Ceramic Industry articles from August 2006

Ceramic Industry archives from August 2006

A perfect stagecoach.(ceramic industry)
August 1, 2006... perhaps you've seen this quote attributed to Edward de Bono: "Removing the faults in a stagecoach may produce a perfect stagecoach, but it is unlikely to produce the frst motor car." I can't help but think that a savvy stagecoach manufacturer...

International calendar.(ceramic industry)(Calendar)
August 1, 2006... SEPTEMBER 6-8 Spray Finishing Technology Workshop, Toledo, Ohio, (800) 466-9367, ext. 7320, e-mail sprayworkshop@netscape.net, www.owens.edu/workforce_cs/seminars.html 6-13 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) 2006,...

Magneco/Metrel opens new plant in Tianjin.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
August 1, 2006... Magneco/Metrel, Inc. has announced the opening of a new production facility in Tianjin, China, for its nanoparticulate refractory technology serving the glass, aluminum, copper, ceramic, iron and steel industries. "This new state-of-the-art...

Sacmi installs casting machines for Caroma.(casting machines installation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Following the positive results with its first two Sacmi-built AVE040 high-pressure WC casting machines, installed in 2000, Caroma of Australia recently implemented high-pressure casting technology at its Sydney plant. The Sacmi Group supplied...

CoorsTek announces new subsidiary.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(C5 Medical Werks Inc.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... CoorsTek recently introduced C5 Medical Werks Inc., a new subsidiary focused on manufacturing advanced ceramic implantable components. The subsidiary serves implantable device manufacturers with biocompatible technical ceramic components. C5...

AMETEK acquires land instruments.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Land Instruments International Limited)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... AMETEK, Inc. has acquired Land Instruments International Limited, a global supplier of analytical instrumentation. With its headquarters in Dronfield, UK, Land Instruments has annual sales of approximately 22 million [pounds sterling] ($41...

Cookson continues Vesuvius expansion in China.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Cookson Group PLC)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Cookson Group plc has announced three new projects totaling 10 million [pounds sterling] ($19 million) that will further expand the activities of Vesuvius, Cookson's Ceramics division, in China. "We have successfully grown Vesuvius' local...

Ceradyne to develop prototype ceramic-armored crew compartment.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
August 1, 2006... Ceradyne, Inc. has received a purchase order from Flyer Defense, LLC, Inglewood, Calif., for a prototype lightweight ceramic-armored crew compartment for the Flyer[R] ITV (internally transportable vehicle), using technology specifically...

ICP receives exporting award.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Industrial Ceramic Products Inc.)(Governor's E-Award for Excellence in Exporting)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Industrial Ceramic Products, Inc. (ICP) was recently awarded the Governor's E-Award for Excellence in Exporting by Ohio Governor Bob Taft. ICP, along with 28 other Ohio companies, was honored for its success in building international business,...

Almatis opens tabular alumina facility in Qingdao.(Almatis recently celebrated the official opening of its expanded tabular alumina facility )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Almatis recently celebrated the official opening of its expanded tabular alumina facility in Qingdao, China. "With this new state-of-the-art plant, Almatis is now capable of more efficiently producing and supplying our customers in mainland...

Kennametal to acquire Sintec Group.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
August 1, 2006... Kennametal Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the Buching, Germany-based Sintec Group. According to the company, the purchase of Sintec, which manufactures ceramic engineered components used in the aerospace, general...

EGP announces new subsidiary.(Engineered Glass Products )( Thermique Technologies, LLC a new subsidiary)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A new wholly owned subsidiary called Thermique Technologies, LLC will take control of all heated glass projects, products and technologies from Engineered Glass Products (EGP). Thermique Technologies will concentrate on the development, sales...

Ceramic protection acquires PPI.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
August 1, 2006... Ceramic Protection Corp. has purchased all of the outstanding shares of Protective Products International Corp. (PPI). Based in Sunrise, Fla., PPI is a manufacturer of soft armor products for law enforcement and military customers. The purchase...

Florida Tile to invest in new production line.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
August 1, 2006... Florida Tile, Inc. has announced plans to make a major investment in a state-of-the-art porcelain tile production line at its Lawrenceburg, Ky., facility. When completed, the new line will produce approximately 40 million square feet of...

Alfa Aesar opens new facility.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
August 1, 2006... Alfa Aesar, a Johnson Matthey company, has opened a new 36,000-square-foot bulk storage and handling facility adjacent to its existing distribution center in Ward Hill, Mass. The new plant provides a significant increase in capacity to hold...

AVS announces AVS-Hetherington.(product introduction of AVS-Hetherington)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Advanced Vacuum Systems (AVS), Inc. is marketing, producing and servicing the EOI Hetherington line of high-temperature processing systems under the name of AVS-Hetherington. AVS will continue to produce and support these furnaces for new and...

Cornerstone acquires Wahl.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Cornerstone Industrial Group)(Wahl Refractories Inc.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Wahl Refractories, a specialty refractory product manufacturer, was recently acquired by Cornerstone Industrial Group. The ownership transition reportedly positions Wahl with the resources necessary for continued growth in high-performance...

