Ceramic Industry articles from August 2005

Ceramic Industry archives from August 2005

Innovative ideas.(INSIDE CI)
August 1, 2005... Every smart company knows that research and development is a crucial part of business. No matter how tight profit margins become, long-term success requires a company to continuously introduce new products. But how do you focus on long-term...

International calendar.(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... AUGUST 15-18 Space and Missile Defense Conference & Exhibition, Huntsville, Ala., www.smdconf.org 17 Powering Semiconductor Growth Summit, San Francisco, Calif., www.twst.com/conferences/index.html 17-19 XXIV Mexican Convention of...

Pfaltzgraff to be sold to Lifetime Brands.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Lifetime Brands Inc. )
August 1, 2005... Susquehanna Pfaltzgraft Co. has signed a definitive agreement to sell certain assets of The Pfaltzgraff Co. to Lifetime Brands Inc. The transaction was expected to close in July, subject to customary closing conditions. "The sale to Lifetime...

H.C. Starck and Webasto enter joint venture.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... H.C. Starck GmbH and Webasto AG signed a contract for the development, manufacture and marketing of stacks for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) in a joint company, Staxera GmbH. The existing cooperation between these two companies started in 2003...

StonePeak Ceramics celebrates grand opening.(In the News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... StonePeak Ceramics, Inc., a new porcelain ceramic tile company exclusively dedicated to the American market, recently celebrated the official opening of its multi-million-dollar facility in Crossville, Tenn., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and...

Micromeritics announces strategic alliance.(Micromeritics Analytical Services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Micromeritics Analytical Services and MVA Scientific Consultants have joined forces to offer their clients additional analytical choices while improving customer service. As part of the agreement, MVA Scientific Consultants will be...

Brush Ceramics increases manufacturing capacity.(In the News)(Brush Ceramic Products Inc., increases its production capacity)
August 1, 2005... Brush Ceramic Products Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Brush Wellman Inc., has increased manufacturing capacity in its Arizona facility to keep pace with increasing product demand. Upgrades to the manufacturing presses that take the...

M.E.G. celebrates 10th anniversary.(M.E.G. Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... M.E.G. Systems Corp. of Carrollton, Texas, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. The company, which is still family owned and operated, engineered and manufactured one of the first 1800[degrees]C furnaces in the U.S. That unit is...

Baltea D.C. created to serve ceramic industry.(In the News)(Baltea Digital Ceramic)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Baltea Digital Ceramic (D.C.), a member of the Baltea group, was created at the beginning of 2005 to take advantage of the technology created by the parent company for colored toners in ceramic applications. Baltea is a leading manufacturer of...

BIA sponsors benchmark program.(In the News)(Brick Industry Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Brick Industry Association (BIA) is launching the first BIA-sponsored Brick Manufacturing Benchmark Program, which will be conducted by Ducker Worldwide, a leading building and construction intelligence firm. In order for this program to be...

Ceramic Solutions to serve as Estiva Refractarios distributor.(Ceramic Solutions Inc.)(Estiva Refractarios)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Ceramic Solutions, Inc. recently announced an agreement with Estiva Refractarios for the distribution of Estiva's ceramic rollers and support tubes. The use of these rollers helps optimize performance of ceramic kilns, leading to higher...

IVM begins processing refined brown fused aluminum oxide.(Illinois Valley Minerals)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Located about 90 miles west of Chicago, Ill., Illinois Valley Minerals (IVM) is a new processor of refined brown fused aluminum oxide. IVM has installed state-of-the-art crushing, screening and process control equipment for production dedicated...

McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies formed.(In the News)(McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies LLC)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... In June 2005, the technical ceramics division of Vesuvius McDanel in Beaver Falls, Pa., formed a new company, McDanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies LLC. The new management team, led by Les Crittenden, president, and Chris Rogowski, manager of...

Blasch Precision Ceramics, Inc.(appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Jack Parrish, vice president and chief financial officer, has been appointed executive vice president of Blasch Precision Ceramics, Inc. "Mr. Parrish has provided leadership in three key areas of our company since joining Blasch in 1998," said...

StonePeak Ceramics, Inc.(appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... StonePeak Ceramics, Inc. recently announced that Drew Giungo and Doug Snell have joined the company as regional sales managers in the Northeast and Southeast regions, respectively. They join Tom Baker, sales manager for the Midwest region, and...

