By Melissa Donovan
Digital solutions—both hardware and software—help minimize product development time in industrial manufacturing. When a business decides to adapt digital into its workflow it’s usually to free up bottlenecks on the shop floor. For one ceramic manufacturer, using a digital print device was already commonplace, but adding an automated workflow solution accelerated production even further by helping visualize designs more accurately before going to press.
Shortened Development Cycle
Wonderful Group, based in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China, is known for the manufacturing and distribution of architectural ceramics. Established in 1988, it produces matte, lappato, and polished porcelain tiles; interior wall tile; and artificial grain decorative tile under brand names such as L&D, Marco Polo, and Wonderful.
The group operates four subsidiaries and three manufacturing facilities with 40 production lines. In November 2015, the company announced plans to invest $150 million to build a 500,000 square foot plant in Lebanon, TN. The construction period is expected to extend over four years and will be China’s first ceramics factory in America or Europe, according to the company.
With all of its work, the company focuses on quality and brand image. It is known in the industry for its research and development (R&D) and has won over 380 national patent rights. Developing new products is time consuming and sometimes the turnaround time just isn’t feasible or cost effective when it comes to getting a product to market. Many design iterations and tile firings may be required, unfortunately it is often difficult for designers to predict the final color without spending the time to actually produce a prototype.
To address this issue, Wonderful Group attended the Ceramics China show in 2014 and learned about the EFI Fiery proServer. “We were amazed by its capabilities like lightweight prototyping on inkjet printers. We could see how this would help us visualize our designs in the ceramic color space, irrespective of the number of output channels,” explains Mrs. Xiao, director of R&D, Wonderful Group.
The company was primarily attracted to this specific software not only because of its capabilities, but also its ability to operate 22 EFI Cretaprint ceramic tile printers throughout three production facilities. The EFI line of Cretaprint printers includes the EFI Cretaprint C4, EFI Cretaprint P3, EFI Cretaprint C3, and EFI Cretaplotter. Each device holds up to eight ceramic printing bars for decoration and special finishing purposes. Maximum tile width is 745.5, 1,365, 696, and 700 millimeters, respectively. All offer a print resolution up to 360 dpi.
Familiar with Mrs. Moli Li, GM, EFI Cretaprint China, the team at Wonderful Group was educated about the EFI Fiery proServer and its benefits. “The EFI Fiery proServer produces the most accurate and consistent color quality for ceramic tile decoration and lowers ink consumption—no matter what the production conditions,” says Mrs. Moli Li. She was also adamant that the Wonderful Group would be particularly pleased with EFI ColorWise technology, which allows for an accurate prediction of final color onscreen or on inkjet proof, without waiting for final production equipment to produce a prototype.
Plan in Action
After understanding the benefits, the Wonderful Group decided to add an EFI Fiery proServer to an EFI Cretaprint printer in one of its manufacturing plants. Not only was it easy to adapt to its existing workflow, but the company immediately recognized changes in speed, quality, and cost.
“The EFI Fiery proServer shortened our product development cycle significantly, with superior color results. This helps us bring new designs to market in a shorter span of time. We also now experience significant reductions in ink consumption during production,” explains Mrs. Xiao.
Built to utilize adaptive algorithms optimized for ceramic tile decoration, the EFI Fiery proServer allows the Wonderful Group to improve color accuracy and prediction over time. The same algorithms are based on spectral measurements of actual tile production conditions, which means more realistic tile decoration, while ensuring consistent color job after job.
Product development time is shortened thanks to accurate color proofs. Color matches to original designs are one to one, no matter the print condition, location, ink used, glaze, or kiln. With EFI Fiery ColorWise accuracy, trial-and-error file adjustments are a thing of the past, eliminating time wasted matching colors on the production line.
An added bonus, Mrs. Xiao says the EFI Fiery separations are optimized for the EFI Cretaprint printers. This ensures optimal use of inkjet nozzles, which helps reduce maintenance on the machines.
After the positive experience of the first EFI Fiery proServer, the Wonderful Group decided to invest in a second for a plant at another location. “We are extremely happy with the EFI Fiery proServer and continue to buy additional units for our growing production plants across the world,” shares Mrs. Xiao.
Speed Up Production
As exhibited by the Wonderful Group, digital technologies—both hardware and software—play an integral part in speeding up production for industrial businesses. When the correct tools are used, it eliminates time to market, which frees up the company for more R&D and consequently increases profit. IPM
Nov2016, Industrial Print Magazine