Production Facility
RAK Porcelain's production facility spans an impressive 100,000 square meters comprising of state-of-the-art machinery capable of producing 28 million pieces annually. Engaging the latest technologies such as Isostatic presses and fast firing roller kilns, raw materials of the finest quality exclusively imported from Europe are crafted into the worlds finest hotel and retail dinnerware. These products are marketed and shipped to over 160 countries. Porcelain manufacturing involves production, processing and finishing; but precise methodology, passion and sound technical know-how are inevitably the key to create something extra-ordinary. Thanks to the expertise, attention to detail and the vast experience of our 850 employees - 'every' single RAK Porcelain product is designed and produced to surpass HORECA industries highest standards.
Body & Glaze Preparation
We are among the rare manufacturers who create our own unique body and glaze recipes. Our skilled experts' secret formula, consists of four major components - feldspar, quartz, kaolin and free alumina, milled to a specific consistency and blended. The mixture is subjected to a magnetic process that extracts free iron particles, which is used for different applications. Dry granuels for Iso pressing; wet clay rolls for jiggering of cups and mugs; and liquid slurry for high-pressure and manual casting. We apply different methods of shaping porcelainware, based on the shape, size and complexity and volume requirements. Iso-static Pressing: Round dishes, square flat plates, deep plates and bowls get pressed. The body granulate powder is fed into respective press moulds and formed at very high pressures of 200 to 250 bar. The machines on the pressline cut, fettle and apply finishing on the pressed plates. This is an entirely automated process without any manual intervention Jiggering: Round shaped cups, mugs and a few bowls are produced in the Roller head jiggering. The clay rolls get squeezed between plaster mould and metal tools to create desired shapes. The handles of cups and mugs are cast separately and manually affixed in the final stage of the process. High Pressure Casting: Mainly for squared, rectangular and oval platters and bowls; as well as articles with low volume requirements. The body mix in liquid slurry form is cast at high pressure in casting moulds made of resin to extract water as the shapes form within 60 to 240 seconds of cycle time depending on the size and thickness.
Glazing of Fired Biscuits
The green production from the Iso press, jiggering and casting gets dried to zero moisture and undergoes a preliminary firing at low temperatures of 950 degrees celsius to get the products biscuit fired which ensures their strength to withstand the glaze application. Glazing The majority of the cup and mug glazing is done by state of the art dipping systems, however, depending on the hollowware, some specific colour glazes are also applied by manual dipping and manual spray glazing. All regular round flatware and bowls are glazed in the Triplex Glazing machines. The non-round plates get spray glazed in mechanized spray glazing lines.
Glost Firing
Upon completion of the glaze application, all glazed products are sent through the glost firing kiln which fires them at very high temperature of 1250 degrees celsius. This final firing at extreme temperatures helps to achieve vitrification, mechanical strength and glossy finish. It is during this process that the product completes solidification and becomes zero percent porous. At this final stage that the glaze melts and the specified colours, textures and finishes become visible. After this Glost firing, the products are put through a series of tests to ensure they meet the highest International standards of quality and strength. Products that qualify are taken for further foot polishing and then onto final packing for shipment and delivery.
Decorations and Decals
Our In house design department offers a host of custom and regular decorations, created by renowned artists from both the UAE as well as from around the world. Decals are screen printed in our custom printing section. Around one fourth of all the standard production items get decorated with On-glaze or In-glaze decals. The On-glazed decorations get fired between 800 to 850 degrees celsius and the in-glazed decorations are fired at 1200 degrees celsius. This final firing ensures that the decorations are properly set onto the porcelain. Aside from the precious metals like gold, silver and platinum, all our decorations are dishwasher safe and micro oven proof.
Packaging, Warehouse & Storage
The packaging is done with utmost care to ensure that your most prized tabletop gems are delivered in-tact. With so many variations and products in our range, RAK Porcelain has a huge dedicated warehouse area, which stores up to 13 million pieces. This facility is equipped with the most modern and efficient storage and racking systems to ensure that maximum storage is utilized and loading is swift yet delicate. All of this means that we have reduced our turnaround time to just 2 – 4 weeks.