Apparently invisible. Chemistry in ceramics.
Episodes
On black cores and degassing: analyzing a defect
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode provides a quick overview of the “black core” effect—an internal discoloration in porcelain tiles, typically caused by incomplete o...
Bubbles, surfactants, and defoamers
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In ceramic manufacturing, aqueous suspensions play a crucial role in shaping processes and determining the final quality of products.However, foam for...
Cratering phenomena and ceramic glazes: in short
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A closer look at one of the most common flaws that can affect both the performance and the appearance of ceramic glaze.In this episode, we break down ...
Rheology in a nutshell: fundamentals, applications, and role
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is rheology and what is it used for?This episode answers exactly these questions. Without delving into complex details, it presents a few key con...
Wetting agents: functions and applications in the ceramic industry
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wettability is, in general terms, the property that describes a liquid's ability to adhere to a solid surface.It can also be understood as the process...
Water conductivity and industrial processes
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The electrical conductivity of water is a key parameter in industrial production processes, as it reflects the amount of dissolved ions that can direc...
Chemicals for ceramic glazes: the grinding phase
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the essential role of chemical additives used during the grinding phase of ceramic glazes—a crucial step that sets the...
Maintenance fluids and ceramic digital printers: cleaner, stand-by fluid, and model fluid
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Digital printing has transformed the ceramic industry, opening the door to highly sophisticated, versatile, and customizable designs.At the core of th...
Temporary binders: functions and actions
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the world of ceramics, temporary binders play a crucial role in improving the cohesion and workability of slips.These substances, often polymer-bas...
Behind the scenes of innovation: exploring the challenges and methodology behind the development of chemical auxiliaries
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode takes inspiration from the thesis work of the Head of Research at Zschimmer & Schwarz Ceramco. The goal is not to focus on the specif...
Top glaze: what it is, what it is used for, and how to apply it
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the ceramic field, a “top glaze” refers to the glaze applied as the final layer onto the unfired ceramic substrate. This glaze can serve multi...
Chimic-A.I. – Chemistry Through the Eyes of Artificial Intelligence. A Playful Experiment
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After more than fifty episodes exploring topics of general interest—always through the lens of chemistry and ceramic production—we’ve decided to...
Melting materials and ceramic production: what they are and what they are for
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Melting materials used in ceramics, often in glazes and digital glues, are capable of lowering the melting point of a material or compound, thus accel...
Ceramic production and digital processes: productivity, challenges, and preventive actions
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial productivity is a top priority for any manufacturing enterprise, regardless of its field of operation.The ceramic industry, too, must adher...
Reverse Osmosis: problems and solutions in water treatment
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Water is one of the most widely used natural resources in numerous applications and across various sectors of industrial production.For example, proce...
Suspending agents: nature, function, and chemical-physical principles
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Suspending agents belong to a broad category of additives whose primary purpose is to provide ceramic suspensions (slips, glazes, engobes, or frits) w...
Complexing agents and ceramic production: what they are and how they work
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Complexing agents are capable of catching multivalent cations present in suspension to prevent them from negatively affecting the ceramic process. Th...
Relief surfaces and ceramic production (3D effects): methods and techniques
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The topic of non-planar surfaces, which develop on multiple micro-levels and are sometimes improperly identified as 3D surfaces, plays a crucial role ...
Preparatory stages of the digital printing process: from files to ceramic support
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the previous episode (#45) we discussed the technical aspects of digital printing systems in relation to ceramic bricks.This second part looks at t...
Digital printing: opportunities and challEnges in heavy clay ceramics
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At present, in the heavy clay industry, products are decorated mainly by applying engobe with the aid of scattered granules or by means of reduction e...
Operating temperature & ceramic production
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The operating temperature is an important parameter that ceramic producers must take into account in order to avoid application problems that can also...
