A method and system for cleaning a tile release agent

Abstract

The application provides a ceramic tile release agent cleaning method and a cleaning system, and relates to the technical field of non-metal material surface treatment. The cleaning method comprises the following steps: using a polishing device to polish the ceramic tile sticking surface and collecting the generated dust; sampling the dust and analyzing the sample loss on ignition, and comparing the sample loss on ignition with a first threshold value; when the sample loss on ignition is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, returning to step S1; when the sample loss on ignition is less than the first threshold value, stopping the polishing process. The method further comprises: performing a water dripping test on the polished ceramic tile to verify whether the polishing is qualified. The application indirectly determines the release agent residual amount of the ceramic tile sticking surface by detecting the loss on ignition of the dust generated in the ceramic tile polishing process, and performs secondary verification through the water dripping test, thereby avoiding the release agent residual on the ceramic tile sticking surface, and solving the problem that the release agent residual easily causes the ceramic tile sticking surface to be hollow and fall off after sticking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of non-metallic material surface treatment technology, specifically relating to a method and system for cleaning tile release agent. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of society, the ceramic tiles used in building decoration are now primarily porcelain tiles, while earthenware tiles are becoming increasingly rare. During the production of porcelain tiles, a release agent is typically applied to the back of the tile to facilitate quick demolding and improve the yield of qualified products. This release agent allows the tile to detach from the mold quickly and efficiently with virtually zero breakage, making it a favorite among tile manufacturers.

[0003] However, release agents are hydrophobic materials that hinder the adhesion between tiles and mortar. If the release agent on the back of the tile is not removed before tiling, the tile is prone to hollowing and falling off. To solve this problem, a "tile backing adhesive" product has appeared on the market. This product can be directly applied to the back of the tile where the release agent remains, and the tile can be pasted after it has partially or fully cured to solve the problem of hollowing and falling off. However, tile backing adhesive is an organic material and has poor resistance to long-term freeze-thaw cycles and high-temperature environments. Once exposed to such environments, the tile is prone to hollowing and falling off. In addition, tile backing adhesive is prone to aging and has a short service life, making it difficult to match the lifespan of the building. After a long period of time, the problem of hollowing and falling off will still occur. Therefore, rather than using tile backing adhesive to enhance the adhesion between the tile and mortar, removing the release agent from the back of the tile seems to be a more effective way to eliminate the effect of the release agent once and for all. However, the release agent has already hardened on the back of the tile and is difficult to remove manually. Having workers manually polish the release agent on the construction site is not only expensive and inefficient, but also makes it difficult to guarantee the quality of polishing due to differences in workers' techniques, polishing time, tools, and other factors.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved technical solution that addresses the shortcomings of the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method and system for cleaning tile release agent, which is used to remove the release agent remaining on the adhesive surface during the tile production process, so as to solve the problem that residual release agent can easily cause tiles to become hollow and fall off after being pasted.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A method for cleaning tile release agent includes the following steps: S1. Use a grinding machine to grind the tile adhesive surface and collect the generated dust; S2. Take a sample of the dust and analyze the sample burn-off amount. Compare the sample burn-off amount with the first threshold. When the sample burn-off amount is greater than or equal to the first threshold, return to step S1. When the sample burn-off amount is lower than the first threshold, the grinding is deemed qualified and the grinding ends.

[0007] Preferably, the following steps are also included: S3. After stopping the grinding process, conduct a water droplet test on the tile adhesive surface and determine whether the grinding is qualified based on the diameter of the water droplets.

[0008] Preferably, the specific steps of the water dripping test are as follows: S31. A predetermined mass or volume of water droplets is dripped at a predetermined position on the tile adhesive surface; S32. Calculate the midpoint of the water droplet diameter in step S31 and compare it with the second threshold. If the midpoint is not greater than the second threshold, the polishing is deemed unqualified and the process returns to step S1. If the midpoint is greater than the second threshold, the polishing is deemed qualified and the polishing process ends.

[0009] Preferably, in step S1, a grinding device is used to grind the tile adhesive surface for a preset time, and a negative pressure device is used to collect dust during the grinding process.

[0010] Preferably, in step S2, the first threshold is 0.9%.

[0011] Preferably, in step S31, the preset position includes the center of the tile adhesive surface and / or the four corners of the tile adhesive surface.

