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The history of terrazzo tiles is long, and its origin can be traced back to the ancient civilization period. As early as the 2nd century BC, the Romans used volcanic ash and lime to mix to make the world's earliest concrete, which laid the foundation for the development of terrazzo. In the 16th century, Venetian craftsmen randomly inlaid the marble scraps left over from the decoration of luxury houses in the yard. After simple treatment, they got unexpected results. The prototype of terrazzo in the modern sense was born, and its English name "Terrazzo" also originated from the Italian word "Terrace". At that time, the Italians also found that applying goat milk on the surface of terrazzo would greatly improve its glossiness.
In my country, the former British Consulate in Guangzhou in Shamian, Guangzhou used freshly made terrazzo in 1861. In 1908, the freshly made terrazzo floor in the lobby of the former Hubei Military Government Building (now the site of the Wuchang Uprising Military Government Memorial Hall) was already of a relatively high level. In the 1960s, China's first subway, Beijing Line 1, used a large number of terrazzo floors. By the 1980s, terrazzo had become a "national material" and was widely used in schools, hospitals, parks, government agencies and other places, entering the lives of ordinary people. However, with the large-scale development of mines, natural stones have flooded into the market. In addition, the traditional terrazzo production process is highly polluting, has low brightness, and is easy to weather. Factors such as weathering, it has gradually become unpopular and its market position has been replaced by other materials.
However, social progress and the need for sustainable development have brought new life to terrazzo tiles. The emergence of new materials and the improvement of manufacturing processes have allowed terrazzo to present richer colors and patterns. Today, terrazzo tiles not only show a unique sense of fashion in commercial spaces, creating a high-end atmosphere for shopping malls, hotels, office buildings, etc.; they are also very popular in residential decoration. Whether it is the floor, wall or countertop, terrazzo tiles can create a personalized space. It has returned to the public's vision with a new attitude and has once again become a highly anticipated decorative material in the field of architecture.
In the past, the production of terrazzo tiles mainly relied on manual operation and traditional mechanical equipment. Although this production method could maintain certain manual characteristics, it also exposed many problems.
Low production efficiency is a major pain point of traditional production methods. Taking the batching process as an example, workers need to manually mix raw materials such as cement, gravel, and pigments in a certain proportion. This process is not only time-consuming, but also prone to proportion deviations due to human factors. In the mixing process, the mixing speed and uniformity of traditional mixers are limited, and it is difficult to meet the needs of large-scale production. Moreover, the connection between the various links in the traditional production process is not tight enough, and workers spend a lot of time on operations such as carrying materials and changing molds, which prolongs the entire production cycle. According to statistics, the daily output of traditional production lines can only reach about one-third of that of automated production lines.
In terms of quality stability, traditional production also has obvious shortcomings. Due to the lack of precise control methods, the quality of each batch of products is uneven. In the molding process, manual operation is difficult to ensure the dimensional accuracy and surface flatness of the brick body, resulting in deformation and uneven thickness of some products. During the grinding and polishing process, the workers' different operating techniques and strengths make the gloss and smoothness of the products vary greatly. These quality problems not only affect the aesthetics of the product, but also reduce its service life and market competitiveness.
High labor costs are also an issue that traditional production methods cannot avoid. From the handling and processing of raw materials to the inspection and packaging of finished products, each link requires a large amount of manual participation. As labor costs continue to rise, the production costs of enterprises also increase. At the same time, manual operations also have problems such as high labor intensity and poor working environment, resulting in high worker mobility, which further increases the management costs and production risks of enterprises.
Automated production has brought new vitality to the terrazzo brick industry, and a series of advanced core equipment plays a key role in it. The brick making machine is the core of the entire production process, which determines the molding quality and production efficiency of the brick body. Today's brick making machines use advanced hydraulic technology and high-precision molds, which can exert up to hundreds of tons of pressure to quickly shape the brick body in a short time. For example, some large brick making machines can reach a pressure of more than 500 tons, and the terrazzo bricks produced are high in density and strength, which can fully meet the needs of various construction projects. Moreover, the mold replacement of the brick making machine is convenient and quick, and bricks of different specifications and shapes can be produced through simple operations, which greatly improves the flexibility of production.