Chemicals for ceramic production: a focus on deflocculant and bindersÂ
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most ceramic production processes involve the dispersion of ceramic powders in a liquid medium - mostly water - to obtain a suspension or, more genera...
Analysis of ceramic suspensions: tools and purposes
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All analysis of ceramic suspensions carried out by those companies that supply chemicals for ceramic production are fundamental to properly develop th...
Chemicals & seasonality: problems and suggestions
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After addresing the impact that seasonality can have on the the fluidization of ceramic mixtures and on bacterial proliferation within semi-finished p...
Chemicals & seasonality: problems and suggestions
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In ceramics, the use of chemicals plays a fundamental role in providing the final product with high technical and aesthetic results and in promoting a...
Glaze and grit suspensions: differences & similarities
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Glaze and grit suspensions are made up of a liquid part (usually made-up of water and one or more rheological chemicals) and a dispersed solid part.Ho...
Cratering phenomena: what they are, how they develop and how to manage them
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cratering phenomena are defects that appear as microscopic craters on the surface of ceramic bodies on which an aqueous (and still drying) suspension ...
Carboxymethylcellulose: what is it for & how to use it?
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CMC are organic compounds, water-soluble polymers derived from cellulose, widely used in several fields of industrial production. In ceramics, sodium ...
Plasticity of ceramic mixtures: values and application fields
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The plasticity values of ceramic mixtures is a very important issue, since it affects the values and features of the mix and therefore the proper deve...
How to improve the printing definition of digital inks?
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In ceramics, digital technology (use of digital glues and digital inks) has definitely riform the sector, making the production process much more flex...
Scanning Electron Microscope & ceramic production
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Scanning Electron Microscope is a sophisticated tool used in many fields of scientific research, even in ceramics.The use of an electron beam instead ...
Sodium silicate & deflocculation of ceramic mixtures
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sodium silicate is an inorganic substance that at room temperature it is in solid state.It is a chemical compound used in several areas of industrial ...
Ceramic firing cycle, emissions and chemism of digital inks
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Polluting and odor emissions are two important critical issues that producers have been looking for some time with considerable attention.This is a pr...
Foam formation within ceramic glazes: how to deal with it?
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Among the several issues that may arise along the glazing line, the excessive foaming within glaze suspensions is one of the most frequent and problem...
Ceramic glaze application & technical defects: the tv effect
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Speaking of ceramic glaze applications and technical defects, one of the strangest and most interesting is the "TV effect".It consists of a preferenti...
Excessive viscosity of the slip: causes & remedies
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Viscosity (or viscous friction coefficient) measures a substance attitude on generating friction between its layers. In other words, it defines the re...
Glazes/engobes bacterial degradations: technical & aesthetic consequences
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
All process water involved in ceramic production, both tap and well waters, usually contains bacteria.And the same applies to inorganic raw materials ...
Digital inks & ceramic production: what do we need to know
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to the digitalization of some of its processes, the ceramic industry has evolved pretty significantly over the last few years, and in this pers...
Ceramic glazes, surface tension & chemicals
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ceramic slips & rheological behavior
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In general, wet grinding systems offer best performances and best production results only when the chemical and physical features of slips are constan...
Formaldehyde, ceramic production & environmental impact
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Formaldehyde, despite its wide use in many fields of the industrial production, in high percentage may be a serious problem.In Ceramics, it must be ca...
Ceramic suspensions & rheological behavior
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rheology is the science that deals with the flow and the strain rate of matter.It’s a branch of Physics that studies the origin, the nature and the ...
Deflocculation of ceramic mixtures
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The episode focuses on the flocculation phenomena of ceramic mixtures.The problem is marked by a progressive aggregation of solid particles and it oft...
Ceramic glazes, dusting phenomena & digital printing decoration
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The lack of cohesion that occurs not only between the glaze’s particles but also between the glaze and the raw ceramic support can lead to a problem...
Surface protection treatments, emissions & regulations
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The episode focuses on a subject that may seem unimportant but that, instead, is quite relevant if we consider the recent and new intended use of cera...