[0012] Preferably, in step S31, the predetermined mass is 0.05g and the predetermined volume is 0.05mL, and in step S32, the second threshold is 7mm.

[0013] Preferably, the preset time is 0~120s.

[0014] Preferably, in step S31, the mass error of the dripping water droplets does not exceed 10% of the predetermined mass, and the volume error does not exceed 10% of the predetermined volume.

[0015] The present invention also provides a tile release agent cleaning system for performing any of the above methods, including a grinding device, a dust collection device, a loss on ignition detection device, a water dripping test device, a sample moving device, and a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the grinding device, the dust collection device, the loss on ignition detection device, the water dripping test device, and the sample moving device. The controller includes a human-machine interface.

[0016] Beneficial effects: (1) The present invention grinds the tile adhesive surface to remove residual release agent, and judges the residual amount of release agent in the dust by analyzing the amount of dust loss during the grinding process, thereby indirectly judging whether the residual amount of release agent on the adhesive surface meets the requirements. This solves the problem of not being able to accurately judge whether the release agent on the tile adhesive surface is clean and the difficulty in controlling the degree of grinding. (2) Based on the analysis of loss on ignition, the present invention adds a water drop test to further verify the polishing effect, which can intuitively judge the hydrophobicity of the tile adhesive surface after polishing, and avoid the problem of unqualified polishing caused by accidental error in loss on ignition detection. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. Wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a tile release agent cleaning system provided in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a tile release agent cleaning system provided in Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Grinding device; 2. Sample moving device; 3. Rubber sealing cover; 4. Dust collection device; 5. Loss on ignition detection device; 6. Controller. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0022] This invention addresses the problems of release agents affecting tile adhesion during construction, causing tiles to easily become hollow or fall off after installation. It provides a method for cleaning tile release agents, comprising the following steps: S1. Use a grinding machine to grind the tile adhesive surface and collect the generated dust; S2. Take a sample of the dust and analyze the sample burn-off amount. Compare the sample burn-off amount with the first threshold. When the sample burn-off amount is greater than or equal to the first threshold, return to step S1. When the sample burn-off amount is lower than the first threshold, the grinding is deemed qualified and the grinding ends.

[0023] Directly detecting residual release agent on tile adhesive surfaces is difficult. During tile grinding, the generated dust contains release agent components. Because release agents are hydrophobic and difficult to remove from the tile surface, their content is hard to analyze using spectroscopic or chemical methods, making it difficult to determine the grinding effect. Furthermore, these testing methods are time-consuming and costly, making it impractical to test every single tile in actual production. Even sampling testing is prohibitively expensive. Loss on ignition analysis, on the other hand, is a more economical method. It doesn't require expensive reagents, and the high-temperature furnace used for loss on ignition analysis is far cheaper than spectroscopic or chemical testing instruments. It also offers faster testing speed, requires smaller sample sizes, and has a large instrument capacity, allowing for simultaneous processing of multiple samples. This invention utilizes the high-temperature resistance of tiles and the easy decomposition of release agents at high temperatures. By sampling the dust generated during grinding and performing loss on ignition analysis, the residual release agent on the tile adhesive surface can be easily inferred. This ensures that tiles leaving the factory do not require manual grinding during installation, improving adhesion quality and customer satisfaction.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the following steps are also included: S3. After stopping the grinding process, conduct a water droplet test on the tile adhesive surface and determine whether the grinding is qualified based on the diameter of the water droplets.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of the water droplet test are as follows: S31. A predetermined mass or volume of water droplets is dripped at a predetermined position on the tile adhesive surface; S32. Calculate the midpoint of the water droplet diameter in step S31 and compare it with the second threshold. If the midpoint is not greater than the second threshold, the polishing is deemed unqualified and the process returns to step S1. If the midpoint is greater than the second threshold, the polishing is deemed qualified and the polishing process ends.

