KERAjet obtains a Gantry milling machine in record time

KERAjet is a leading digital printing machinery manufacturer in Almanzora (Castellón). The company has over 25 years of experience designing and manufacturing customised digital printing machines. It covers the entire construction line, from the machines’ mechanical, electrical, and electronic parts to the assembly and final commissioning. KERAjet employs around 200 people and has sold more than 4,000 machines in 44 countries worldwide

As a benchmark in the ceramic sector, the company also works on other surfaces, such as glass, signage, vinyl, plastics, melamine, and many other materials. The company has recently ventured into the textile sector, which requires larger machines to be manufactured.

We interviewed José Luis Granell, head of the machining workshop at KERAjet.

Hello José Luis, thank you for granting this interview. First of all, how would you define KERAjet’s current situation?

Since its foundation in 1998, KERAjet has committed itself to a revolutionary project in digital ceramic decoration, and it has not stopped reinventing itself since. We offer the most advanced technology and industrial solutions to the ceramics sector. However, nowadays, KERAjet is setting the course for the digital printing machine sector, which is firmly committed to progress and innovation.

What role does our ALTEA 8000 play in your production?

The ALTEA 8000 is a large milling machine. As its name suggests, it has a longitudinal travel of 8000 mm; cross travel of 4350 mm; vertical travel of 1500 mm, and a fixe table of 8000 x 3000 mm. This is a machine that allows us to work with large workpieces.

All the large frameworks of our machines are machined on this ALTEA 8000, as well as the engine bridges and some other critical workpieces of the machines. We work and demand them all with the highest precision, both when machining and later when assembling them, allowing our printing machines to be as precise as possible. Bear in mind that when it comes to our head unit technology, we mean hundredths of a millimetre – even nanometres.

As we work upon customer request, often using customised workpieces, the ALTEA 8000 can now machine particular workpieces to meet these needs. The machine runs an 8-hour shift, but once we have a series of repetitive workpieces, programmed it, and checked that the tools are working as they should, we leave it “unattended,” and the machine can work all night long.

Why did you decide to buy it? What need emerged that should have been covered before?

NEEDS

Given the dimensions of some of the workpieces, we needed to move up a gear. We already worked for the textile sector with a 4,000 mm machine, machining 6,000 mm workpieces. But we needed to improve and become more competitive. There was a need for investment, and we decided to step up to the next level. It was clear to us that we wanted a large GANTRY milling machine and needed it straight away. ZAYER made a great effort to cut delivery times and accommodate our pressing needs.

What is the most significant benefit you obtained from the purchase of the ALTEA 8000?

THE SOLUTION

Thanks to this investment, we have already achieved self-sufficiency. We manufacture 100% of the workpieces for our machines as well as replacements. We can now offer ALL the services our customers need.

What additional benefits would you highlight?

BENEFITS

• PENDULUM WORK: We purchased the machine, along with its bulkhead and required software, to enable us to work in pendulum mode. This mode allows us to work with workpieces up to 4000 mm in both areas and larger workpieces using the full stroke of the machine.
• HEADS: The machine is fitted with several heads: 45º head, 360,000 positions at 6000 rpm and 30º head with electrospindle at 18,000 rpm. When we work with aluminium, we use the 30º head with electrospindle, which can reach up to 18,000 revolutions, and a 45º head unit when we work with steel. However, if we want a high-quality finish on steel, we can choose to use the electrospindle.

• FINISHES: customers invest a significant amount of money in our machines and expect them to be precise and functional, but they increasingly demand higher standards of quality and careful esthetics. Therefore, finishes are becoming more important over time, and we are currently coating some machines with stainless steel and incorporating LED lights. They almost look like cooking robots.
• SOLVENCY: When our customers visit us, we take them to see the ALTEA 8000. It is a key part of the visit because we demonstrate our manufacturing capacity at the highest level.
• VERSATILITY: The ALTEA 8.000 provides us with a great deal of flexibility in our work, as we can machine anything from a small workpiece to a very large one.
• COMPLEX GEOMETRIES: For instance, last year, we made a sample workpiece for the UJI (UNIVERSITY OF CASTELLÓN) for a racing motorbike in 5 axes. It was not a big workpiece, but we manufactured it at ALTEA because of its complexity.

All these features are essential for KERAJET so that it does not lag behind and continues to evolve.

Are there any apps you would like to highlight?

We have the iCAL App, which is a must-have app. Another one is the FAST MACHINE PROTECTION App to avoid collisions, the ACCURACY App, and the REFERENCE LINE App. Among all of them, I would highlight the iCAL App, which enables the machine to work super accurate geometries by adjusting the head unit.

What was the service provided by ZAYER staff like?

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The service provided by ZAYER at the machine’s reception at their facilities was outstanding. During our week in Vitoria, we were never without assistance. We spent two or three days on in-depth training and the remaining days on meticulous testing, all to ensure the machine’s functionality was certified. During this time, we were permanently accompanied by one or two sales team members. In addition, of course, of technicians who were in charge of the reception.

We really became a working team. We gave them a box of oranges, and they gave us a box of typical Vitoria pastries (lol). During those days, we carried out stress tests and multiple demonstrations of what the machine was capable of doing. They also answered all the questions that arose. It was a very intense week.

What can you tell us about the SERVICES offered by ZAYER?

REMOTE ASSISTANCE

We are delighted with this possibility. Remote assistance means that if something goes wrong or if we have any doubts, ZAYER technicians enter the PLC, always subject to our permission, and can carry out the necessary assistance without us having to intervene in any way.

HORUS NX

We have access to all the services it offers under the 4.0 platform and have discovered great potential with all the data it provides for our analysis.

Brilliant, José Luis, that’s the best news. We hope everything continues like this and… thank you very much for the interview!