Ceramic production, chemicals & reduction of the environmental impact (part two)
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the second part of a general overview about the most important categories of chemicals for ceramic prodution and their positive role i...
Ceramic production, chemicals & reduction of the environmental impact (part one)
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The episode aims to refocus, from a special and provocative perspective, the role of chemicals used in ceramics: from the beginning to the end of the ...
Ceramic glazes: application systems, rheology & synthetic chemicals.
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ceramic glazes can be applied by means of several technologies but the most common and popular is the airless spray system. However, sometimes glazes...
What benefits can you get by using water-based digital glues?
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Ceramics, the water-based digital system is a very important topic of interest.The R&D departments of all players have been doing research for ...
Water-based digital glues and ceramic ceramic production: what are they and how do they work?
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In ceramic production, the use of digital glues for glaze and grit applications has almost completely replaced the spray/airless application system.Ev...
Black core: origin of the problem and resolutive actions
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The black core is a localized area marked by a brown/black (or even white) color, clearly visible in the thickness of the ceramic tile.Its presence is...
Chemicals for application developed before and after the digital printing process (Part two)
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After introducing the topic in the previous episode and getting into the details of the problems that may arise before the inkjet application, this ne...
Chemicals for application developed before and after digital printing process (Part one)
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The ink-jet decoration - that has replaced traditional decoration systems - has removed several problems bringing out, however, new and more complex c...
Chemicals for ceramic mixtures: a short overview
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The ceramic mixture usually used in ceramic production, largely consists of inorganic raw materials (clay, feldspar, sand, etc.), grinding water and c...
Superficial halos formation during the drying process
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In ceramic, the drying process takes place inside dryers where raw tiles are placed on metal supports (roller stands) for a preset time, until the res...
Chemicals & ceramic glaze application (Part two)
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the previous episode, we offered a general overview on the most important chemicals normally used for ceramic glaze applications.We went deeper by ...
Chemicals and ceramic glaze application (Part one)
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The ceramic glaze application that takes place along the glazing line is one of the most delicate steps of the ceramic production process.If you want ...
Dry grit application by means of analogical systems
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In ceramic production, grit applications are mainly "wet applications" made by means of airless spraying systems.A kind of application that involves a...
Digital glaze application by means of non piezoelectric systems
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the field of ceramics, glazes are usually applied on the raw tile by means of spray “analogical” systems (airless application system). Neverthe...
Mechanical resistance of green and dried ceramic material
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Along the ceramic production line that from the pressing stage leads to the kilns, raw tiles (still delicate and fragile) often undergo to stresses on...
Superficial pinholes of ceramic tiles: roots, causes & remedies
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The ceramic production process - after the early stages that from the formation of the tile under the press lead to the applications of the glazing li...
Clogging of spray nozzle during grit application
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the ceramic tiles prodcution, engobes, grits, and glazes are still applied - to a large extent - by means of airless spray systems.chine is equippe...
Surface protective products & post-treatment criticalities
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The lapping and polishing processes that provide ceramic tiles with the proper aesthetic features, both involve the removal of a very thin layer of gl...
Process waters & critical issues
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Process water play a very important role within ceramic activities, being involved in a wide range of production’s steps. If on the one hand they ar...
Bacterial degradation of semi-finished products
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During their storage in the tanks, semi-finished products can be affected by bacterial degradations that, if they are not properly managed, may lead t...
Why do slurries jellify during stocking?
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The gelling phenomena of slurries inside the storage tanks is not so unusual as one might suppose.Let’s find out the causes and identify possible so...
Why do tiles explode in the kiln?
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why do tiles explode within the kiln?The phenomena that occur inside the kiln is quite similar to those that develops inside a pressure cooker: pressu...
Trailer
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The role of chemistry in ceramic production. What are the mechanisms behind the several steps of the ceramic production process?What are the main prob...