[0026] Tile installation involves applying water-containing mortar to the wall surface and then bonding the tiles. However, release agents are hydrophobic, which repels the mortar and affects the bonding between the tile surface and the wall mortar. Furthermore, hydrophobic surfaces have a large hydrophobic angle, causing water droplets falling on them to approximate a sphere, which has the smallest surface area. However, measuring the hydrophobic angle of tile surfaces is uneconomical in industrial production. Hydrophobic angle measuring equipment cannot accommodate large tiles, requiring them to be cut before measurement, which is a destructive test. It also cannot measure multiple samples simultaneously, and such equipment cannot be used long-term in dusty environments. Based on these problems, this invention adopts a simplified method: measuring the diameter of water droplets falling on the tile surface to directly determine its hydrophobicity. Based on experience, the relationship between hydrophobicity and tile adhesion can be statistically determined, leading to a second threshold. When the measured droplet diameter is higher than this second threshold, the amount of release agent residue on the tile surface is considered acceptable. Furthermore, considering that the back of a tile generally has a toothed texture, water droplets tend to spread along the texture into an approximately elliptical shape. This invention uses the method of measuring the major axis diameter and minor axis diameter of the water droplet to calculate its mid-range number. This mid-range number can accurately reflect its hydrophobicity and can be compared with a second threshold, thereby minimizing the influence of the texture.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S1, a grinding device is used to grind the tile adhesive surface for a preset time, and a negative pressure device is used to collect dust during the grinding process.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S2, the first threshold is 0.9%.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S31, the preset position includes the center of the tile adhesive surface and / or the four corners of the tile adhesive surface.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S31, the predetermined mass is 0.05g and the predetermined volume is 0.05mL, and in step S32, the second threshold is 7mm.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preset time is 0~2min (e.g. 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 100s, 110s).

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in step S31, the mass error of the dripping water droplets does not exceed 10% of the predetermined mass, and the volume error does not exceed 10% of the predetermined volume.

[0033] The present invention also provides a tile release agent cleaning system for performing any of the above methods, including a grinding device, a dust collection device, a loss on ignition detection device, a water dripping test device, a sample moving device, and a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the grinding device, the dust collection device, the loss on ignition detection device, the water dripping test device, and the sample moving device, and the controller includes a human-machine interface.

[0034] The present invention also proposes a tile release agent cleaning system for performing any of the above-described tile release agent cleaning methods, the cleaning system comprising: The system includes a grinding device, a dust collection device, a loss on ignition detection device, a water dripping test device, a sample moving device, and a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the grinding device, dust collection device, loss on ignition detection device, water dripping test device, and sample moving device. The controller includes a human-machine interface. The grinding device includes a grinding disc for grinding the tile adhesive surface. The diameter of the grinding disc can be set from 100 to 500 mm (e.g., 110 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, 250 mm, 300 mm, 350 mm, 400 mm, 450 mm, 490 mm), and the grinding disc rotation speed is from 1000 to 8000 rpm (e.g., 1050 rpm, 1100 rpm, 1150 rpm, 1200 rpm, 1250 rpm, 1300 rpm). The speed is adjustable between 1350rpm, 1400rpm, 1450rpm, 1500rpm, 1550rpm, 1600rpm, 1650rpm, 1700rpm, 1750rpm, 1800rpm, 1850rpm, 1900rpm, 1950rpm, and 1990rpm. The grinding device also includes a moving component to move the grinding disc along a preset path during the grinding process, so as to achieve uniform grinding of tiles of different sizes.

[0035] This invention is applicable to the cleaning of release agents and the analysis of residual amounts in various types of ceramic tiles, such as glazed tiles, unglazed tiles, polished tiles, vitrified tiles, ceramic mosaic tiles, etc. The type of ceramic tile should not be considered as limiting the scope of application of this invention.

[0036] The following detailed description of a method and system for cleaning tile release agent according to the present invention will be provided through specific embodiments.

[0037] In the following Examples 1 to 3, the parameters of the grinding equipment used are as follows: grinding disc diameter 500mm, wear-resistant hard steel wires distributed on the grinding disc surface, hard steel wire spacing 2mm, steel wire diameter 1mm, and steel wire length 16mm.

[0038] Example 1 Take a glazed tile measuring 80cm x 80cm and fix it on a grinding machine. Grind the tile's adhesive surface using the machine at a speed of 2500 rpm. During the grinding process, use a negative pressure dust collection device to collect dust. Stop grinding after each 1-minute session. Mix the dust collected during each grinding session evenly and take a sample. Then analyze the sample's loss on ignition. When the measured loss on ignition is below 0.9%, stop grinding. At this point, the residual amount of release agent on the tile's adhesive surface meets the requirements.

[0039] Loss on ignition analysis conditions: Accurately weigh 1.000±0.010g of sample, place it in a crucible that has been ignited to constant weight, put it in a high-temperature furnace, ignite it at 400℃ for 60s, then cool it to room temperature, and weigh it again. Then: Loss on ignition =

[0040] In the formula, m0 is the sample mass before ignition, and m1 is the sample mass after ignition.