David E. Brooks has been named president and chief executive officer of Unifrax Corp.(People IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... David E. Brooks has been named president and chief executive officer of Unifrax Corp. He joined Unifrax in 1980 and has held several positions of increasing responsibility with the company, most recently serving as president and chief operating...

Taki Negas, Ph.D., vice president of technology at Refractron Technologies Corp., has been awarded the Spriggs Phase Equilibria Award by the American Ceramic Society.(People IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Taki Negas, Ph.D., vice president of technology at Refractron Technologies Corp., has been awarded the Spriggs Phase Equilibria Award by the American Ceramic Society. Negas was recognized for a technical paper entitled "Phase Relations, Crystal...

Setaram Inc.(People IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Gary Etherington was recently appointed vice president and managing director of Setaram Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Setaram Instrumentation. He has almost two decades of experience in the laboratory industry, most recently as the U.S....

Solvay America, Inc.(People IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Solvay America, Inc. recently named Rene Degreve president and chief executive officer, succeeding David Birney, who retired effective March 31, 2006. Degreve joined Solvay America's parent company, Solvay S.A., in Brussels, Belgium, in 1966....

Nicholas Stadnyk has joined NSL Analytical Services Inc. as a metallographer.(People IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Nicholas Stadnyk has joined NSL Analytical Services Inc. as a metallographer. He is charged with evaluating the failure of parts and determining the cause of the failure. Stadnyk has 21 years of experience in specialty chemicals and lubrication...

Process Equipment Manufacturer's Association.(People IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Brad Jones, vice president of engineering at Sweco, was recently named president of the Process Equipment Manufacturer's Association (PEMA[R]). "In 2006, we want to shift our focus from North America to the global market," said Jones. He has...

Bunting Magnetics Co.(People IN THE NEWS)(appointed Walter T. Benecki)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Walter T. Benecki has been appointed a member of the board of Bunting Magnetics Co. He is the former president of the Magnetic Products Group of SPS Technologies Inc. (now Arnold Magnetic Technologies) and a past president of the Magnetic...

Piezo Technologies.(People IN THE NEWS)(appointed Brian Beachnau)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Piezo Technologies recently hired Brian Beachnau as its national sales manager to lead the company's expanding national sales efforts as existing markets are maximized and new markets are targeted. A graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with...

Oneida Ltd.(People IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Oneida Ltd. recently announced the promotion of James E. Joseph to president of the company. An Oneida manager for 18 years, he has been the company's executive vice president for Worldwide Sales and Marketing since April 2005.

Glasstech, Inc.(People IN THE NEWS)(appointed Jay K. Molter and Thomas E. Noe )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Glasstech, Inc. has promoted Jay K. Molter to vice president, Marketing & Sales. Previously director, Marketing & Sales, he is responsible for positioning the company and its products in the worldwide architectural and automotive glass markets....

Abresist Corp.(People IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Chad Calvert has been named Abresist Corp.'s sales engineer for Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and western Iowa. Calvert has a bachelor's of arts degree in communications from Purdue University and 10 years of sales experience in the...

CARBO Ceramics Inc.(People IN THE NEWS)(appointed Chris Wright and Kevin Fisher)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... CARBO Ceramics Inc. has named Chris Wright vice president, Business Development, and Kevin Fisher president of the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Pinnacle Technologies, Inc. Previously president of Pinnacle, Wright will be responsible for...

Applied Manufacturing Technologies, Inc.(People IN THE NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Joseph Campbell was recently appointed chief operating officer for the worldwide operations of Applied Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. His responsibilities include engineering, sales, marketing and technical operations.

2006 Phoenix Award.(People IN THE NEWS)(Warren W. Wolf)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Warren W. Wolf, Ph.D., has been named the recipient of the 2006 Phoenix Award, which is presented annually to recognize outstanding individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to the glass industry. Wolf retired as vice president and...

Destination, St. Louis.(REFRACTORIES REVIEW)
August 1, 2006... The 42nd Annual Symposium on Refractories, sponsored by the St. Louis Section and the Refractory Ceramics Division of the American Ceramic Society, was held in St. Louis, Mo., March 29-30, 2006, with about 120 attendees. The theme of the...

Modern marvel: a major factor contributing to R.A.K. Ceramics' success is its resolution to use the most sophisticated and advanced machinery in its factories.(Company overview)
August 1, 2006... Since it began production in 1991, R.A.K. Ceramics has experienced phenomenal growth. It has become a market leader in Europe and has extended its exports to more than 135 countries. R.A.K.'s products are used throughout the world for hotels,...

Reducing emissions with sodium sorbents: sodium sorbents can help minimize the waste discharge and operating costs often associated with dry injection scrubbers.(Clean Air Act )
August 1, 2006... The Clean Air Act is placing increasing scrutiny on all industries, mandating compliance with both existing regulations and proposed air pollution control standards. Some industries even face multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuits filed...

Nanoparticle grinding and dispersing: a variety of advances in fine bead mill equipment have been developed to carry out the tasks associated with grinding at the nano level.
August 1, 2006... The special properties often exhibited by nanoparticles have led to advancements such as extremely hard and scratch-proof coatings, low-sintering-temperature ceramics, materials with a high fracture strength and toughness at low temperatures,...

