Terracotta cladding production techniques

Terracotta cladding panels are a popular choice for architectural facades due to their aesthetic appeal, durability, and sustainability. There are several manufacturing techniques used to create terracotta cladding panels and the use of one or another depends on various factors, including the specific design requirements, project scale, budget, and desired aesthetics. In some cases, a combination of different manufacturing methods might be used to achieve the desired results.

Extrusion

This manufacturing process involves forcing clay in a continuous length through a custom-shaped die and then cut into the desired lengths. The extrusion method is commonly used for the production of terracotta cladding modules of a consistent shape and size and it’s the most cost-effective and sustainable method when large quantities of cladding are required.

Pressing

This manufacturing method consists of compacting clay into a mould using high pressure to achieve the desired shape and texture. This technique can produce intricate and detailed designs, and it’s suitable for both flat and three-dimensional panels. 

Pressing is very popular for the production of pottery but it’s also used for decorative elements of a façade. Nowadays terracotta cladding factories where a pressing method is used tend to be automatised however, compared with the extrusion method, the process is not as cost-effective and the output is also smaller.

Casting

The casting manufacturing process involves pouring a liquid clay mixture into a plaster mould, where the mould absorbs water from the slip, creating a solid layer of clay on the mould’s surface. Once the desired thickness is reached, any excess clay mixture is poured out, and the formed clay is allowed to dry and further harden before demoulding. 

This production method offers a considerable amount of flexibility when it comes to dimensions and the 3D aspect ratio of the cladding pieces compared to the extrusion and the pressing methods however this process tends to be labour-intensive and to have smaller output and that often makes it cost prohibitive.

Handcrafting

As its name indicates, this production method is when skilled artisans create cladding and decorative terracotta panels by hand-shaping the clay. This technique allows for a high level of customization and artistic expression. It’s particularly suitable for unique and intricate designs that may not be easily achieved using automated methods however it’s only used in very exclusive construction where cost is not in the equation.

Its sustainable profile and its ability to produce serially, with precision and in large quantities, make extrusion the most cost-effective and the most used technique for the production of terracotta cladding. This is why manufacturers of terracotta specialising in cladding use extrusion as their primary production method. 

Argeton’s manufacturing plant is exclusively dedicated to extrusion. The factory is fitted with a 92 m-long twin-chambered roll furnace capable of producing tile formats in heights up to 500mm and 1,500mm lengths.

This macro-production set-up was established in 2007 to meet the market demands for large format façade panels and since it became operational in February 2008 and has had a daily output of 1,500m2 of cladding tiles which makes Wienerberger GmbH one of the largest producers of ceramic cladding tiles in Europe.

It is no surprise that as the sole distributor of Argeton terracotta in the UK and as the designer and supplier of the BBA certified and CWCT tested Argeton terracotta cladding system, Telling Rainscreens ltd are the go to company for many architectural practices, façade subcontractors and Main Contractors in the UK.

The difference is Telling.