Tile Press Troubleshooting: Causes & Fixes

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Problems on this page:

Tile thickness or density uneven Laminations or cracks in green tiles Punch or mould damage Hydraulic system faults Powder feed problems Tiles breaking at transfer Safety guard or light curtain faults Long size changes

Tile thickness or density uneven

Hits OEE: Quality

Symptoms: Pressed tiles vary in thickness or density, and they warp or crack in the kiln.

Powder filling of the mould cavity uneven

Check the filling carriage stroke and grid so powder spreads evenly in each cavity.

Powder moisture varying

Check the moisture of the spray-dried powder against the specification.

Pressing cycle settings changed

Compare the pressing pressure and degassing steps with the recipe.

Mould punches worn unevenly

Measure the punches and plan their replacement.

Prevention: Thickness measured at several points on tiles from each cavity.

Laminations or cracks in green tiles

Hits OEE: Quality

Symptoms: Green tiles show layers or cracks after pressing or drying.

Air not released before full pressure

Check the degassing step in the pressing cycle.

Powder too fine or too dry

Check the powder grain size and moisture.

Pressure too high for the powder

Check the specific pressure in the recipe.

Ejection too fast

Check the ejection speed and the punch release.

Prevention: Green tiles inspected after pressing at set intervals.

Punch or mould damage

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: Punch surfaces are scratched or chipped, and marks print onto tiles.

Foreign material in the powder

Check the powder sieves and the magnets before the press.

Punch surface wearing through

Track punch pressing cycles and plan resurfacing.

Mould misaligned after a change

Check the mould alignment against the maker procedure.

Cleaning tools scratching punches

Use only soft tools to clean punch faces.

Prevention: Punch surfaces inspected each shift.

Hydraulic system faults

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: The press loses pressure, runs hot or slows down.

Hydraulic oil overheating

Check the oil cooler and the oil level.

Accumulator pre-charge low

Check the accumulator pre-charge pressure; only trained staff may work on charged accumulators.

Filter blocked

Change the filter and check the oil cleanliness.

Main valve leaking internally

Check the main control valve for leakage.

Prevention: Hydraulic oil temperature and pressure trended.

Powder feed problems

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: The filling carriage runs short of powder or spills it.

Powder hopper bridging

Check the hopper level control and the powder flow.

Carriage grid worn or bent

Replace the worn grid.

Powder too moist to flow

Check the spray dryer output moisture.

Carriage speed set wrong

Check the carriage speed and stroke for the size.

Prevention: Feed faults recorded per shift.

Tiles breaking at transfer

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: Green tiles break between the press and the dryer.

Transfer belts or rollers misaligned

Align the transfer belts and rollers.

Speed changes too abrupt at transfers

Smooth the speed ramps on the transfer conveyors.

Green strength too low

Check the powder moisture and the pressing pressure.

Edge cleaning brush too aggressive

Check the brush pressure and wear.

Prevention: Broken green tiles counted per shift.

Safety guard or light curtain faults

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: The press stops on guard or light curtain faults.

Light curtain misaligned or dusty

Clean and align the light curtain.

Guard door switch out of adjustment

Adjust the guard switch so it proves the door is closed.

Safety relay fault

Have the safety circuit tested by qualified staff.

Interlock bypassed

Remove any bypass and find why it was fitted; a tile press can crush.

Prevention: Safety functions tested at each shift start.

Long size changes

Hits OEE: Performance

Symptoms: Changing tile size takes long, and the first tiles are scrapped.

Mould and punches not prepared

Prepare and check the next mould set before the change.

No lifting equipment ready

Book the crane or mould changer for the change time.

Settings not stored per size

Store pressing, filling and transfer settings as a recipe per size.

Downstream lines not changed in step

Plan the dryer and glazing line changes together with the press change.

Prevention: Size change time recorded.

Guidance only. Always follow lockout/tagout and your site's safe-work procedures, and verify against OEM manuals before acting.

Related equipment guides: tunnel kiln · spray dryer · hydraulic press · conveyor · vibrating screen

Stop the same fault coming back

Recurring tile press stops usually trace to a cause you cannot see by hand. The partner we recommend is Fabrico: it tracks OEE and downtime live from PLCs, IoT sensors or AI cameras; where cameras are fitted, the video of a stop sits next to its machine data so the cause can be reviewed; and a technician opens the work order from the stop in the same system. Data is hosted in the AWS EU region, and Fabrico and the company behind it hold ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 20000-1 and ISO 9001.

Book a Fabrico demo

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Methods that cut recurring stops: the six big losses · root cause analysis · preventive vs predictive maintenance · TPM · SMED & changeover