Ceramic Tile Glaze Composition for Pigment Color Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ceramic glazes, both digital and conventional, attack the chemical structure of ceramic pigments during the firing cycle, leading to partial or complete loss of color effects, limiting their use as viable alternatives to materials like wood.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of ceramic glazes that do not contain alkaline-earth elements or Zn, combined with specific glazing and firing processes, to protect the color effects of ceramic pigments, particularly red and lemon yellow, by applying multiple glazes and inks through techniques like inkjet printing and conventional methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ceramic glazes are used during firing, then the glazing process can be completed, but the ceramic pigments lose their color effects due to chemical attack during firing
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful alkaline-earth elements (Ca, Mg, Sr, Ba) and Zn are extracted and removed from the glaze composition. The patent specifies that the glaze must not contain these elements that would otherwise attack and destroy the ceramic pigments during firing, thereby preserving color stability without compromising the glazing function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specific glaze composition as an intermediary layer between the ceramic substrate and the color pigments. This glaze acts as a protective mediator that prevents direct chemical interaction between the pigments and harmful glaze components during firing, thus preserving color effects while maintaining proper glazing
2Reliability
If multiple glazing steps are implemented to protect color effects, then color stability is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the protective function and the decorative glazing function into a single glaze composition. By formulating a glaze that simultaneously protects pigments from chemical attack and provides the desired aesthetic finish, the process complexity is minimized while achieving color stability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively preserves the color effects of ceramic pigments, enabling the production of ceramic tiles with desired color finishes without alteration, enhancing their viability as alternatives to other materials.
Implementation Method 1
Printing a decoration with at least one ink containing at least one ceramic pigment by means of an inkjet printing station
Implementation Method 2
Introducing the ceramic tile in a firing kiln and firing at a maximum temperature comprised between 950 °C and 1250 °C
Implementation Method 3
said second ceramic glaze does not contain alkaline-earth elements or Zn... protects the colour effects derived from ceramic pigments
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for producing a glazed and decorated ceramic tile which protects the colour effects derived from ceramic pigments, preferably the pigments that are responsible for the red and/or lemon yellow colours, once it has been subjected to a firing cycle at a maximum temperature comprised between 950 °C and 1250 °C.