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| Toilets |
| You'd be amazed at the humble beginnings of every home's throne! |
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1
We visited the Caroma toilet factory, where toilets begin their lives as a pile of raw materials: clay, silica and fluxing minerals, mixed with water to form a liquid clay, or slip.
2
About 1800 pieces are cast each day in plaster moulds. The slip is squirted in from below through a tube and any residue left over is removed and re-used later, so there's minimal wastage. The slip takes about two hours to harden in the mould, which is then cracked open.
3
The toilet bowl is then dusted and kerosene is brushed on the surface, which wets the china long enough to show any cracks that may be present. There is a rejection rate of about 8% due to such problems. However, the materials are not wasted. Instead they're broken down, liquefied to slip, and re-used.
4
The next step in the process involves robotics. Once the toilets have been checked, the robots then spray on an even layer of fine coloured glaze, even accessing the S-bend. The toilets spend 17 hours in the kiln, after which they are ready for assembly, testing and packaging.
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More Info
Caroma Australia, ph: 131 774, fax: 1800 241 199 (free).
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Disclaimer
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