Celima–Trebol, with over 50 years' experience in producing wall tiles, porcelain sanitaryware and high quality home accessories, is a giant on the South American ceramic manufacturing scene. More specifically Celima – Trebol porcelain sanitaryware, with over 3.5 million pieces produced each year, tops the Peruvian sanitaryware output rankings.
At its plant in San Martin De Porres, near Lima (Peru), Celima–Trebol, recently completed, together with SACMI, installation of an automatic cell for the manufacture of two WC water tank models, both made on 4-cavity resin moulds.
An extremely innovative layout sees the casting machine served by an anthropomorphous 6-axis de-moulding robot with a 'wrist' load capacity of 180 kg and includes a continuous convey-and-place turret that receives the pieces unloaded from the ALS via the robot.
The casting cell can produce over 1600 pieces a day, operating on a 3-shift basis; the machine is supervised by one worker per shift.
The introduction of pressure casting with resin moulds offers numerous advantages compared to traditional technology. Beyond the drastic reduction in direct labour, the most significant technological advantage is an undisputed increase in product quality in terms of weight and thickness consistency and smooth, regular surfaces that need no manual finishing. Other indirect advantages of the technology stem from the fact that consumption is reduced because casting area heating requirements drop drastically; moreover, slip recycling systems inside the casting cell also reduce the energy consumption associated with conveying the slip from the preparation zone to the point of use.
With three automatic Gaiotto Automation glazing lines already working at the same plant, this latest installation, then, sees Celima–Trebol strengthen its industrial partnership with SACMI and continue its policy of automating the sanitaryware production process.