Leo Morandi
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{{Infobox person
| image = Leo_Morandi_14-09-1923__02-05-2009.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|11|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = Sassuolo, Italy
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|05|02|1923|11|14|df=y}}
| death_place = Formigine, Italy
| nationality = Italian
| other_names =
| known_for = Commercial ceramics
| occupation = Inventor, entrepreneur, marketer
}}
Leo Morandi (14 September 1923 – 2 May 2009) was a promoter of the new post-World War II commercial ceramics industry of Sassuolo, Italy. At first he collaborated with local ceramic producers (Marazzi Group) and with Industries D'Agostino in Salerno, Italy. In 1954, after selling an innovative patent to Ceramiche Marazzi (biscuit selection unit), he was able to initiate startup of his own equipment supply business. Leo Morandi's innovations, knowledge, and experience aided growth and advancement throughout the Sassuolo ceramic companies, which in the 1960s constituted the worldwide known Sassuolo tile district.
Impact on industry
In particular, he used two electrodes to select the biscuit; the passage of electricity through the material showed that it was not suitable for the successive glazing.
The production chain for ceramic tiles was then mainly handcrafted and labour-intensive, but Leo Morandi's inventions started the successful automation of various units. After the initial years he was able to open a distinct efficient production unit. Morandi was a reserved man and did not like publicity. He involved his workers and customers in the improvement of his inventions and innovations.
Ceramic industry equipment examples include: automated floor tile edge glaze remover, automated packaging (floor tiles where historically bound with thin iron wire, before shipment), specialized silk screen machines, the peristaltic pump, the transport line, the hydraulic press, tile overturning mechanism, press reception unit, and glazing applications done with disk booths. These basic tile processing elements are still in use.
Leo Morandi began exporting these proven automated Italian ceramic industry innovations to Spain, allowing advancement of two primary ceramic industry clusters.
Licences of Officina Morandi Leo, Sassuolo
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1945 - 1 December Licence n.424701
Device to abrade automatically the enamel from the edges of the floor tiles for covering.
1958 - 14 June Licence n.592220
System to fasten with iron threads tiles of geometrical shape.
1958 - 1 August Licence n.598125
Machine to remove automatically from the tiles the enamel strains left on the edges during the humid glazing
1958 - 1 August Licence n.593124
Device to brush tiles on both sides with a single passage.
1958 - 2 August Licence n.593126
Automatic machine to remove from the tiles the slobbers left by the stamps on the edges.
1958 - 2 August Licence n.593127
Pump for dense liquids, particularly for vitreous enamel in watery suspension for the ceramic industry.
1958 - 25 September Licence n.595789
Machine to retrieve the vitreous enamel of the tiles which result defective after the humid glazing.
1959 - 6 April Licence n.606642
Procedure to manufacture enameled tiles with dull edges.
1960 - 7 April Licence n.629034
Automatic machine in order to collect into a pile humid tiles coming from the press.
1961 - 7 April Licence n.646867
Conveyor for ceramic floor tiles.
1961 - 7 April Licence n.646866
Device to turn over the tiles on the conveyor.
1961 - 15 April Licence n.647228
Machine to divide the tiles by thickness.
1962 - 28 March Licence n.685219
Hydraulic system, consisting in a press actioned by mostly self-feeding cylinders.
1968 - 13 March Licence n.832329
Automatic machine to apply screen printed decorations to tiles.
1973 - 6 Decembers Licence n.1001087
Device to distribute the tiles being part of a row.
1973 - 6 Decembers Licence 1001086
Device to empty the baking supports of tiles.
1978 - 12 April Licence n.1104063
Perfected device with rotary discs to nebulize and evenly distribute enamels to be applied on tiles.
1978 - 3 July Licence n.28979B
Glazing cabin with rotary discs to nebulize and evenly distribute enamels to be applied on tiles.
Image gallery
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Image:Convenzione Morandi Marazzi pag,1.jpg|Letter of intent Morandi-Marazzi pag.1
Image:Convenzione Morandi Marazzi pag 4.jpg|Letter of intent Morandi-Marazzi pag.4
Image:Depliant serigrafica Morandi S1.jpg|Catalogue Morandi's silk screen machine S1
Image:Deplint serigrafica Morandi S2-S3.jpg|Catalogue Morandi's silk screen machine S2-S3
Image:Legatrice per piastrelle Morandi (viale XXVIII Settembre).jpg|Morandi's fastening device
Image:1945 Leo Morandi osserva gli sbavatori a lamette.jpg|Leo Morandi near the device to abrade the edges of the tiles(1945)
Image:Sbavatori a lamette Morandi.jpg|Morandi's device to abrade the edges of the tiles in his factory(1945)
Image:Uscita pressa Morandi.jpg|Morandi's Automatic machine for collecting into a pile ceramic tiles from the pressed one
Image:Brevetto raschiatore bordi piastrelle.jpg|Licence n.424701
Image:Brevetto pressa idraulica.jpg|Licence n.685219
Image:Sbavatori_a_lamette.jpg|Licence n.424701
Image:Linee smaltatura monocottura Morandi anni 60.jpg|Morandi's lines "60"
Image:Sabbiatrice.jpg|1945 Morandi's glazing line
Image:Pulitori bordo smaltato Morandi.jpg|Licence n.598125
Image:Raccoglitore pressa.jpg|Morandi's out press device
Image:Linea smaltatrice Morandi anni 70.jpg|Morandi's 1970 glazing line
Image:Serigrafica Morandi 1 tipo.jpg|Morandi's first silk screen machine
Image:Serigrafica morandi 1.jpg|Morandi's first silk screen machine
Image:Spedizione serigrafiche.jpg|Morandi's silk screen machines ready for Spain
Image:Serigrafiche 4.jpg|Morandi's third serie silk screen device
Image:Cabina a disco perfezionata Morandi.jpg|Morandi's disc cabin glazing unit
Image:Linne smaltatura Morandi anni 60.jpg|Morandi's glazing lines "60"
Image:Depliant serigrafiche Morandi S3-S4.jpg|Catalogue Morandi's silk screen machine S4-S5
External links
- [http://www.officinemorandi.it/company.htm Officine Morandi, official site]
Sources
- Margherita Russo: Distretto industriale e servizi di trasporto. Il caso della ceramica, Franco Angeli, Milano, 1990 {{in lang|it}}
- Margherita Russo: Cambiamento tecnico e relazioni tra imprese. Il distretto ceramico di Sassuolo, Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino, 1996 {{in lang|it}}
- Alberto Lusoli: ''Internazionalizzazione dei distretti
Il distretto ceramico di Sassuolo [http://www.cash-cow.it/economia-internazionale/internazionalizzazione-distretti-industriali.pdf] {{in lang|it}}
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