Enhancing Sustainability in Ceramic Tile Manufacturing through Process Simulation and Opti-mization

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Stefan Heinrich
• Subject Area: Production Automation and Assembly Technology ; Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering ; Glass, Ceramics and Derived Composites ; Production Systems, Operations Management, Quality Management and Factory Planning
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547425449

Porcelain tiles are structure ceramic plates that are widely utilized to cover the floors and walls of residential, industrial, and commercial buildings. Porcelain tiles are unique. The process typically involves molding granulated raw material through high-pressure compaction, followed by firing in continuous roller kilns for a duration of 30-60 minutes. Automation and digitalization have increased with Industry 4.0. However, the ceramic industry lacks the ability to integrate measuring system output with automated equipment control. The distribution of properties in solid processes is complicated by particle chemical composition, shape, size, and structure. New environmental policies, especially for energy-intensive industries like porcelain tile production, require more sustainable manufacturing processes to maintain product quality. For numerical investigations of complex plants with material and energy streams connecting production steps, flowsheet calculations can be effectively applied . Even though flowsheet simulation tools are common in chemical engineering for fluid processes, they are not yet common for solid processes, especially ceramic powders. Only recently have such tools for interconnected solids processes been developed and applied. The typical practice is to design, simulate, and optimize each apparatus separately, ignoring its impact on neighboring processes. Previous studies have shown that flowsheet simulation accurately quantifies key process parameter sensitivity. The simulations can evaluate each processing unit's locally and process chain effects. Experimental data and semi-empirical models prevent a complete process sequence sensitivity analysis. Implementing a multiscale process treatment and gathering more material and process parameter data can improve models and optimize processes. To address this problem, this project aims to enhance the current models and simulate the manufacturing process of porcelain tiles through a joint collaborative research initiative involving UFSC in Brazil and TUHH in Germany. The multiscale process treatments will enable the digitalization and optimization of the entire processing chain. CFD simulations data will be used to improve the constitutively developed semi-empirical relations used in macroscale models by means of data driven surrogate models. This will build the foundation for computationally efficient optimization and model-predictive control for an industry that faces the challenges for digitalization. This project is part of DFG-CAPES Collaborative Research Initiative in the field of Industry 4.0, Advanced Digitalization.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Brazil
• Partner Organisation: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; (CAPES); Setor bancario Norte
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Marintho Bastos Quadri; Professor Marcelo Dal Bó; Professor Dr. Sergio Yesid Gomez Gonzalez; Professor Dachamir Hotza; Professor Dr. Agenor De Noni Junior; Professor Dr. Renato Oba; Professorin Dr. Talita Possamai; Professor Adriano Da Silva