Technological advancements are enabling the Iris Ceramica Group to push the boundaries of porcelain tile and slab design potential – Amelia Thorpe finds out all about it.
Leading tile manufacturer Iris Ceramica Group has a reputation for innovation. Its recent new technology developments include a raft of designs, some previewed at Cersaie, the International Exhibiton of Ceramic Tiles and Bathroom Furnishings, held in Bologna in September.
The group was founded in northern Italy in 1961 by Romano Minozzi, president, and is today run by his daughter, CEO Federica Minozzi. Present in over 100 countries, including a flagship showroom in Clerkenwell, the group includes brands Iris Ceramica, SapienStone, Fiandre, Ariostea, Porcelaingres, Stonepeak and FMG – Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti. Here, we round up the latest innovations.
4D technology by SapienStone delivers full-body design through its 12mm and 20mm porcelain surfaces. While porcelain has been appreciated as a kitchen worktop material for its exceptional durability and resistance to scratches and stains, the fact that, previously, the printed surface design does not carry throughout the thickness of the material has created design limitations, particularly for worktop, table top and shelf edge profiles. Now, 4D Ceramics maintain the same surface decoration throughout the thickness of the material, recreating natural grain markings, colour shading and patterns, totally eliminating any distinctiion between the surface and the edge.
Hypertouch allows users to touch the surface of a slab to control lights, HVAC and AV systems and windows for clean design and easy smart home management. It is also useful for rise and fall appliances and pop up features, such as home bars inset into a countertop. Using patented concealed automatic sensor technology in a tiny switch, connected to the home automation system, the system is designed to eliminate toggles and cover plates and can be used on all the Group’s porcelain surfaces up to 12mm thick. Designers can indicate the activation area using sanding, screen-printing or other finishes and also marked using minimal icons.
Jewel is a sparkling surface finish from FMG that is applied to selected veins in the slab only. Combining transparent elements and embedded crystals, the finish is designed to highlight the visual and tactile beauty of its marble-effect porcelains, Ocean Storm MaxFine and Calacatta Black MaxFine, available in large formats from 300x150cm to 75x37.5cm.
Active Surfaces is the name for the Group’s patented ‘eco-active’ material, first launched in 2009 and continuously developed. Through the action of natural or artificial light and the humidity naturally present in the air, these porcelain surfaces are antibacterial and antiviral, anti-pollution, anti-odour and self-cleaning, effective even in the dark. The surfaces are designed to be sustainable, since they are manufactured in VOCs Zero Emissions production plants, are fully recyclable and designed to be effective throughout their lifecycle.
Attract by Granitech is a magnetic dry laying system for tiles, designed to be a game changer by removing the need for cement and messy tile installation. It has also been developed to make removal of old tiles easy. Tiles are made magnetic, ready to be laid to create a continuous surface. The magnetic base can be re-used over and over again, cut and re-assembled without losing any of its effectiveness.
Moonlight is another technology developed by the Group, previewed at Cersaie and designed to highlight a unique property of porcelain: back-lit slabs can uniformly diffuse light. By applying a special LED panel to the back of a 6mm-thick porcelain slab, the Group showcased a material designed to ‘light up in the dark’.
Design Your Slabs is the Group’s technology used to customise porcelain surfaces – even single pieces – with any image or illustration, using ultra-high-definition digital printing.
