The ceramic tile manufacturing process consists of seven steps:

1. Formation of Body Slip

Raw materials such as clays, feldspars, sands, dolomite, quartz, and natural substances are blended with up to 30% water and ground in ball mills to produce a body slip. All of the raw materials come from the earth, including the colors of the glaze. Ceramic tile materials have remained almost unchanged for thousands of years.

2. Spray Drying of Body Slip

The body slip is then pumped into a spray dryer and exposed to heat. This transforms the slip into powder with moisture of about 6%, so that the powder may be sent to presses to form the bisque (body).

3. Production of the Bisque

The powder is then compacted into dies through a press that operates at a pressure of several hundred pounds per square foot. The result of the pressure is a clay body, or bisque.

 
 
4. Drying of the Bisque

The bisque is then dried using natural gas dryers that heat the bisque to several hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The dryer removes virtually all of the moisture from the bisque. Bisque strength and stability is determined by the raw materials and by density.

5. Glazing Process

Glazes are pre-mixed to achieve optimum formulation for color, weight, viscosity, density, etc. The glazes are applied through various techniques, including silkscreen patterns, spray glazes, waterfall glazes, brushes, roto screens, etc.--to achieve today's beautiful finishes. The unfired glazed tile is called greenware.

6. Firing of the Greenware

The greenware is placed in a roller hearth kiln for firing. The firing process regulates important characteristics such as the temperature, pressure, and firing cycle. The process may take up to 45 minutes and reach over 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. The tile can shrink up to 15% during this process.

7. The Finished Tile

Finished ceramic tile is sorted by shade (color and tone), caliber (size), and class (first, second, or waste quality). Sorted tile is packed and palletized completely by robotic machines.

The entire seven-step process typically takes between 60 minutes and several days depending upon the factory and technology.

AS the industry continually evolves, more technological advances can create even more refined tiles, which may be further cut, rectified, polished, or otherwise enhanced.

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