 |
 |
||||||
[April 2001]
Major Orders Announced for Thuringia Netzsch Finishing Systems
Thuringia Netzsch (Selb and Sonneberg, Germany) has just announced that after having carried out practical systems tests, the major porcelain manufacturer Mitterteich in Germany - as well as Royal Worcester and Wedgwood in the UK - have all placed orders for the company's newly developed triple axis tooling system for plate rim fettling and sponging.
Wedgwood has ordered a complete flatware production plant, comprising an isostatic press with two of the finishing units attached. It has also ordered a third unit to be retrofitted to a vertical isostatic press currently on order from Thuringia Netzsch.
The new servo drive system, a patent pending technique, is a turntable machine which can be used to fettle and sponge oval, angular and other non-standard flatware shapes. Up until now, this application was the reserve of sophisticated robotic operations. These, however, sometimes require a six-axis operation whereas Thuringia Netzsch's latest development relies on just a triple-axis principle.
With the system, there is no need to transfer ware from one station to another, minimising ware handling. It also boasts high output rates: up to 500 per hour on round items, 300 per hour on ovals and 240 per hour on angular items.
As well as being ideal for dust pressing (isostatic) production plants, this machine can equally well be bolted on downstream from other common flatware making systems and even RAM presses. It is suitable for retrofitting, whereby old fettling machines are replaced by the new tooling, making it possible to transform any previously specialised plant into a universal one, capable of then producing articles of ware with different shapes, sizes etc.
Thuringia Netzsch commented that it expected this innovation to revolutionise the fettling and sponging of this type of ceramic tableware.
ENDS