[0041] The analysis results of the dust samples are shown in Table 1 below: Table 1. Loss on ignition of dust samples after each grinding in Example 1

[0042] As shown in Table 1, when the grinding time is 60s, the loss on ignition of the dust sample is as high as 6.37%, which is far higher than the requirement of 0.9% loss on ignition, so grinding needs to continue; when the grinding time is 120s, the loss on ignition of the dust sample is 0.82%, which meets the requirement of less than 0.9% loss on ignition. It can be inferred that the residual amount of release agent meets the standard at this time, and the grinding is over.

[0043] Example 2 Take a 50cm×50cm glazed tile and fix it on the grinding equipment. Use a wire brush grinding disc to grind the adhesive surface at a speed of 2500rpm. During the grinding process, use the negative pressure dust collection device built into the grinding equipment to collect dust. Stop after 5 minutes each time. Mix the dust collected during each grinding process evenly and take a sample. Then analyze the loss on ignition of the sample. Stop grinding when the measured loss on ignition is less than 0.9%.

[0044] The method for detecting loss on ignition is the same as in Example 1. The analysis results of the dust sample are shown in Table 2 below: Table 2. Loss on ignition of dust samples after each grinding in Example 2

[0045] As shown in Table 2, when the grinding time is 30 seconds, the loss on ignition of the dust sample is 4.43%, which does not meet the requirement of a loss on ignition of less than 0.9%, and further grinding is required; when the grinding time is 60 seconds, ...

[0046] Example 3 Take a glazed tile measuring 80cm x 80cm and fix it on the grinding equipment. Use a wire brush grinding disc to grind the adhesive surface at a speed of 2500rpm. During the grinding process, use the negative pressure dust collection device built into the grinding equipment to collect dust. Stop after 5 minutes each time. Mix the dust collected during each grinding process evenly and take a sample. Then analyze the loss on ignition of the sample. Stop grinding when the measured loss on ignition is less than 0.9%.

[0047] Table 3. Loss on ignition of dust samples after each grinding in Example 3

[0048] Considering that the amount of dust sample used for loss on ignition testing accounts for a very small proportion of the dust generated during the grinding process, even after thorough mixing, the sample composition may not be representative of the overall dust composition. Therefore, a water droplet test was conducted on the glossy tile bonding surface after grinding to test the hydrophobicity of the bonding surface, as follows: Step 1: Using a pipette with a volume of 0.1 mL, drip 0.05 ± 0.001 mL of water onto the pre-selected position on the tile adhesive surface; Step 2: After dripping water for 10 seconds, measure the major axis diameter and minor axis diameter of the water droplet, and calculate the midpoint between the major axis diameter and the minor axis diameter. The applicant found that if the midpoint is not greater than 7mm, the tiles are prone to hollowing and falling off after being pasted. Therefore, if the midpoint is not greater than 7mm, the grinding is deemed unqualified, and step 3 is executed. If the midpoint is greater than 7mm, the grinding is deemed qualified, and the grinding is completed. Step 3: Continue polishing according to the polishing procedure in this embodiment. Perform a water drop test after each polishing step until the mid-range number measured in Step 2 is greater than 7mm. Polishing is then complete. The test results are shown in Table 4 below: Table 4. Loss on ignition of dust samples after each grinding in Example 3

[0049] Example 4 This embodiment provides a tile release agent cleaning system for performing the tile release agent cleaning method shown in Embodiment 1, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes: The system includes a grinding device, a dust collection device, a loss on ignition detection device, a sample moving device, and a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the grinding device, dust collection device, and sample moving device. The controller includes a human-machine interface. The grinding device includes a steel wire grinding disc and a sample moving device, which is used to grind the tile adhesive surface. The grinding disc has a diameter of 500mm and wear-resistant hard steel wires are distributed on the grinding disc surface. The hard steel wires are spaced 2mm apart, have a diameter of 1mm, and a length of 16mm.

[0050] The dust collection device is a negative pressure vacuum cleaner, which includes a rubber sealing cover and a vacuuming device. The rubber sealing cover is installed at the edge of the grinding disc. During the grinding process, the vacuuming device connected to the rubber sealing cover generates negative pressure, which allows the rubber sealing cover to stick tightly to the surface of the tile and prevent dust from escaping.

