Enamelling
Enamelling is the heart of our surface refinement. Only a few companies in Europe still master this art, which has a tradition of almost 200 years in Lauter. Using valuable earth and soft Erzgebirge spring water, we make steel facade elements last for decades thanks to the enamel surface.
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The enamel is a thin layer of colored glass that is baked onto the metal sheet at 850 degrees Celsius. During the baking process, steel and glass fuse to form a new composite material – ENAMEL. Mineral color pigments – usually metal oxides such as cobalt, copper, etc. – which are mixed with white clay, ensure the radiant colors of the enamel. Cobalt makes blue, ruby red requires gold. Our own enamel technologist creates recipes for each individual color in our in-house laboratory. This requires an incredible amount of experience, sensitivity and countless attempts until the result perfectly matches the customer’s wishes.
The enamel slip is mixed from clay and the colored glass dust, which is then sprayed onto the metal sheets. The enamel application is dried in hot air before the sheets go into the oven. When hanging the sheets, make sure that the pre-formed sheets do not warp at the high temperatures. That’s why the metal is initially warmed up slowly until the steel is completely heated through. The actual burning time only begins after 15 to 60 minutes.
It takes around four minutes for the colored glass to bond to the pre-formed sheets at temperatures of 850 degrees Celsius. Glass and sheet metal literally fuse together – so enamel is not a coating, but a real material combination. This is what makes this finish so robust and durable over many decades.
