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CONCRETE PRODUCTS & CAST STONE82 CPI %u2013 Concrete Plant International %u2013 4 | 2025 www.cpi-worldwide.comZschimmer & Schwarz and Rhein-Chemotechnik have been working together for several years to make digital printing accessible for the concrete industry. As a specialist in the field of digital printing, Zschimmer & Schwarz has developed special digital printing inks for this application, marketed under the product name Trucolor CC. Rhein-Chemotechnik has significantly improved the quality of the concrete products and also the quality of the surface coatings required after digital printing. The two companies support projects from the initial concept through to the market launch of digitally printed products, with experienced application engineers assisting project partners in optimizing concrete quality and commissioning the production systems for coating application. Challenges in decorating concrete surfacesUntil now, the appearance of concrete has primarily been influenced by the color of the facing concrete or by monochromatic spraying of the products. In the past, the use of digital printing on concrete failed due to insufficient UV resistance and poor ink adhesion. As an unfortunate consequence, vibrant designs quickly faded and lost their brilliance, or the coating %u2013 along with the printed colors %u2013 would detach from the concrete surface.Advantages of digital printing with inorganic digital printing inksWith its inorganic digital printing inks, Zschimmer & Schwarz has succeeded in overcoming the challenges associated with printing on concrete. The Trucolor CC range is UV-resistant and forms a durable bond with protective coatings from Rhein-Chemotechnik. This ensures that digitally printed concrete is reliably protected against environmental influences.Thanks to this new generation of digital printing inks, concrete manufacturers can now decorate concrete products with greater flexibility using digital printing technology, even for small and very small production runs. An almost limitless variety of designs is possible, constrained only by the color range. This allows printed materials to replicate the appearance of virtually any surface. For example, it is now possible to print reproductions of natural stone that could previously not be used outdoors or natural stones that are no longer availFig. 2: Different design possibilities. Fig. 3: Products required for direct printing.Surface blasting Cleaning IR preheatingIR dryingPrimary rollerUV light 1UV light 2UV light 3InterCoat rollerTopCoat roller Digital printerEncasement