven-layer drying kiln is an example of making full use of heat surplus and achieving carbon emission reduction, which fully reflects that Jiangjun Ceramics Group fulfills its social responsibilities as a company while responding to the national call.
Glaze Lines
Continuous innovation, quality upgrade
Currently, the slate veneers seen on the market can not only restore the texture of the stone at a ratio of 1:1, but can also achieve imitation cloth, wood, leather, metal and other decorations.In fact, this is all due to the continuous innovation of inkjet technology. In this regard, the 12+8 multi-channel ultra-wide intelligent inkjet machine of Meijia Company introduced by Jiangjun Ceramics Group is known for its high accuracy, and the texture of the rock slabs produced is more realistic. Not only that, this inkjet machine can also produce double rows of 800mm width products in different colors at the same time, making production scheduling more flexible.
▲Mega 12+8 multi-channel ultra-wide smart inkjet machine
In order to enrich the decorative effect of slate products and enhance the specialization and differentiation of slate products, Jiangjun Ceramics Group uses a color intelligent calibrator to extract natural stone colors, and then continuously develops and innovates new colors through its technical R&D team. Break the cycle of industry homogeneity. In order to ensure that the texture and color can achieve the desired effect, Jiangjun Ceramics Group also uses imported pigments and glazes to make the color of the final product real, bright and flexible; in order to make the surface texture of the slate slabs more excellent, Jiangjun Ceramics Group has cooperated with Comparisons between multiple manufacturers in the industry, technological research and development breakthroughs, and the final confirmation of model selection by the chairman, the surface textures of matte products, dry grain semi-polished products, finely carved products, and glossy products currently launched are at the industry's advanced level.
As for the statement among consumers that "matte ones are slates and shiny ones are ceramic slabs", Zeng Jiawei believes that it is a misunderstanding of "preconceptions". The reason is that in the past, most ceramic slates were sold in small sizes. Specifications of rock slabs are mainly used, and they are mainly used in furniture countertops and decorative fields. Therefore, the finishes of rock slabs are basically matte, and there are fewer bright rock slabs. In fact, the definition of slate should depend on its physical properties and processability. Only ceramic plates that meet the standard can be defined as slate, regardless of whether they are matte or shiny.
Grading
Unmanned workshop, leading smart manufacturing
Transformation of the ceramics industryUpgrading is inseparable from the promotion of informatization, automation, intelligence and other technologies. Speaking of "smart factories", we have to mention the brick-picking manipulator and AGV equipment of Jiangjun Ceramics Group. It is reported that after the slate products of Jiangjun Ceramics Group are graded, the robot will automatically identify the product grade and load the bricks. The AGV will move the slate products into the warehouse based on the signal transmitted by the robot. There is no manual participation in the whole process, truly realizing Unmanned workshop.
▲Grading workshop of Jiangjun Ceramics Group’s stone slab R&D intelligent manufacturing base
Thanks to the advancement of social science and technology, Jiangjun Ceramics Group also introduced a smart factory digital information platform and visual recognition system in 2021 to better help companies realize the layout of smart manufacturing. It is worth mentioning that in March 2021, when Ma Xingrui, then deputy secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and governor, went to Zhaoqing to carry out research work, he also made a special trip to the production workshop of Jiangjun Ceramics Group for inspection and visits.
Compared with the traditional ceramic tile production lines in the past, Jiangjun Ceramics Group uses a large number of equipment to replace manual operations. With the support of information, automation, and intelligent technologies, it not only reduces employee costs, but also greatly reduces the risk of manual operation errors. In response to product quality issues, Jiangjun Ceramics Group has also comprehensively upgraded its quality control of slate products. Zeng Jiawei said: "First, we have increased the deployment of informatization in all aspects of production, and can understand changes in equipment parameters and process parameters in real time, so as to achieve better quality control; second, using equipment to replace labor can This reduces personnel’s operational errors and makes the quality of our products more stable and guaranteed.”
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Since 2020, Jiangjun Ceramics Group has made a comprehensive layout in intelligent slate production, deep processing services, product matrix, exhibition hall upgrade, brand strategy and other aspects. In addition to the slate R&D and intelligent manufacturing base, Jiangjun Ceramics Group has also established an independent slate deep processing center and plans to deploy 30-40 deep processing centers across the country to form a nationwide "slate deep processing service system network." Achieve flexible customization of the whole space decoration, suitable for all types of large-scaleModern architecture provides customers with professional and systematic rock slab supporting flooring services.
As the development of the building ceramics industry enters a new normal, companies taking the lead in the transformation and upgrading of the building ceramics industry will lay a solid foundation for the next round of competition. Always following the path of high-quality development and facing market competition with high-quality ceramic products is the core for Jiangjun Ceramics Group and its brands to win the trust of users.
