Rimini, Sept. 28, 2022 - “I would like to thank you for having the courage to fly high. Research and innovation are at the heart of our company, and our success depends on the talent of our employees.” This is how
SACMI Chairman
Paolo Mongardi welcomed students from
ISIA, the Faenza-based
University of Design, which partnered with SACMI on the “
ArtTooling” project, which created innovative
textures for ceramic tiles and sanitaryware, to the Rimini international trade fair Tecna.
A special awards ceremony was held today at Tecna, within the SACMI booth, in which a designated
exhibition area has been set aside so that visitors can experience the product in person and be able to appreciate its unprecedented aesthetic features.
In the background is a new technology, the
digital creation of
molds from virtual models, without going through the die, by means of CNC working islands. This allows three-dimensional decorations to be made within the molds. This results in the ability to carry textures in the form of
relief on the sanitaryware, consistent with the color palette and inserted in
coordinated settings with slabs and tiles, the latter decorated with
Deep Digital techniques, an integrated application of glazes, inks, and matter.
A real challenge for the students of the Ceramic Product Design course, coordinated by Prof.
Sabrina Sguanci. There are four working groups and a title, “
Sedimenti - Identità dei luoghi,” with the objective of “giving expression to this technological process” and “realizing a product with a high creative content that can be industrialized and customized immediately” as Prof. Sguanci pointed out.
It was not an easy task for the technical jury, given the high level of projects submitted. The authors of the winning project, “
Scogliera,” were students
Mariachiara Gaspari,
Federico Giustozzi, and
Eugenio Lo Turco, who were able to follow every phase of implementation at SACMI, coordinated with
Santo Monteforte and
Dante Biserni, product development managers at the
Whiteware and Tiles Laboratories. In addition to the award, they have the pleasure of seeing their products on display at Tecna, the leading international exhibition of product technologies and ceramic surfaces, being held at Rimini Fiere this week.
“This project,” noted Isia director
Maria Concetta Cossa, “exemplifies the modern concept of design, one we practice every day in our laboratories, combining creativity with new technologies.” As a result, we are able to create novel products, design in the broadest sense, but “pret-a-porter,” ready to be manufactured.
The students, who were given their prizes by Chairman Paolo Mongardi, commented, “We are proud of our achievement as well as the synergy created with the company.” This was a valuable opportunity, they explained, to evaluate ourselves against the challenges posed by a production process, “channeling a creative project into a technology,” with tangible and unexpected outcomes.
➤ WATCH THE VIDEO OF AWARD CEREMONY