Band 7+: The diagrams below show the process of preparing raw materials for ceramic tiles, and the steps involved in manufacturing them. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The diagrams demonstrate two related procedures: the preparation of raw materials for ceramic tiles and the industrial manufacture of them.

Overall, while the material-preparing process encompasses four steps, there are only three steps in tile production. Unlike the preparation process, the production requires heating at a later stage.

In raw material preparation, clay and water are mixed together in a grinding mill, resulting in moist slurry. This blend is then pressed through filteration for moisture removal for preservation, after which the pressed slurry is placed into a spray dryer to become a powder. Once dried, the powder is subjected to tile pressing machinery, creating the formed tiles, ready for further production.

Turning to the manufacture of tiles, they are stored in a drying chamber under specific temperature conditions (100°C – 200°C) within 1 to 3 days. Subsequently, the dried ceramic items are applied with coat and glazed by an industrial machine before being exposed to heat at high temperatures for 20 to 30 minutes.