Tile Manufacturing

Ceramic Tile Manufacturing
Ceramic tiles are made from clay that contain silicates. To produce a tile, this clay mixture is formed and baked at extremely high temperatures. Ceramic tiles can be produced and purchased in two forms: unglazed or glazed.

Where Does the Clay Come From?
Simply defined, ceramic tile is made of clay. Ceramic and cement based tile are similar in at least one respect, they both are often formed by similar means. That is where the similarity ends. After the formation of the tile body, ceramic tiles go through a firing process. Cement tiles are not fired.

All tiles start out in the earth. Raw materials are quarried and refined. In the case of ceramic tiles, this includes clays, talc, and other minerals. Obviously cement based tile include cements and sands. Great care is taken in the proper mixture of these materials, as each one is critical to the success, quality and characteristics of the product produced. Once the raw materials are quarried, prepared, and properly mixed, the tiles may now be formed.

The Shaping of the Tile
There are four main methods for forming tile bodies: dust press, rampress, wet pour, and extrusion. The dust press method is used exclusively for ceramic tile. Dry clay, talc, and other ingredients (the dust) are pressed into a mold using pressure. Rampress is similar to the dust press method. The difference lies only in the size of the tile shapes.

Ceramic and cement tiles may be formed using the extrusion method, which is similar to the dust press except the mixture is wet and squeezed through a nozzle and into the shape desired. The wet pour, or slush mold, method is like the extrusion method only the mixture is much wetter.

The Tiles Are Then Hardened
After the tiles have been molded into the desired shape, they are hardened. Cement tiles must be hardened through a process called hydration where it simply hardens without human interference. Ceramic tiles require the use of a kiln. Once the ceramic tiles are shaped, they are fired in an oven at extremely high temperatures. To avoid having the tiles explode due to trapped moisture, they must first be thoroughly dried, either exposed to the air or in ovens over a period of time.

Glazed tiles were traditionally fired twice in the kiln. The glaze, or frit, a liquid glass substance, is applied through spraying or drizzling on like a waterfall. Technology in our modern world, however, has allowed tile manufacturers to accomplish both firings at once. Called monoculture, the process has simplified the automated tile manufacturing process drastically though many tile producers still choose to use the double firing method.

The Color of Tile
Often, the body of the tile, the clay mixture, is not exactly what was desired. This may be particularly true for ceramic mosaic tiles. When this is the case, an enrobe is applied prior to the glaze. The substance delivers color and a certain opacity the manufacture may be unable to produce otherwise.

Marble and Stone Manufacturing
Marble and stone tile manufacturing are altogether different from the ceramic and cement tile production. Marble and stone are not mixed and baked, unlike ceramic and cement tiles. Rather, they are products of the natural environment. Put simply, marble and stone tiles are cut and shaped from what nature provides.

The art of marble and stone manufacture is not in the mixing, shaping, coloring, and hardening. It all boils down to the cut made in the stone and how the tile is then shaped and finished to the final product seen in today’s homes. The color, dimension, veining and so forth are natural attributes on the stone and enhance the natural beauty of this type of tile. For more on marble and stone, see Marble and Stone Composition.