In ceramic sanitaryware products, glaze gloss and durability are the most intuitive and critical indicators. Gloss determines the product's visual appeal, while durability relates to its resistance to scratches, wear, and staining during use. As consumer demand for high-end sanitaryware and home ceramics grows, balancing attractive appearance with long-term performance has become a key focus for ceramic manufacturers.
◆ Primary Methods for Enhancing Glaze Gloss
Glaze gloss results from the combined effects of glaze formulation, firing techniques, body quality, and glaze thickness uniformity. Improving surface gloss requires scientifically formulated glazes and precise process control.
1. Adjusting Chemical Composition
Increase flux content (e.g., feldspar, limestone) to lower the glaze melting point, ensuring complete fusion and a smooth surface.
Incorporate auxiliary materials to reduce bubbles and pinholes, improving glaze flatness. Adding small amounts of borax or spodumene lowers high-temperature viscosity, enabling more uniform glaze flow.
2. Precise Firing Process Control
Ensure a steady heating and holding curve, allowing sufficient time for glaze melting. Maintain appropriate holding times exceeding 30 minutes at high temperatures to expel air bubbles from the glaze layer.
3. Glazing Technique Improvement
Control glaze thickness between 0.4mm and 0.8mm. Excessive thickness may cause rippling or bubbles, while insufficient thickness results in inadequate gloss. Apply glaze in multiple layers to ensure uniform coverage.
4. Pre-glazing Surface Preparation
Ensure the body surface is clean, smooth, and free of dust or impurities before glazing. Avoid contact between glazed bodies and unglazed or porous objects to prevent glaze absorption.
◆ Primary Methods to Enhance Glaze Durability
1. Optimizing Formulation
Incorporate high-hardness components like zirconium oxide and aluminum oxide to enhance scratch resistance;
Adjust the proportion of molten phases to increase glaze density and reduce micro-pores.
2. Surface Structure Control
Use nano-fillers to improve glaze microstructure and achieve greater surface density;
Add functional oxides to enhance acid/alkali resistance and stain resistance.
3. Process Control
Stable glazing parameters and optimized drying processes prevent defects like pinholes and bubbles, ensuring glaze continuity;
Precise control of firing atmospheres prevents performance degradation due to improper oxidation-reduction conditions.
◆ Synergistic Enhancement of Gloss and Durability
Gloss and durability are not mutually exclusive. Through rational design, they can complement each other:
• High-transparency protective glazes provide additional wear resistance without compromising surface gloss;
• Multi-layer glazing techniques combine high-white base glazes with transparent overlays to maintain bright appearance while enhancing surface resilience;
• Intelligent monitoring ensures consistent batch-to-batch gloss and hardness through real-time glaze evaluation.
Glaze gloss embodies the aesthetic value of ceramic products, while durability determines their lifespan. Achieving both requires synergistic improvements in formulation optimization, process control, and inspection methods. With advancements in new functional glazes and smart manufacturing technologies, future ceramic products will not only be more brilliant and captivating but also withstand the test of long-term use, delivering enduring quality experiences for bathroom and home spaces.