[0051] The dust collection device includes a dust collection chamber and a sampling chamber. The inlets of the dust collection chamber and the sampling chamber are connected in parallel. The collected dust can be selectively sent to either the dust collection chamber or the sampling chamber as needed. The sampling chamber is equipped with a mixer. Before sampling the dust in the sampling chamber, the dust is mixed by the mixer to ensure that the sample is uniformly mixed before the loss on ignition (LOI) test. This sampling method ensures that the average LOI of the dust generated during the final polishing process meets the requirements, rather than the LOI of the dust generated at the end of the final polishing process, thus preventing excessive residual mold release agent.

[0052] The loss on ignition detection device is a high-temperature furnace, and the sampling, weighing and placement of samples are carried out manually.

[0053] The controller can be used to input working parameters such as the time, speed and tile size for each grinding, as well as to control the start and stop of the grinding device, dust collection device and sample moving device and the switching of working modes, so as to control the cleaning system to complete the grinding of the tile release agent.

[0054] Example 5 This embodiment provides a tile release agent cleaning system, an improvement on Embodiment 4, for performing the tile release agent cleaning method shown in Embodiment 3, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the cleaning system differs from Embodiment 4 in that it also includes a dripping test device.

[0055] Specifically, the water dripping test device consists of two parts: a water dripping component and a measuring component. The water dripping component, upon receiving instructions from the controller, drips a predetermined mass of water droplets, typically 0.05g, with an allowable fluctuation of 0.005g. The tile can be moved using a sample moving device, allowing the water dripping component to drop water droplets onto different locations on the tile, such as the central area or the four corners. The measuring component captures images of the water droplets on the tile's adhesive surface. The controller analyzes these images and identifies the water droplets. Since the tile dimensions in the image are known, the actual maximum and minimum diameters of the water droplets can be calculated based on the ratio of the water droplet size to the tile size, thus obtaining the mid-range value. Comparing this mid-range value with a preset mid-range value determines whether the polishing is satisfactory.

[0056] In summary: The tile release agent cleaning method and system provided by this invention can accurately determine the residual level of the release agent by analyzing the loss on ignition of the dust generated during the cleaning process, thereby determining whether further polishing is necessary. This cleaning method is simple and quick to operate, does not require expensive testing equipment, and is particularly suitable for the industrial production of tiles, effectively solving the problems of tile hollowing and detachment caused by release agents.

[0057] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning tile release agent, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Use a grinding machine to grind the tile adhesive surface and collect the generated dust; S2. Take dust samples and analyze the sample burn-off amount, and compare the sample burn-off amount with a first threshold. When the sample burn-off amount is greater than or equal to the first threshold, return to step S1. When the sample burn-off amount is lower than the first threshold, the grinding is deemed qualified and the grinding ends. The first threshold is 0.9%. S3. After stopping the grinding process, conduct a water drop test on the tile adhesive surface and judge whether the grinding is qualified based on the diameter of the water droplets. The specific steps of the dripping water test are as follows: S31. A predetermined mass or volume of water droplets is dripped onto a predetermined position on the tile adhesive surface, wherein the predetermined mass is 0.05g and the predetermined volume is 0.05mL. S32. Calculate the midpoint of the water droplet diameter in step S31 and compare it with the second threshold. If the midpoint is not greater than the second threshold, the polishing is deemed unqualified and the process returns to step S1. If the midpoint is greater than the second threshold, the polishing is deemed qualified and the polishing process ends. The second threshold is 7mm.

2. The method for cleaning tile release agent as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, a grinding device is used to grind the tile adhesive surface for a preset time, and a negative pressure device is used to collect dust during the grinding process.

3. The method for cleaning tile release agent as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S31, the preset positions include the center of the tile adhesive surface and / or the four corners of the tile adhesive surface.

4. The method for cleaning tile release agent as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The preset time is 0~120s.

5. The method for cleaning tile release agent as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S31, the mass error of the dripping water droplets does not exceed 10% of the predetermined mass, and the volume error does not exceed 10% of the predetermined volume.

6. A tile release agent cleaning system, used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, It includes a grinding device, a dust collection device, a loss on ignition detection device, a water dripping test device, a sample moving device, and a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the grinding device, the dust collection device, the loss on ignition detection device, the water dripping test device, and the sample moving device. The controller includes a human-machine interface.

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