Change is good.(Ceramic industry)
August 1, 2006... A mind is a lot like a parachute--it only works if it opens. If you really want to increase profitability and cash flow in your business, then you must welcome change. You must help your organization become a learning company that seeks ways of...

2006 Discovery Awards: highlight outstanding design, technical achievements.
August 1, 2006... The annual Discovery Awards competition, sponsored by the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD), recognizes outstanding decorated ceramic and glassware design and technical achievements. Winners are honored during the awards banquet at...

Advancing ceramic and glass technology: research under way at some of today's premier universities and laboratories promises to create new opportunities for ceramic and glass manufacturing.(SPECIAL REPORT: R&D OVERVIEW)
August 1, 2006... From nanomaterials and nanotubes to ceramic membranes and transparent ceramics, today's universities and research laboratories are pioneering exciting advances in ceramic and glass technology. Following are some highlights of technologies that...

Petroleum coke: the fuel of the future? Petroleum coke is a cheap, readily available energy source that can be used to lower brick manufacturing costs.(SPECIAL SECTION: BRICK & CLAY RECORD)
August 1, 2006... Regardless of the circumstances that have propelled natural gas pricing to record levels, it is inevitable that the days of $5 to $6/MMBTU in the brick industry are gone forever. The question, then, is what can be done to reverse the impact of...

State-of-the-art soft mud: a revamp of Redland Brick's molded brick plant in Rocky Ridge, Md., has provided fuel and labor savings, along with added manufacturing capacity.
August 1, 2006... Everyone knows that efficient, highly automated manufacturing plants have the best chance of remaining competitive in today's economy. But streamlining and automating a 40-year-old soft mud "molded" brick plant is no easy task. Just ask Simon...

Wienerberger acquires RBC.(BRICK News)
August 1, 2006... Vienna, Austria-based Wienerberger AG has acquired Robinson Brick Co. (RBC), a manufacturer of brick and a distributor of high-end masonry products, headquartered in Denver, Colo., through its wholly owned subsidiary, General Shale. In 2005,...

Housing starts rise in May, permits fall.(BRICK News)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Total housing starts rebounded from a 13-month low to increase 5% in May as builders worked down a backlog of unfilled orders under unusually good weather conditions. Construction of new homes and apartments rose 1.7% in the Northeast, 8.5% in...

New Census report highlights housing trends.(BRICK News)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A new "Characteristics of New Housing 2005" report from the U.S. Census Bureau covers 30 years of home building trends in America. Among the data highlighted in the report are trends in the type of exterior wall material used for newly...

2006 plant Operator's Forum to focus on energy-saving strategies.(52nd International Forum for Brick Plant Operators)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The 52nd International Forum for Brick Plant Operators, to be held in Clemson, S.C., October 1-4, 2006, will focus on "Reducing Energy Costs." Presentations will cover alternative energy sources such as landfill gas, petroleum coke, biogas and...

Commercial building sector softens in May, forecasts remain upbeat.(BRICK News)
August 1, 2006... For the first time since September 2004, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) posted a negative score in May. The ABI is a leading economic indicator of nonresidential construction activity based on the approximately six- to nine-month lag...

Gas detection system.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... Control Instruments Corp. The SmartMaxII gas detection system continuously monitors and controls up to four independent sensors while displaying multiple systems remotely. Sharing the SmartMaxII with more than one sensor allows users to...

Particle size analyzer.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... Microtrac Inc. This company has announced the release of Bluewave, its next generation laser diffraction technology-based particle size analyzer. Bluewave reportedly uses newly available, cutting-edge blue laser diodes that offer...

Flue gas desulfurization.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... LIGHTNIN, an SPX Process Equipment Operation For more than 80 years, this company has applied top- and side-entry agitators to flue gas desulfurization processes, providing extended operation without shutdown and optimized energy...

Laboratory fluid bed dryer.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... Retsch Inc. The recently redesigned TG 200 fluid bed dryer features digital controls for time, temperature and air flow; a quick release cover; and a new powerful blower without carbon brushes, which provides for a significantly increased...

Pumps.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... Universal Filtration & Pumping Solutions, Inc. This company offers Willett Pumps, thousands of which are currently active in installations around the world. The pump was originally developed specifically for casting slip, clay and body...

Modular stereomicroscopy.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... Carl Zeiss MicroImaging, Inc. The SteREO Discovery.V8 for modular stereomicrosopy is suitable both for routine lab and industrial applications, as well as for advanced research work. According to the company, the instrument's features are...

Alumina crucibles.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... Pred Materials International This company recently announced the availability of alumina crucibles and cordierite powder, made in India by Nimra Ceramics. Pred also offers nano-sized powders of a broad range of ceramic materials, including...

Dilatometer.(NEW Products)
August 1, 2006... Anter Corp. A flexible dilatometer for high-throughput thermal expansion (CTE) measurements is now available. Using a modular design, multiple furnaces can test a wide variety of materials over a temperature range of -150 to...