Automation in ceramic production: How KUKA robots preserve “Made in Italy” quality

Sinks, toilets, bathroom furniture, and much more: sanitaryware from Italy is known and loved worldwide. Quality, design, and technical innovation have gone hand in hand here for generations. This centuries-old expertise has its origins in the historic town of Civita Castellano, about 60 kilometers north of Rome – where GSI Ceramica is also headquartered. The company has held a firm place in the Italian ceramics industry since the 1930s and intends to continue “Made in Italy” production well into the future. To this end, the company has sought out automation partners who can take its operations and passion for the craft to the next level.

Today, several turnkey systems from the SACMI Group are in use for ceramic production, along with 40 KUKA robots of the KR QUANTEC and KR IONTEC types, implemented by Gaiotto Automation. In the casting, finishing, glazing, and internal transport departments, the robots now ensure repeatable and consistent processes. “Our product must be flawless,” says Plant Manager Roberto Ceccarelli. “Investments in robotics and automation ensure this goal, guarantee the highest standards, and minimize any risk of imperfections.”

The ceramic mixture – consisting of clay and kaolin – is pumped at 14 bar into resin molds during casting, which are designed for 100,000 identical parts. This avoids the deviations typical of plaster molds and guarantees absolute uniformity. After casting, the parts undergo drying and finishing. Here, grinding robots remove burrs and defects with a precision that would be impossible to achieve manually. “We have fully automated the finishing process, because even invisible details make all the difference. We clean areas that the cus-tomer will never see – but for us, that’s a guarantee of top quality,” says Ceccarelli.

Next comes the glazing, performed by self-learning robots that mimic the craftsmen’s movements with millimeter-level precision. This artistic execution is made possible by the integrator Gaiotto. And not just in white: even the most complex colors are applied evenly, ensuring the finish is visually and tactilely uniform. “I wanted the colors to be managed by robots,” emphasizes Ceccarelli, “because the customer must always receive the same product – identical in every detail. For us, perfection is a promise we keep every day.”

Inhouse transport is now also fully automated: KUKA robots handle the transport of parts between the individual processing stages, all the way to firing in the 1,250 °C tunnel kiln. This not only increases efficiency but also improves safety. “There is no longer any manual handling of heavy loads in the company,” says Ceccarelli. There is now one heavy-duty hoist for every two employees, and one robot for every 1.3 employees. Automation has also changed roles: thanks to training sessions organized jointly with KUKA, the operators have become specialists in the operation and maintenance of robots.

And these dreams are far from over. The company has increased production with a third kiln and aims to continue growing. The next challenge is therefore automated logistics. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) play a central role in this vision, as do new handling and packaging solutions. KUKA’s operating system iiQKA.OS2 will also play a key role in the future. Despite all this automation, however, the philosophy remains the same: investing in technology to improve people’s working lives, increase output, and uphold the value of “Made in Italy.”