Morbi’s Scientifica deploys Xaar for ceramic tile decoration

Based in Morbi, Gujarat, Scientifica Tiles is a newly established, family-run business that manufactures high-quality glaze vitrified floor tiles for the Indian, South American, Middle East and Israeli markets.

Scientifica Tiles opted for a KERAjet E​co printer with Xaar 2001+ GS12C printheads for its ability to accurately replicate natural marbles and stones, currently much in demand in the market. The manufacturer is benefiting from the printhead’s powerful combination of 2000 nozzles with 720dpi resolution, which together deliver fine details, smooth gradients and strong colours.

“We are very excited about the creative opportunities offered by the Xaar 2001+ printheads, and the print quality we are getting is extremely high,” said Hiren Vadaviya, director, Scientifica Tiles. “Compared to other printheads that are available, a big advantage with the Xaar 2001+ is the fact it can reproduce the subtle colour gradients of marbles and stones, making it ideal for these designs.”

Once the stronghold of screen printing, the ceramic tiles factories in Morbi, have embraced the digital technology in a big way. These factories offer endless possibilities and thousands of designs as well as innovative design concepts. Therefore, the high-resolution 720dpi delivers fine detail that can capture even the smallest features, such as rock veins and grains of sand. It enables smooth gradients in areas of low ink coverage (0-10% range), allowing flawless replication of the subtle tones found in onyx, for example.

In addition, due to its 2000 nozzles, the Xaar 2001+ GS12C can deliver strong colours when required, with an ink laydown of up to 40 g/m2 at 25 m/min line speed – and with no compromise on resolution.

Scientifica Tiles has also opted to utilise Xaar’s High Laydown (HL) Technology for special effects. These bars are currently being added to the machine, and will come into production by May. HL Technology enables exceptional special effects such as gloss, adhesive (glue) and metallic, with ink laydown of up to 120 g/m2 at 35 m/min line speed.

There are around 600 ceramic manufacturing units with production worth Rs 4,000 crore per annum. The main products are ceramic tiles, vitrified tiles, floor tiles, glazed wall tiles, lustre wall tiles, sanitary wares, porcelain tiles, spartek tiles, glaze tile, roofing tiles and mosaic tiles.

Vadaviya concluded, “Because we believe in healthy competition and wish to see our country produce the highest-quality products possible, we recommend the Xaar 2001+ printhead to all tile manufacturers in India. For ceramic tile decoration, the Xaar 2001+ printhead is definitely the best option available.”