As a key equipment for raw material mixing, the performance of the mixer directly affects the quality of the product. The automatic mixer is equipped with a high-precision metering system, which can accurately control the proportion of raw materials such as cement, stone, pigment, etc. to ensure the consistency of each batch of products. At the same time, the mixer uses efficient mixing blades and a unique mixing method, which can fully mix various raw materials in a short time, so that the uniformity of the materials reaches more than 98%. Some advanced mixers also have an automatic cleaning function. After each mixing is completed, the mixing barrel and blades can be automatically cleaned to avoid the impact of material residue on the quality of the next batch of products.
The palletizer is an important part of the automated production line, which realizes the automatic palletizing and handling of finished bricks. Traditional manual palletizing is not only labor-intensive, but also inefficient, and prone to problems such as uneven stacking and brick damage. The automated palletizer uses advanced robotic technology and visual recognition systems to quickly and accurately grab finished bricks and palletize them in a preset manner. For example, some high-speed palletizers can palletize 20-30 bricks per minute, greatly improving production efficiency. At the same time, the intelligent control system of the palletizer can also automatically adjust the gripping force and stacking method according to the size and weight of the bricks, effectively reducing the breakage rate of the bricks.
The automated production of terrazzo tiles has a rigorous and efficient production process, which shows a high degree of automation and precision starting from the raw material preparation. In the raw material preparation stage, various raw materials are accurately transported to the designated location through automated conveying equipment. Cement, gravel, pigment and other raw materials are stored in different silos, and are accurately batched according to the preset formula ratio through electronic scales and automatic feeding devices. In this process, advanced sensors and control systems monitor the weight and flow of raw materials in real time to ensure the accuracy of batching, and the error can be controlled within ±0.5%.
The mixing process is to fully mix the prepared raw materials to form a uniform mixture. After the automatic mixer is started, the high-speed rotating mixing blades quickly mix the various raw materials together. At the same time, according to the requirements of the production process, an appropriate amount of water and additives are added. During the mixing process, the temperature, humidity and other parameters in the mixer will also be monitored and adjusted in real time to ensure the quality of the mixture. Generally speaking, the mixing time is controlled within 3-5 minutes to make the mixture reach the ideal uniformity.
The molding stage is to make the stirred mixture into a brick. The brick making machine uses advanced hydraulic molding technology to put the mixture into a mold and quickly mold it under high pressure. The entire molding process only takes a few seconds, and the production efficiency is extremely high. Moreover, due to the high mold precision and stable molding pressure of the brick making machine, the bricks produced are accurate in size, smooth in surface and reliable in quality.
After forming, the bricks need to be cured to improve their strength and stability. The automated curing system uses constant temperature and humidity control technology to provide the best curing environment for the bricks. During the curing process, the bricks are placed on a specific curing rack and water is sprayed regularly through the spray system to keep the surface of the bricks moist. At the same time, the temperature and humidity in the curing room will be precisely adjusted according to the type of bricks and the production process to ensure that the bricks reach the ideal strength within the specified time. Generally, the curing time of terrazzo tiles is 7-14 days.
The finished bricks after curing are automatically palletized by the palletizer. The palletizer uses a mechanical arm or suction cup to neatly stack the finished bricks on the pallet according to certain rules. After palletizing, the pallet is automatically transported to the warehouse or loading area for subsequent storage and transportation. The entire palletizing process is efficient and accurate, greatly improving production efficiency and logistics management level.
In the terrazzo tile machine, the application of advanced technology is the key to improving production efficiency and product quality. Among them, PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) control technology plays a core role. PLC is like the "brain" of the entire production system. It precisely controls various equipment on the production line by writing specific programs. For example, in the raw material batching link, PLC can control the action of the electronic scale and the feeding device according to the preset formula to achieve accurate proportioning of raw materials; during the mixing process, PLC can control the speed, mixing time and amount of water and additives of the mixer to ensure the stability of the quality of the mixture; in the molding stage, PLC can control the pressure of the brick making machine, the opening and closing of the mold, and the pushing out of the brick blank to ensure the molding quality of the brick blank. Through the centralized control of PLC, the entire production process has been automated and intelligent, greatly reducing manual intervention and improving production efficiency and product quality stability.
Mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and gas integration technology is also a highlight of automated production. This technology organically combines multiple technologies such as mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic, greatly improving the performance of production equipment. In the brick-making machine, the hydraulic system provides strong molding pressure to ensure the density and strength of the bricks; the electrical system is responsible for controlling the operation of the equipment and monitoring various parameters; the pneumatic system is used for operations such as rapid opening and closing of molds and transportation of bricks. Through the integrated design of mechatronics, hydraulics and gases, the brick-making machine has a faster response speed and smoother operation, and the production efficiency and product quality have been significantly improved. At the same time, this technology also makes equipment maintenance more convenient, reducing equipment failure rate and maintenance costs.
Automated production has shown great strength in the terrazzo tile industry, and a series of data has strongly proved this. In terms of production efficiency, the advantages of automated production lines are very obvious. Taking a large terrazzo tile manufacturer as an example, the daily output of its traditional production line is about 1,000-1,500 square meters, while after adopting an automated production line, the daily output can reach 3,000-5,000 square meters, and the production efficiency has increased by 2-3 times. Not only that, automated production has also greatly shortened the production cycle. The traditional production method may take 7-10 days from raw material preparation to finished product delivery, while automated production can shorten the production cycle to 3-5 days with efficient equipment and close process connection, greatly improving the company's market response speed.
Cost reduction is also a significant benefit brought about by automated production. In terms of labor costs, automated production lines have significantly reduced labor requirements. On a traditional production line, 10 to 15 workers may be required per shift, while an automated production line only requires 3 to 5 people to complete the same production task. Assuming a worker earns 5,000 yuan per month, the use of automated production can save 30,000 to 60,000 yuan in labor costs per month. At the same time, since automated production reduces the waste of raw materials caused by human factors, the cost of raw materials is also effectively controlled. According to statistics, automated production can reduce raw material loss rate by 10% - 15%, further reducing production costs.
Automated production also performs well in terms of product quality. Through precise control and stable production technology, the automatically produced terrazzo tiles have reached higher standards in terms of dimensional accuracy, surface flatness and glossiness. Taking dimensional accuracy as an example, the dimensional error of traditionally produced terrazzo tiles may be ±2 - 3 mm, while the error of automated production can be controlled within ±0.5 - 1 mm, greatly improving the installation accuracy and aesthetics of the product. In terms of surface flatness and glossiness, products produced by automated production are more uniform and consistent, and the defective rate is significantly reduced. The defective rate of traditional production may be 5% - 10%, while automated production can control the defective rate within 2% - 3%, improving the market competitiveness of the product.
Looking into the future, the automated terrazzo tile machine has broad development prospects. With the continuous advancement of science and technology, intelligence and digitalization will become important development directions for automated production. Production equipment will have more powerful intelligent perception and data analysis capabilities, and will be able to monitor various parameters in the production process in real time, and automatically adjust the production process according to the results of data analysis to achieve optimal control of the production process. For example, through sensors and big data analysis, the equipment can automatically adjust parameters such as ingredient ratio, mixing time and molding pressure according to the characteristics of raw materials and environmental changes, further improving product quality and production efficiency.
At the same time, the integration with emerging technologies will also bring new opportunities for the automated terrazzo tile machine. The popularization of 5G technology will enable high-speed and stable communication between devices, making remote monitoring and operation possible. Enterprises can monitor the situation on the production site anytime and anywhere through mobile phones or computers, solve problems that arise in production in a timely manner, and improve the efficiency and flexibility of production management. Artificial intelligence technology can be applied to product design, quality inspection and other links. By learning and analyzing a large amount of data, it can provide designers with creative inspiration and help companies quickly develop new products that meet market demand; in terms of quality inspection, artificial intelligence can achieve fast and accurate inspection of product appearance, size, performance and other aspects, greatly improving inspection efficiency and accuracy.
Despite the bright prospects, the automated production of terrazzo tiles also faces some challenges. Technological innovation requires continuous investment of a large amount of funds and manpower, which may be a considerable burden for some small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, the maintenance and upkeep of automated production equipment requires professional technicians, and enterprises need to strengthen talent training and introduction to ensure the normal operation of equipment. In addition, market competition is also becoming increasingly fierce, and enterprises need to continuously improve product quality and brand influence in order to gain a place in the market.
The automated production of terrazzo tiles is an inevitable trend in the development of the industry. It brings enterprises an efficient, high-quality, and low-cost production method, and also provides consumers with more beautiful and durable products. Although it faces some challenges, as long as enterprises in the industry work together, strengthen technological innovation and talent training, and continuously improve product quality and service levels, the terrazzo tile industry will surely usher in a more brilliant future.
