Ceramic Industry articles from February 2002

Ceramic Industry archives from February 2002

The spirit of competition. (Inside CI).(in the ceramic industry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Beginning February 8, over 2000 athletes from more than 70 nations will compete for a gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Some will break world records in pursuit of their goal, and many will break personal records....

Drayton Kiln to be centerpiece of Denby investment. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Drayton Kilns Ltd. has successfully commissioned a 51-meter-long, state-of-the-art tunnel kiln system for Denby Pottery Co. Ltd. Drayton has a long-standing relationship with Denby. This latest kiln is part of a [pounds sterling]2 million...

New CECO division receives $4 million order. (Ceramics in the News).(CECO Abatement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... CECO Environmental recently announced that its newest subsidiary, CECO Abatement, has received an order worth more than $4 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Chicago-based CECO Abatement will supply pollution control equipment to...

St. Louis section meeting to be held in March. (Ceramics in the News).
February 1, 2002... The St. Louis Section meeting will be held concurrently with the ACerS Refractory Ceramics Division meeting March 2 1-22, 2002, at the Double Tree Hotel & Conference Center in Chesterfield, Mo. A morning session on March 21 will feature...

CoorsTek expands into fused quartz market. (Ceramics in the News).(fabricator agreement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... CoorsTek, Inc. recently announced that it has entered into a fabricator agreement with a U.S.-based market leader in fused quartz materials. As an authorized quartz fabricator, CoorsTek will sell and distribute high-purity fused quartz,...

Imerys establishes global sanitaryware division. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Imerys has established a new global division, Imerys Sanitaryware, which combines the sanitaryware activities of ECC, CERATERA, SPICA and MRD-ECC. In addition, close commercial and technical synergies are being developed with K-T Clay, the...

WBB Increases holdings in Brazil. (Ceramics in the News).(WBB Minerals acquires 51% of Caulim do Nordeste)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... WBB Minerals has announced that, through Watts Blake Bearne & Co PLC, it has purchased a 51% shareholding in Caulim do Nordeste, (CdN), the refined clay and ceramic body producer based near Recife in northeastern Brazil. CdN is a major supplier...

Two H.C. Starck subsidiaries merge. (Ceramics in the News).(TeCe Technical Ceramics, CFI Ceramics for Industry form H.C. Starck Ceramics GmbH und Company KG)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The German subsidiaries of H.C. Starck GmbH--TeCe Technical Ceramics and CFI Ceramics for Industry--recently merged into a single company, H.C. Starck Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG. H.C. Starck assumed responsibility for Bayer's engineering ceramics...

DECO 2002 will examine efficiency innovations. (Ceramics in the News).
February 1, 2002... The Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) is hosting its annual DECO 2002 show and seminar in Arlington, Va., February 23-26. The seminar will focus on change and how to prepare for the future in the global decorating market, including...

Oglebay Norton defines restructuring plans. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Oglebay Norton Co. recently provided the details of its previously announced restructuring plan. After implementation of the plan, the company anticipates 2002 results will include cash savings of $1 to 1.5 million after netting out all cash...

Alcan announces restructuring measures. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Alcan Inc. recently announced additional components of its restructuring program outlined on October 17, 2001, with a series of plant closures and divestments. The company also announced its intention to sell its glass and Pharmatech packaging...

International Decal relocates manufacturing operation. (Ceramics in the News).(to Arlington Heights, Illinois)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... International Decal Corp. has moved its manufacturing operation to its new facility in Arlington Heights, Ill. The new facility increases domestic production capacity by adding a 12 x 17 ft General Cylinder press and a 20 x 26 ft Sakurai...

People.(employee changes, various companies)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Giulia Cicognani, formerly general manager of Sacmi Imola, has passed the baton to Eugenio Emiliani, manager of the Ceramics & Tiles Division. Cicognani has gone on to grasp the reins of the entire group by becoming managing director of the...

Improving production with automated batching: A new, fully automated batching system has improved accuracy, efficiency and dust collection for one well-known refractories manufacturer. (Case Study).(Morganite Crucible Inc. uses Ingredient Masters Inc. system)
February 1, 2002... Batching large quantities of fine materials can be difficult, especially for companies that handle their batching operations manually. Common problems with manual batching include production inefficiencies, dust control and inaccuracies in the...

HED International offers technical solutions for technical ceramics. (Investing in Ceranucs).
February 1, 2002... Production of technical ceramics has posted record growth over the past decade; indeed, it has been the fastest growing sector of the ceramic industry. Manufacturing of these nontraditional products has driven the development of processing...

