Key player selects SACMI technology thanks to its quality and repeatability in ceramic slab firing processes. The investment decision stemmed from the broad scope for customization. The kiln is set to become fully operational, at Borgo Taro in the Apennine hills near Parma, by the end of November.

A leading player on the thin floor/furnishing slab market, Laminam has invested in a SACMI FBN twin channel roller kiln, a solution specifically designed to fire new large and very large products.

This latest model, already successfully delivered and installed at the Borgo Taro plant in the Apennine hills near Parma, is 170.1 meters long and has an inlet clearance of 2,350 mm. It will be used to manufacture various sizes, from 1840x3260mm to 1650×3260, from 1230×3260 a 1030×3040 mm. In practice, slabs with a broad range of decoration and glazing solutions, as wide as 1800 mm.

“This solution”, explains Giuseppe Miselli, SACMI Tiles Sales Manager for Italy, “has been designed and customized to optimize management of variously decorated products of varying thicknesses. In other words, a range of high-added-value products that demand dedicated technical solutions. We’ve also worked extensively with the customer to ensure sustainability, from energy recovery to filtration systems”.

From a customization perspective, the new SACMI twin channel kiln has been integrated with a large pre-heating area with multiple drafts, a solution that allows for better control of the high residual moisture content (water, glues, glazes) in the decorations. The twin channel kiln supplied to Laminam also incorporates new modulated air-gas solutions. These act as a ‘dynamic buffer’ between firing and cooling, and can be used for both heating and cooling to ensure optimal tension control. Last but not least, a carefully calculated roller center-to-center makes the kiln perfect for handling very thin products.

The new kiln also features next-gen SACMI NNG050 high-speed burners, which have the dual advantage of optimizing both quality and consumption. With this order, SACMI’s focus on sustainability takes the form of systems that recover the hot air from the burners and the hot air in the cooling chimney; the retrieved heat is used to power the 7-tier dryer (also supplied by SACMI).

Both dryer and kiln are equipped with inverter-equipped fans to optimize consumption control. Through its Filtering, Energy & Environment Division, SACMI has also supplied the kiln fume treatment (sleeve filter) system, complete with a conveying and dosing system.

Already up and running, the kiln was inaugurated in November, alongside the new dryer.