Polishing of Porcelain Tiles in Industrial- and Laboratory-scale

This work reports the design and use of a laboratory-scale tribometer and a new developed tool-holder to reproduce the industrial polishing process for ceramic tiles in laboratory-scale. The mechanical conditions in a typical industrial polishing process were used to execute the tests in industrial-scale on a single polishing head test- rig. The results of spatial glossiness and roughness distribution from the industrial-scale test were taken as reference. After adaption of parameters the tests were repeated on a tribometer in laboratory-scale. The custom-made CNC- tribometer allows all parameters and kinematics used in the industry to be controlled and provides additionally a very high position accuracy of the tool. The new developed tool-holder provides similar contact conditions as known from the industrial process. The results of the evolution of glossiness and roughness from laboratory-scale test are compared with the data obtained from the test in industrial-scale and show that the tribometer and the new tool- holder accurately reproduce the polishing process from industrial-scale in laboratory