How to improve prototype design in the ceramics industry

A creative business like the ceramics industry can also benefit from technology. Would you like to know how?

Things are no longer the same.

Digitalization has entered the world of ceramic production with force.

Many Product Managers in the ceramic sector use advanced and intelligent tools that allow them to find the balance between costs, quality, and design.

Traditional artisanal processes are giving way to new methods...Today, a ceramic glazer has less manual work and can focus more on ideating new designs and glazes.

Imagine:

✅ Visualizing your ceramic products in 3D before they exist

✅ Correcting small defects in real-time thanks to Mixed Reality

✅ Designing variations of the same piece intuitively and quickly

✅ Saving costs and raw materials during the creation process

Innovation and creativity can take your company in the ceramics sector two steps ahead!

If you want to discover how to leverage technology for ceramic production and design, keep reading.

Digitalization and Industry 4.0 have arrived in the ceramics sector

First of all, you are probably wondering: is it really possible to digitalize the ceramic production process?

Yes, it is.

Talking about ceramics in Spain is talking about innovation and technology.

This sector goes far beyond traditional pottery and the design of tableware and decoration. Today, ceramics are used in all types of manufacturing:

  • Semiconductors and insulations
  • Advanced technical ceramics for the automotive industry
  • Stoneware pipes
  • Refractory products
  • Space shuttles
  • Architecture and decoration
  • Ceramic technology

The energy, medical, nautical, and aerospace industries benefit in various ways from ceramics in its different forms.

The flooring and tile segment is one of the areas that most concentrates tile production. Being an industry that exports more than 75% of what it produces, as stated in the latest ASCER report, it is logical that more ideas are being sought to create porcelain products with a precise technical design that can provide solutions to specific needs.

What technologies are helping with the design of pieces in the ceramics sector?

The advent of new technologies has been a before and after in many industries, including the ceramics sector.

When we talk about ceramic piece design, it is essential to consider the role that different technologies are playing.

Digital Printing

Some successful companies in the ceramics sector use a solution of pigmented inks for digital printing, such as Torrecid's INKCID.

Virtual Reality

It uses simulated objects and scenes to create a real-looking environment. It allows us to visualize representations of the piece before producing it, which can be used at the product or sales level.

3D Printing of Ceramics

3D printers allow the creation of small-scale prototypes more simply than traditional production lines.

Mixed Reality

Undoubtedly, the area that stands out for its advancement is Mixed Reality, a technology that facilitates interaction with virtual objects in a real environment.

A solution reflected in the Uktena industrial assistant, which your ceramic sector company can now test to know its advantages.

For example, imagine the possibility of changing printing molds in a short time and being able to increase the production of ceramic pieces.

It would enhance profitability, allow for evaluating pros and cons, and perfect and optimize production to exceed expected goals.

Mixed Reality technology is redefining task execution, knowledge access, and remote assistance in the ceramics industry.

8 benefits of using an intelligent assistant to improve prototype design

If you can visualize it, you can create it.

This is how Mixed Reality helps you achieve better results in ceramic production.

Explore the 8 applications of mixed reality in the manufacturing and maintenance of ceramic industries, highlighting its potential to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and ensure products of the highest quality.

1. Visualize 3D prototype designs

Materialize the product and understand how it is made.

Produce your pieces intuitively and practically through Mixed Reality glasses that allow you to interact with the virtual ceramic 3D object in multiple versions of design, finish, hardness, size, etc.

This way, you can understand and learn the manufacturing process without anyone's help, optimizing time and resources.

2. Improve your team's efficiency

We previously mentioned in a post how important Mixed Reality is to improve efficiency in industrial maintenance companies. The same can be applied to product design.

Your team of ceramic machinists can work more productively if they have the opportunity to use technology that facilitates their work, allows them to interact with created objects, and create custom pieces with less effort and cost.

3. Precise production with Quality Control

Precision is essential in ceramics.

With this technology, technicians overlay digital models on physical ceramics, allowing real-time inspections.

Thus, defects and deviations are detected and corrected instantly, minimizing errors and waste.

Save time and work by avoiding the manual control process of ceramic pieces, using tools that make the procedure simpler and more intuitive.

4. Training and skill development

Workers can become experts in a matter of minutes.

Through virtual environments, technicians perfect skills in the ceramics industry, being productive and risk-free, regardless of their previous training.

They quickly acquire the skills and confidence needed.

5. Inventory management

Inventory is essential in any industry.

And sometimes, complicated.

When a specific ceramic mold is needed, an employee can use a Mixed Reality viewer to scan the storage area and locate its location.

Simple, fast, and effective.

6. Remote maintenance and repairs

A defective furnace no longer implies long hours of downtime.

Possibly, a few hours of stoppage of a large machine produce significant losses for the company.

But this can stop being a problem.

A remote technician can collaborate in real-time with onsite staff, offering quick diagnostics and immediate solutions.

7. Improve precision

How many prototypes do not pass the first phases of quality control? How many cost overruns is your company suffering from projects that drag on because pieces are designed that are not functional or not precise enough to meet the objective?

Improving your ceramic piece design processes will significantly impact the success of your results.

8. Reduce production costs

  • By minimizing errors during the design, molding, and firing stages, material waste is reduced.
  • By speeding up technician training and reducing the need to repeat defective processes, time and, therefore, money is saved.
  • The ability to perform maintenance and repairs remotely also eliminates expenses related to travel and onsite diagnostics.

Overall, incorporating mixed reality technologies into the ceramic production chain can translate into significant financial savings.

It makes investing in this technology offer a quick and tangible return.

Discover Uktena, the virtual assistant for the ceramics sector

Technology and 3D prototype design must go hand in hand to develop a much more competitive business.

From Uktena, we encourage you to fill out this form with your company's details so you can try our solution.