Manufacturing for quality: Saint-Gobain's Carborundum hexoloy[R] facility manufactures a unique product with a wide range of applications. (Investing in Ceramics).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Saint-Gobain's Carborundum Hexoloy facility (1) in Niagara Falls, N.Y., brings to mind a high-tech Santa's workshop where bits of dark dust are miraculously turned into amazing and useful objects, some too secretive to even be discussed. And...

Decorators help Americans express patriotism. (Ceramic Decorating).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, many Americans have demonstrated their patriotism by displaying the flag at home or on their car. I, for one, raised an American flag in front of my house and was encouraged to see that many...

Cutting energy use with insulation: The energy wasted by inefficient heat management systems is fueling the change to more efficient kiln lining materials.(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Although the price of energy has recently stabilized due to reduced demand from the economic slowdown, overall energy consumption in the U.S. has still risen by more than 30% since the oil shock period of 1973. Furthermore, the Energy...

An elemental analysis: Understanding how your heating elements operate can help you improve productivity and avoid unnecessary maintenance and downtime.
February 1, 2002... No heating element lasts forever. No matter how well built your furnace or how sophisticated your controls, the heating elements will eventually need to be replaced. A little knowledge of how heating elements operate and how they should be...

Maximizing the thermal process: A new continuous ultra-high-temperature synthesis and sintering furnace system can provide improved energy efficiency and thermal uniformity for advanced ceramics manufacturing.
February 1, 2002... What makes advanced ceramics relatively expensive and/or difficult to produce? Many of the challenges lie in the thermal processing stages--synthesis, sintering and cooling--required to manufacture the product, as well as the level of quality...

Low-Mass kiln furniture: Ceramic manufacturers can reduce their energy consumption and operating costs by taking advantage of the low-mass, high-strength properties of SIC kiln furniture. (Special Section Refractories).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The ever-present possibility of a sudden increase in the cost of energy became a reality at the beginning of 200l, when natural gas prices spiked to almost $10 per MMBTU (million BTU) for a short period of time. This event sparked renewed...

Refractory advances and applications: A review of the 7th unified international technical conference on refractories (UNITECR). (Special Section Refractories).
February 1, 2002... The "refractories world" convened in the oceanside resort city of Cancun, Mexico, for the 7th Unified International Technical Conference on Refractories (UNITECR), November 4-7, 2001. The meeting was organized and hosted by the Association of...

Understanding and controlling [NO.sub.x] emissions. (Environmental Controls).
February 1, 2002... We have all seen smog, the brownish haze that pollutes our air, particularly over cities in the summer. The primary component of smog is ozone, a gas that is created when oxides of nitrogen ([NO.sub.x]), created by burning fuels such as coal,...

Clean, green manufacturing: As EISENMANN Corp. has learned teamwork flexibility and an open mind are key to achieving ISO 14001 certification. (Environmental Controls).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The steady stream of manufacturers achieving ISO 14001 certification is quickly changing the business landscape around the world. Firms are beginning to realize that hanging the ISO 14001 shingle on the plant logo will benefit the corporate...

Copying the clouds: A new scrubber technology solves submicron particulate population by copying an idea from nature. (Environmental Controls).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The collection of particulate under 1 micron has most often been achieved in the glass and ceramic industries using wet or dry electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). Venturi systems, diffusion candles and baghouses are also in use. However, such...

Kiln car block system. (New Products).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... Dyson Hotwork "N block" is an innovative, ultra-lightweight kiln car peripheral block system. N blocks manufactured in a new body and through a new process have been successfully tested and are now in operation in sanitaryware and...

Silicon nitride rolling elements. (New Products).(by Ceradyne Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Ceradyne, Inc. This company has developed silicon nitride to a level where valve trains of heavy-duty diesel engines, high-pressure common rail fuel pumps and unit fuel injection systems can operate under conditions where conventional...

Refractory sheet. (New Products).(Zircar Refractory Composites Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... ZIRCAR Refractory Composites, Inc. Refractory sheet type RS-100 is a fiber reinforced, structural alumina composite with useful properties in thermal, structural and electrical insulation applications, as well as in the transport of molten...

Adhesive system. (New Products).(Aremco Products Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Aremco Products, Inc. A continuing problem in the firing of ceramic parts is the cracking of carrier plates, or saggers. Ceramabond[TM] 503, a single component, alumina-based adhesive system, can reportedly be used to repair sagger plates...

Vacuum cleaning system. (New Products).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Vac-U-Max The Model 55 air operated vacuum cleaning system for flammable liquids is designed for the safe recovery of gasoline, diesel, and JP-4 and JP-5 jet fuels, as well as non-combustible liquids. The air vacuum comes furnished with a...