Micrometrics Instrument Corp.(People IN THE NEWS)(Obituary)
August 1, 2005... Warren P. Hendrix, president and 1962 co-founder of Micromeritics Instrument Corp., passed away recently at the age of 73. Succeeding W.P. Hendrix as president is Preston Hendrix, assisted by recently named executive vice president, Jeanne...

Investing in energy savings.(KILN CONNECTION)(Column)
August 1, 2005... Business has picked up, at least judging from my telephone and travel schedule. I have never worked on so many projects at one time, nor have I ever traveled as much. Two areas showing the most activity are energy reduction and investment...

Better coatings through modular electronics.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... Magnetron sputtering is widely used to deposit thin films on a range of substrates, including glass and ceramics. The technology can be easily scaled to larger dimensions; it offers a high deposition rate (allowing a high level of productivity)...

Easier glaze spraying: a new automatic spray gun can help reduce maintenance and increase quality and efficiency in ceramic glaze and porcelain enamel applications.
August 1, 2005... Manufacturers that apply ceramic glazes and porcelain enamels to their products through spraying are well aware of the drawbacks that often accompany conventional spraying equipment. The high-humidity spray environment is corrosive and the...

Raw materials revisited; suppliers discuss current trends and challenges affecting the ceramic industry.
August 1, 2005... We've all heard the old adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." This is certainly the case with this year's raw materials roundtable. As in past years, CI recently took some time to chat with several raw materials...

Ceramics and glass of the future: ceramic and glass R&D projects at some of the top universities and national laboratories in the U.S. are showing significant promise for commercialization.(SPECIAL REPORT: R&D OVERVIEW)
August 1, 2005... From more efficient energy generation and storage, to stronger armor and cutting tools, to improved medical implants--ceramics and glass hold a significant amount of potential to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations....

Optimizing burner placement: a computational fluid dynamics study is providing insights into how burner placement affects the performance of thick-wall tunnel kilns.(SPECIAL SECTION: BRICK & CLAY RECORD)
August 1, 2005... Everyone agrees that optimized burner placement in thick-wall tunnel kilns can offer substantial performance benefits, including improved flue gas entrainment ratios, enhanced temperature uniformity, reduced fuel consumption and lower nitrogen...

Enhanced versatility through better screening: a new screening system has helped one brick plant reduce labor requirements while increasing grinding efficiency and versatility.(SPECIAL SECTION: BRICK & CLAY RECORD)
August 1, 2005... Cunningham Brick Co. Inc. prides itself on its versatility. The family-owned brick manufacturer, which operates plants in Cleveland County (Grover) and Thomasville, N.C., boasts nearly a century of manufacturing a broad line of colors, textures...

Landfill gas update: high natural gas prices have spurred renewed interest in alternative fuels such as landfills gas--but is landfill gas really a feasible solution for brick manufacturing?(SPECIAL SECTION: BRICK & CLAY RECORD)
August 1, 2005... In 1999, Jenkins Brick's Montgomery, Ala., plant made headlines for converting its firing operations to landfill gas (LFG). The upgrades needed to accommodate this conversion--including the pipeline stretching between the landfill and the...

Alumina insulation.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2005... ZIRCAR Ceramics, Inc. Type AL-28/1800 alumina insulation was developed using a new process in which precisely controlled raw materials are pyrotechnically treated. According to the company, this process results in a composite fiber/binder...

SiC sintering furnace.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2005... AVS, Inc. This company recently supplied a 60 x 30 x 60-in. large-capacity, high-temperature SiC sintering furnace to a manufacturer of vacuum/controlled atmosphere furnace systems. The furnace features a graphite retort with an integrated...

Furnaces for advanced materials.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2005... Nabertherm Updated furnace designs from this company include 1800[degrees]C furnaces for laboratory through production, from 70 [cm.sup.3] to 1.5 [m.sup.3]; combination binder removal and sintering furnaces; and special atmosphere and...

Air filtering units, regulators.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2005... DeVilbiss The CleanAir[TM] product line offers air filtering units and regulators that extend the life of pneumatic tools by filtering out water, oil aerosols and dirt particulates from air lines. In addition to saving customers money by...

IR camera system.(New Products)
August 1, 2005... Mikron Infrared, Inc. Operators of high-temperature pressure vessels can now see in color the advantages of new wireless radiometric imaging technology for safety monitoring of shell temperatures. One large system, using 14 cameras and the...

Burners.(New Products)
August 1, 2005... Micropyretics Heaters International, Inc (MHI) The new Airtorch[TM] line for pressure vessel (PV) type applications is available. The PV Airtorch outer casing is made with high-grade stainless steel like the original Airtorch, but has...