Patterns are impressed into soft clay during mfr. of ceramic articles using a typographic plate. The pattern is formed on a printing plate or roller, and has hollows and reliefs, the shape being obtd. by photogravure. The plate may have a number of different patterns situated at different levels. The pattern may be reproduced continuously on an advancing strip of clay be means of a roller or continually by means of a flat plate and a press. The reproduction is accompanied by a device which cuts the pattern off to length. Used esp. for mfr. of floor and wall tiles with patterns in relief. The printing plate can be discarded after relatively soft cheap material which can be discarded after relatively short production runs, i.e. it does not require specially heat treated hardened steel as in prior art moulding techniques. Hence, more elaborate patterns can be made cheaply.
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