ROYAL FACADE
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Original clinker and pressed ceramic tiles – what to choose?
In addition to the fact that pressed tiles are much less resistant to temperature changes due to their structure, there are also significant visual differences between them and real clinker tiles made using modern technologies.
First of all, the extruded method allows for obtaining a surface identical to the surface of clinker brick. Clinker tiles laid on the facade of a house are indistinguishable from brick, thanks to the use of corner tiles.
In turn, the front side of the pressed tile more resembles porcelain stoneware than traditional ceramics; all patterns and structures are repeatable. Moreover, the ability to manufacture fittings and complex ceramic elements, including corner tiles that create the effect of a brick wall, is limited.
Differences in structure
Unlike pressed tiles, extruded clinker tiles have a grainy and very diverse structure. Even to a non-professional, the advantages of such a contact surface are quite understandable. The rough surface with open micropores interacts better with the adhesive mortar and the base than a smooth surface.
The effect is similar to painting a surface previously roughened with sandpaper because the adhesive penetrates deeply into such a surface, resulting in a very strong bond. Such a tile structure guarantees optimal bonding strength parameters and resistance to weather conditions.
For comparison, the mounting side of dry-pressed tile has a glossy, smooth, and compact surface with closed micropores that do not allow adhesive penetration. As a result, the bond with the adhesive weakens and becomes unstable, especially when using tiles outdoors.
A creative combination of tradition and modernity
Technological or production processes generally do not arouse much interest because end consumers are more interested in the final form of the purchased product than the path it has taken in the factory. The production of facade clinker is one of the few exceptions to this rule because the process begins far from the manufacturing plant, in the mine, where selected types of clay are mined.
Then the clay needs to be left lying in piles for several months, where it decomposes naturally. Only after that, it can be mixed in appropriate proportions and subjected to further processing. Sometimes sand or chamotte in the form of ground clinker is added to the clay mixture, and the clay is crushed and mixed, then stored in a pit for further homogenization.
Only the mass prepared in this way is fed into a vacuum press, where the final shape of the product is formed by a metal nozzle placed on the press head. The resulting strand is cut into separate products by a string cutter.
During drying and firing, the product shrinks by 10% (moisture after forming is about 16%, after leaving the product from the tunnel dryer and evaporation of water, moisture is about 1%). Then the products are sent to a tunnel kiln 105 meters long, where they stay for about 56 hours (the temperature in the firing zone exceeds 1000°C), and then – after cooling – they are sent to a sorting room, where quality control is carried out.
