Durst recently announced the world’s first true digital glaze system in a major breakthrough for ceramic printing. It’s expected to open new creative horizons for customers in this growth market.
The revolutionary first single-pass true digital glaze technology is a dream come true for Durst, which has worked consistently in close partnership with customers to develop unique tiles in matte or gloss in an uninterrupted process on fine structures for more than seven years. These include textiles, leather, wood and many unusual designs – completely digitally, highly integrated and independent of batch size.
Among the unique feature advantages of Durst’s systems are the total shading with each tile having a different décor, like in nature; the ability to decorate the tiles entirely without having white edges; the top quality of high definition printing and a process that made decorations natural, so avoiding the artefact effect.
Durst’s machine, the Gamma DG 4.0, uses proprietary Durst Rockjet ultra-large drop size print heads and economically-efficient Durst FREE D technology.
Durst true digital glaze printing technology provides full coverage, with structure, or even partial coverage prior to digital printing, as well as with ceramic effect materials after digital printing. This development also includes the introduction of colour management software for fast colour matching for new and repeating jobs, specifically designed for ceramic inks and production conditions. The Colorgate CMS Durst Edition, which works with all Durst and non-Durst printers, has been designed and optimised for requirements and conditions in ceramics. These include small and non-linear colour space of ceramic inks, flat and structured surfaces and inconsistent process conditions.
Durst is heavily investing and working to assure full interconnectivity of all Gamma printers and peripherals with Industry 4.0 – the ‘fourth industrial revolution’. Advances also come through other software such as Durst Analytics, which provides real-time industry standard printer data and instructions exchange with central factory supervision from Durst’s headquarters in Brixen, Italy.
Christoph Gamper, Durst Group CEO said, ‘Digital glaze represents a quantum leap for digital ceramic printing. We are extremely proud of the result. Durst has been shaping industrial digital printing in the ceramics sector for decades. Now, for the first time, our holistic system allows matte and glossy glazes to be printed in an uninterrupted process quickly and reliably on fine structures and unusual designs – completely digitally, highly integrated and independent of batch size. Not as a superficial effect, but as a real, tangible function that makes the difference.’
Norbert von Aufschnaiter, segment manager, Durst Ceramics Printing said, ‘When digital technology entered the world of ceramic printing, the industry changed. Durst full digital glazing is an unprecedented technology and works with glazes having very similar characteristics to the traditonal ones currently in use. It is considered an even bigger revolution than digital decoration. Gamma DG creates flat and structured glazed surfaces in a variety of styles digitally, efficiently and inexpensively.’
DURST www.durst-group.com
