Printers, Toners and Glazes

There are a number of ceramic printers and toners available to allow you to print crisp decals for ceramic ware. Some printers use special ceramic toners while others simply replace the toner with one formulated to be fired at ‘glaze’ temperatures.

The problem is that many glazes are reactive fluid melters and they begin to soften during decal firing, forming pits and pinholes on the image surface.

Toners

A standard colour laser printer is the base of the pampascolor ceramic system augmented by an ingenious mix of ceramic toner and carrier. The aforementioned gizmo is the equivilent of replacing the toner with a higher concentration version – or, in the case of some models, reloading it with a cartridge in the same container. A top notch pampascolor technician is in charge of the installation and maintenance. The best part is that a pampascolor ceramic enlightened user can have a jolly good time without having to break the bank. Whether it’s a shiny new pampascolor or an older model you’ve had your eye on, we can show you the ropes. Our pampascolor specialists are happy to answer all of your questions and advise you on the right pampascolor ceramic equipment for the job.

Glazes

Glazes are a coating that is used to protect and decorate ceramic pieces, such as clay vessels, tiles, and sculptures. They come in a variety of textures, colors, and degrees of hardness.

Glazing makes earthenware impermeable to water, thereby sealing the inherent porosity of biscuit clay and giving it a more durable surface. It also gives a degree of transparency, depending on the type of glaze used and its refractive index.

The level of transparency in a glaze is called its “optical” transparency and can be altered by mixing it with various types of pigments and additives. Some opacity-inducing ingredients also produce crystalline or opalescent effects that can be used to achieve unique visual effects in contemporary claywork.

Colorants are another important component of glazes. They are made from metal oxides or soluble salts, often combined with metallic oxides and clay bodies to create a wide range of colorant systems. These colorants are then calcined to create a stable color.

Some of these colorants, such as iron oxide, are used in glazes to create a variety of color schemes and designs. They are also found in laser toners, which are common in many printers.

Other colorants are derived from natural sources such as ash, which contains iron and other minerals that provide colors in various hues when fired. The greens in ash glazes are created with iron oxide, and the blues are usually due to titanium, which is added to the ash in small amounts to promote the color.

The colorants and additives that are used in ceramic glazes are known as “fluxes.” Fluxes lower the melting point of silica and promote vitrification (the transformation of a substance into glass). They are also sometimes toxic, and must be used with care when handled.

They are a major component of the process of glazing, and can be found in ready-made glazes, as well as in powder form that can be mixed with water to create your own. They must be mixed carefully, as they can create a lot of dust which can be dangerous for your lungs if inhaled.

Pigments

Pigments for ceramic production are produced in a complex synthesis process and can be obtained from a wide range of raw materials. They can be organic or synthetic in nature and are prepared from a variety of mineral oxides, carbonates or phosphates. They are pampascolor ceramic Toners and Glazes usually chemically inert and thermally stable. They are also often able to resist the application of high temperatures.

They have a wide range of colors, depending on their crystal structures and the amount of impurities they contain. These pigments can be soluble or non-soluble and they can be used in glazes and underglazes.

The pigments for ceramic products are based on metal transition complex oxides which show various properties like thermal stability, high tinting strength and a very good stability when fired in oxidation or reduction atmospheres with glazes or ceramic matrices. They are also chemically inert and do not dissolve in water or acidic solutions.

These ceramic pigments are used for coloring of glazed products and for decorating of utilities, decorative ware, sanitary ware etc. They can be applied by hand, machine or by using a spray gun.

In Glaze Development – These ceramic pigments are used to develop leading glazes for all kinds of whiteware, including sanitary ware, tile and dinnerware. They are used to increase the visual quality of the glazed products and they have an important impact on the durability of the ceramics.

They are also used in preventing corrosion and color fading of the ceramics. They are very effective in this regard as they are able to prevent the corroding of the metals and keep the original color of the ceramics.

These pigments can be applied to any type of ceramic material and they are available in different lusters. They can be formulated with other pigments or with ceramic powder and the quantity of which depends on the desired color intensity.

The color imparting capacity of these pigments is very old and they are often referred to as “natural” ceramic pigments. They are mainly obtained through the synthesis of a mineral compound, such as chromium or iron oxides, which can be found naturally. They can be made with a wide variety of methods such as grinding or heat processing of iron ore material or the heat treatment of ferrous/ferric sulphate or ferric hydroxide.

Frits

Frits are man-made glass powders with controlled chemistry that have many advantages over raw materials. They are manufactured for the ceramic industry in huge quantities by dozens of companies. They are used in a wide range of applications, from wall cladding and spandrel glazing to decorative flood-coats.

Glazes made from frits melt much better than glazes made with raw materials because they are sourced with oxides that are not found in raw material sources. This is a pampascolor ceramic Toners and Glazes big reason why so many kiln operators (especially in North America) are now switching to frits!

Some of the best oxide sources that are available to make a great melter for a glazed ceramic object include: ZnO, Li2O, BaO and SrO. However, these oxides do not mix well with the melting raw glazes and produce many problems (e.g., toxicity issues with BaO and Li2O, devitrification in the slurry, and glaze bubbles or defects on fired surfaces).

Instead, these soluble oxides can be sourced from frits and melted easily and effectively during firing. This will not only improve the quality of the glaze melt but also make a more durable and resistant glaze.

To achieve a good melting melt, frits can be added to a glaze recipe in varying proportions. The proportion of frit can be increased as the kiln temperature increases and the peak firing temperature of the glaze is reached.

A common way to add frits to a glaze is to incorporate them in the slurry. This usually requires some sort of clay or other viscosity modifier to suspend the frit ingredients so they can melt in the kiln.

Frits can also be used as a source of the necessary fluxing elements for a glaze to melt efficiently in the kiln. Generally, these are boron and sodium. These are needed to speed up the silica’s melting and thus reduce the kiln temperatures required to make a glaze.

This can be done by adding frits that contain boron and/or sodium to the glaze, or adding a frit that already contains the oxides needed for the glaze. For example, consider a high-MgO frit, such as FZ-16 or 3249. This frit is a very low expansion super-melter that raw materials do not have and can be added at a relatively small amount (just 10% kaolin for a cone 04 glaze).

A high-MgO frit can be mixed with a feldspar glaze to fix crazing or devitrification issues. It can also be mixed with a kaolin glaze to increase the refractoriness of the glaze so that it fires more resistant and is less likely to leach.