The first day of the international Tecnargilla fair saw SACMI hold a special Open Day where over 130 selected customers from 40 countries attended the 12th Sanitaryware Technological Trends Meeting (Imola, 24 September). “Go fast, Go future” was the slogan adopted for this 2018 edition of the Meeting, which opened with a guided tour of the new pilot plant in the SACMI Sanitaryware Lab, the industry's go-to research and innovation facility since its establishment in 1984.
The year 2018 saw a doubling of the facility's floor space. It also saw the installation of a new, broader machine pool, with the SACMI Sanitaryware&Tableware Division committed to even more ambitious technology, organisational and service investment plans. More specifically, international customers visiting the lab got to see several casting demonstrations - ranging from complex-shape WCs to one-piece WCs - highlighting unparalleled performance in terms of automation, product quality and energy efficiency.
The star of the demonstration was the robot-governed AVI casting machine, capable of performing all mould handling, forming and part casting tasks and transferring finished products to the SACMI FPV pre-dryer. Alongside it was the SACMI ALV, the flagship product for designer washbasins. These casting solutions join the tried and tested AVM, ALS, AVE and ADS machines used in the over 500 SACMI casting plants installed worldwide. As of today, customers have the additional advantage of being able to count on an even larger, better equipped Research Center where comprehensive pre-industrialisation testing can be performed.
After the Laboratory, the day continued with a look at the historic Resin Department, open to the public for the very first time. The purpose of the visit was to show customers latest developments concerning new CAM-tooled solutions for the manufacture of resin moulds with up to 5 parts (SACMI stands out from the competition for its capacity to develop all sanitaryware manufacturing technology internally, from case mould to mould, from casting to firing). The guests then moved on to the Modelling department where SACMI has developed QUALITRACK, a new fired article 3D inspection module with a high-definition camera system: installed directly on the robot, the module detects any divergence from customer-set size and surface parameters, generating real-time reports (which can be sent to mobile devices such as tablets) and ensuring full product traceability.
Remaining in the Modelling department, our international customers enjoyed a live “demonstration of the future”, alias direct modelling of the mould from resin blocks inside a CAD/CAM integrated machining centre. Capable of operating 24/7 without a worker, the machining centre can produce moulds with up to 2 parts thanks to precision numerical control systems; because all the plaster mould, case mould and subsequent resin mould production stages are skipped, this solution offers enormous time savings. With DPD (digital product development), SACMI is focusing on the future yet doing so thanks to decades of mould know-how (almost 1,900 models, 6,700 moulds and a staggering 500,000,000 pieces have been manufactured).
Scheduled, as per tradition, to take place on the first day of the international ceramic, sanitaryware and brick technology fair (being held at Rimini Fiera until 28 September), the special SACMI Sanitaryware Open Day continued in the afternoon with a guided tour of other local gems. The first, Ducati Motors, is the embodiment of speed and innovation. Here, SACMI's customers saw the Bologna-built bikes being put through assembly and test procedures. They them visited FICO Eataly World, the world's largest agri-food park, encompassing all the best of Italy's cuisine and bio-diversity; all participants were able to enjoy a wine tasting session and an evening meal.
After the Imola open day, the SACMI Sanitaryware showcase continues at Tecnargilla, now being held in Rimini. Visitors will be able to get a close look at the new 2018 technology, ranging from robotized product handling systems to 4.0 solutions that maximise plant efficiency in terms of maintenance, quality control and order management.
Visit the SACMI stand (hall B1) at Tecnargilla 2018.
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