Environmental controlling as a management tool: environmental protection in practice in the house of Villeroy & Boch

摘要

The coating of ceramic products, which began a long time ago, was done for two reasons: to improve the attractiveness of the products and to transform the roughness of the pieces into a smooth surface. This made it more difficult for the product to become soiled and made the cleaning of the jars and vases, tiles, sanitaryware products and insulators easier. This remained the case until the end of the 20th century. Since then, scientific research stemming from the glass sector has concentrated on surfaces and has made some interesting advances. Hydrophobic systems based on fluorocarbon or methyl group bonds have been developed which permit very little adhesive attraction for the water. This leads to larger drops that roll off the product. The drawback: burning in is made at a max. of 400 ℃. Another development: in combination with a micro-profile, the so-called "lotus flower effect" results. Here silosanes with micronising fillers (aerosils) are used e.g., on roofing tiles. The maximum firing temperature here is also 400 ℃. The resulting surface is, however, less wear and alkali resistant.