Cooperativa Ceramica
d'Imola, a leading company in the production of single-fired and
double-fired tiles, is the oldest Italian cooperative. Founded in 1874, it
represents an important chapter in the history of cooperative movement and
Italian industrialization.
Today, Cooperativa
Ceramica d'Imola occupies a
place at the summit of the industry in terms of technology and production
standards as demonstrated by its export volumes which account for 75% of total
sales.
Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imolas total production amounts to 16 million square
meters per year: it manufactures single-fired, double-fired and fine porcelain
stoneware tiles in a wide range of sizes. As far as the production of fine
porcelain stoneware tiles is concerned, Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola manufactures the
largest tiles in the world.
IMOLA ENGINEERING is the technical
division of Cooperativa Ceramica
d'Imola set up to help designers in the application
of large slabs in fine porcelain stoneware.
The Artistic Workshop produces traditional and artistic ceramics revealing the companys commitment to artistic expression.
THE HISTORY
Like any other story, that of Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola is based on
important dates and events. It's origins date back to
a 15th ceramic shop of fine glazed traditional pottery that developed into a
ceramic industry with the passing of time. In 1874 the small majolica and
tableware factory, known as Fabbrica Bucci, was sold by the then owner, Giuseppe Bucci, to his workers who created the first form of
cooperative enterprise in
The war caused
destruction. But this was overcome by the will to reconstruct, start again and
update inorder not to lose out all the technical and
productive developments. This growth lead to a new production center set up in
via Correcchio in the 70's that was divided into
three establishments for single-fired and double-fired tile production. In the
80's Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola purchased the Borgo Tossignano plant for the production of fine porcelain
stoneware tiles: the company was then able to offer it's customers a complete
range of ceramic products.
A greater attention to
the productive process and the considerable investment in the production of
fine porcelain stoneware tiles at the begining of the
90's have allowed Cooperativa Ceramica
d'Imola to be one of the first companies to
manufacture tiles in large sizes, such as 60x60 and 60x120 cm. The present is
also the future for Cooperativa Ceramica
d'Imola, with a focus on the technology to provide
tomorrows products tailored to customers tastes and
demands.
FINE PORCELAIN
STONEWAR TILES
The main quality of fine porcelain
stoneware tiles is the fact that the whole body of each tile is characterized
by high physical and mechanical features.
The fine porcelain stoneware tiles produced by Cooperativa
Ceramica d'Imola are
available in the following sizes:
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Also trim pieces are
available, such as skirting, outcorner, inside
corner, cove base, flat top cove base and step.
Technical features
The
fine porcelain stoneware
TOP tiles, manufactured in Borgo Tossignano
plant, are made from carefully selected and particularly pure raw materials,
mostly from French and German deposits using the most advanced modern
equipments.
The raw materials are wet milled in discontinuous mills and then dried
by atomisation. Once the spray-dried material has
been duly matured in order to homogenize its characteristics, in particular its
relative humidity, it is pressed in hydraulic presses rated at 2500 tonnes. In this way the ceramic body is compressed to over
470 kg cm2.
After firing at approximately 1250 C°, this elevated pressing strength
serves to give the resultant tile an extremely low water absorption capacity
(in the order of 0.05% as a mean value and always less than 0.1% in compliance
with UNI EN 99 standards), in addition to an extremely high mechanical
resistance of 50 N mm2 in accordance with UNI EN 100 standards not to mention
deep abrasion resistance equal to 125- 135 mm3, just over half that specified
by UNI EN 102 standards.
The extremely low water absorption
capacity of TOP tiles makes them frost resistant which means that they fall
well inside UNI EN 202 requirements. These tiles may therefore be termed
"FULLY VITRIFIED" in accordance with European UNI EN 176 standards
and "IMPERVIOUS" as specified by American ANSI A 137.1 regulations,
insofar that their water absorption never exceeds 0.5%. Moreover, they offer
excellent stain and soiling resistance which makes them ideal for application
in areas of intense traffic.
This stain and soiling resistance is also due to the fact that the
surface of the unpolished tiles is sufficiently smooth for any staining agents
to be unable to gain a purchase on the surface of the tile itself, so they can
be removed without difficulty.
The chemical inertia of TOP tiles also makes them ideal for application
in environments where aggressive products such as acidic or basic chemical
agents are used or processed, such as in food industry or hospitals where
corrosive products are used to ensure hygiene and in chemical and
pharmaceutical industries in general.
The
TOP series
is available in a wide range of sizes and surface finishes, extending from 10x10 to 60x60 with
smooth non-polished, polished and gloss-polished, rustic and textured non-slip
surfaces. While maintaining the same low water absorption as the non-polished
tiles, the polished tiles are more difficult to clean although good results can
always be obtained by using the correct cleaning agents. Please do not hesitate
to contact the Technical Promotion Office for helpful advice on any cleaning
problems.
The natural non-polished fine porcelain stoneware TOP tiles have an
average surface hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale in
compliance with UNI EN 101; the polished and gloss-polished tiles have an
average surface hardness of 5 Mohs, given the nature
of their polished surface. All the other characteristics comply with UNI EN 176
standards, Group B I UGL, according to UNI EN 87. TOP tiles do not undergo any
surface treatments such as crystalline frits or fluxes.