The multi-national Eczacıbaşı Group has given its plant in Bozüyük, Turkey, a boost by adding a high pressure casting cell consisting of two single-mould AVM150 casting machines for back-to-wall and suspended WCs, cast using a 7-part resin mould.
The jewel in this high pressure casting cell crown consists of the pre-drier, which reduces in-WC moisture content quickly (about 1.5 hours on average) in a controlled, homogeneous manner without interfering with adjacent areas. More specifically, the innovative pre-drying control system used in these compact cells successfully reduces a series of production problems typically encountered during the first drying stage; these problems generally appear in the linear zone of the Bigot curve which defines the relationship between relative humidity and percentage shrinkage of the ceramic piece.
Precision control of humidity and temperature parameters inside the pre-drier allows the process to be speeded up without any of the deformation or breakage problems that can often occur during this initial stage when moisture content is still in the order of 80-85%.
An anthropomorphic robot ensures a high level of cell automation; the robot applies the glue for the rim, de-moulds the WC, handles the piece and, where necessary, turns it over and loads pieces onto the drying cars.
Fast, independent mould changeovers can be completed on one of the two machines without having to stop the other single-mould casting module.
This latest investment on the part of Vitra again confirms that the AVM cell offers an outstanding, highly flexible solution for the manufacture of complex WCs that comply with strict quality standards: our customer’s main goal is to achieve a rapid response capacity and so provide the product variations that tough markets such as the EU, United Kingdom and United States demand from a leading manufacturer like the Eczacıbaşı Group.