Forming element for ceramic articles

1. A pressing device for pressing a product of ceramic material, comprising:

a lower punch ( 10 ), provided with a pressing surface ( 10 a ) facing upwards;

an upper punch ( 11 ) provided with a pressing surface ( 11 a ) facing downwards; at least one of the two punches is movable towards and away relative to the other in order to perform pressing of a layer (L) of the ceramic material to form the product of ceramic material;

a first movable belt ( 2 ) comprising an active portion ( 3 ) arranged at least partially between the upper punch ( 11 ) and the lower punch ( 10 );

a second movable belt ( 4 ) comprising an active portion ( 5 ) arranged at least partially between the first movable belt ( 2 ) and the upper punch ( 11 );

characterized by comprising a shaped profile ( 6 ), which is so structured as to at least partially delimit a pressing chamber which is configured to form the product of ceramic material, which is the shaped profile ( 6 ) being detachably associated to the lower punch ( 10 ) or to the upper punch ( 11 ) in a projecting manner, wherein the shaped profile ( 6 ) is associated with a support ( 61 ) which is removably associated to the upper punch ( 11 ) or to the lower punch ( 10 ), the pressing chamber being at least partially defined by a perimeter which extends so that, during operation of the pressing device, a depression defining an edge is formed around a perimeter of the product of ceramic material being pressed.

2. A pressing device according to claim 1 , wherein the shaped profile ( 6 ) and the support ( 61 ) are made at least partially of flexible material.

3. A pressing device according to claim 2 , wherein the shaped profile ( 6 ) is removably associated to the upper punch ( 11 ) and protrudes downwards with respect to the upper punch ( 11 ).

4. A pressing device according to claim 3 , wherein the shaped profile ( 6 ) is overall tangent to a front plane ( 6 a ) that during the pressing step is parallel to the pressing surface ( 11 a ) of the upper punch ( 11 ); an inner part ( 61 a ) of the support ( 61 ), delimited within the shaped profile ( 6 ), is located at same distance from the front plane ( 6 a ), at which distance the outer part ( 61 b ) of the support ( 61 ) is also located.

5. A pressing device according to claim 3 , wherein the shaped profile ( 6 ) is overall tangent to a front plane ( 6 a ) that during the pressing step is parallel to the pressing surface ( 11 a ) of the upper punch ( 11 ); an inner part ( 61 a ) of the support ( 61 ), delimited within the shaped profile ( 6 ), is located at a different distance from the front plane ( 6 a ) compared to the distance at which the outer part ( 61 b ) of the support ( 61 ) is located.

6. A pressing device according to claim 2 , comprising a coating covering layer ( 62 ), which is associated to the support ( 61 ) to which the shaped profile ( 6 ) is applied.

7. A pressing device according to claim 2 comprising a covering layer ( 62 ) associated to the support ( 61 ), which is at least partially overlapped to the shaped profile ( 6 ).

8. A pressing device according to claim 1 , wherein the shaped profile ( 6 ) is made of at least partially flexible and elastically deformable material.

9. A pressing device according to claim 1 , wherein the shaped profile ( 6 ) is in the form of a frame.

10. A pressing device according to claim 1 , in which the second movable belt ( 4 ) is provided with one or two protruding edges ( 4 a ), that in the active portion ( 5 ) are directed towards the active portion ( 3 ) of the first movable belt ( 2 ) and are parallel to a forward direction (Y).

11. A pressing device according to claim 10 , wherein the protruding edges ( 4 a ) are located outside of the shaped profile ( 6 ).

12. A pressing device according to claim 1 , wherein the product of ceramic material is a ceramic slab or a ceramic tile.