Specialised in the manufacture of restaurant and domestic tableware, Saturnia is a fine example of Italian excellence and one of Europe's leading producers in the industry. This Viterbo-based company has deep roots (it was founded back in 1966) yet has always looked to the future with confidence. Ever since the 1990s it has been investing in its porcelain tableware operations via a rewarding partnership with the SACMI Group, which supplies ultra-modern, high-tech tableware manufacturing solutions.
These include the revolutionary SACMI-Intesa solution that allows ultra-high speed digital decoration of plates and other flat surfaces; this is performed directly on the line at resolutions of up to 1200 dpi (i.e. photographic quality) and at output rates of 20 - 40 pieces a minute (depending on the selected resolution). One of the key advantages of the new DHD708 SACMI Digital – first presented at Tecnargilla 2018 and already tested and fully operational at Saturnia – is that it offers true process innovation, reducing economies of scale to allow a real-time response to customer demand for personalised solutions according to pull logic.
Equipped with 6 colour bars, the machine can apply personalised digital decoration (e.g. pizza plates, restaurant logos, customised graphics or even more complex photographic quality images) with a maximum printing head-print surface gap of 20-25 mm. An effective printing width of up to 451 mm (400 mm for plates) ensures the unit can handle all types and shapes of plate and flat surface, with the added advantage of a SACMI vision system that automatically checks positioning to ensure perfect alignment of plate and decoration.
The first such solution for tableware, the DHD708 stands out on account of its alternative ultra-HD technology, which could soon render traditional techniques for such products, like transfers, and the need for third firing obsolete (with the digital process, decoration is applied directly on the unfired glaze with subsequent application of a crystalline overlay to give the plate the required shine after it enters the kiln).
The result of efficient teamwork between Saturnia and SACMI technicians, the success of the solution also opens the door to new marketing opportunities. Indeed, the DHD708 makes it possible to develop - quickly and at limited expense - small test lots to be submitted to customers, thus combining the very best quality and tradition of Italian porcelain with modern brand management and promotion needs.
