The lapped ceramic surfaces are characterized by smooth and shiny surfaces. This finish is obtained through a mechanical sanding process which eliminates the porosity of the surface, giving it a seamless and elegant appearance. Lapped ceramic surfaces have several advantages, including:
However, lapped ceramic surfaces may have a small drawback: micro-cracking.
Micro-tapping is a small crack that can form on the tile’s surface, and it could happen due to multiple reasons: it can be caused by a series of factors including when traces of raw materials sometimes end up in the tile mix during the firing process of ceramics, degassing, and releasing gasses in the layer of glaze applied, which are incorporated into the glaze itself.
The lapping process, by removing the superficial layer of glaze, therefore in these cases opens real small craters on the ceramic surface, generating the problem of micro-tapping which is both an aesthetic problem, and can also be an entry point for dirt and bacteria.
Among the raw materials that can generate the problem of micro-tapping during ceramic firing, we also find some ceramic inks, both due to the type of pigments and organic products used, and due to the high quantity of product applied.
In particular, black ceramic inks, used in large quantities for the production of large slabs of marble-like Sahara Noir type, are extremely sensitive to the problem and often subject to generating micro-cracking.
Inco, to solve the problem of micro-tapping caused by black ceramic ink, has developed a new black ceramic ink that is extremely performing, formulated with a new black pigment and one new solvent phase which completely avoids the formation of these micro-gases during cooking and consequently prevents the formation of micro-cracking.
Inco’s brand-new specially-developed inorganic pigment helps the ceramic sector to address this problem by featuring a stable crystalline structure, with which the new ceramic ink has been developed, making it also possible to obtain an intense and neutral colorway.
The new solvent phase used, in addition to solving the problem of micro-tapping, has been designed to create a “High Solid” ink and therefore with a high percentage of inorganic material in order to reduce odors and emissions to the ceramic chimneys.
Inco’s New High Performing Black Ceramic Ink is the ultimate product to create everlasting lapped ceramic surfaces because it prevents micro-tapping, thus improving the quality and aesthetic appearance of the ceramic surface.
As a result, the ceramic surface will turn out to be smooth and shiny, aesthetically beautiful but also more resistant and easier to clean.
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