Manufacture
Preparation and Setting
The material is transported through a series of crushers and mills to create a uniform powder. Additives and water are then mixed with the powdered clay to produce a workable consistency.
This is then fed through an extruder which forms the mix into a long column. The formed column is then cut by wire into individual bricks and stacked onto kiln cars ready for drying.
Drying
The cars transport the bricks into the dryer to remove excess water which may be trapped within the space of the clay particles. We gently heat the bricks to allow any remaining water to evaporate, and this is powered by recycled heat from our kilns.
Once the drying has been completed, the dried or “green” bricks – are transferred via the cars to our computer-controlled kiln.
Firing
As the bricks move through the various burner zones within the kiln, the temperature slowly increases, then decreases. This variation in temperature allows for chemical reactions to occur.
As the heat increases, the clay reacts, not only altering the colour of the bricks, but also giving them strength and drawing out impurities. Doing this gradually also prevents the bricks from cracking.
Each brick type is fired at a different temperature depending on the makeup of the clay and the brick specification.
Quality Control
Once the firing is complete, the bricks exit the kiln and are transferred to the packing line, or ‘de-hacker’.
Thorough quality checks are carried out at this stage by an experienced team, and if any brick exhibits flaws it is recycled back into the manufacturing process.
