Ceramic Industry articles from February 2009

Ceramic Industry archives from February 2009

Snooze button.(inside Ceramic Industry)(Column)
February 1, 2009... Today would be the perfect day to hibernate. Ohio weather tends to be mercurial at the best of times, but today is actually a no-brainer. It is exceptionally cold (-2[degrees]F right now), the weather service has issued a wind chill advisory...

International calendar.(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2009... Feb 10-11 Composite Materials Failure, Analysis & Repair ** Anaheim, Calif., www.SeminarsForEngineers.com * Feb 10-14 Cevisama 09 ** Valencia, Spain, http://cevisama.feriavalencia.com Feb 24-26 HOUSTEX 2009 ** Houston,...

Air Products announces investments in Europe.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Air Products plans to capitalize on its recent investment in Eastern Europe with several developments in the region. The company has signed a contract with Alcoa to supply nitrogen to Alcoa's aluminum plant in Samara, Russia. As part of the...

Pittsburgh Glass Works announces restructuring plans.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Anticipating declines in North American automotive vehicle builds in 2009, Pittsburgh Glass Works (PGW) recently announced that it is realigning its manufacturing footprint and making reductions in its salaried workforce. As part of the...

Jarden celebrates 125th anniversary of Ball Jar.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Jarden Corp. recently kicked off the 125th anniversary of its hallmark Ball[R] Jar brand with an appearance by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Martin Franklin on The Martha Stewart Show. On the show, Franklin and Stewart recounted the...

Corning's optical fiber chosen for Pan-Emirates network.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Corning Inc. recently announced that du, the United Arab Emirates's (UAE) new integrated telecommunications service provider, will deploy Corning[R] SMF-28[R] ULL optical fiber as the foundation of its Pan-Emirates high-capacity network. The...

Wienerberger expands in Croatia.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Wienerberger AG recently completed its takeover of the Petrinja, Croatia, clay block plant, which generated revenues of approximately 7.5 million [euro] (about $9.5 million) in 2007. The parties have agreed not to reveal any information on the...

CARBO Ceramics reopens New Iberia facility.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... CARBO Ceramics Inc. resumed production of ceramic proppant in its New Iberia, La., manufacturing facility in December. The facility is expected to add 50 million pounds to the company's current annual manufacturing capacity. "Drilling...

Duratex installs Sacmi shuttle kiln.
February 1, 2009... Duratex, a leading high-end sanitaryware producer in Brazil and the parent company of the Deca Group, recently installed an SSK 440/170-10 shuttle kiln from Sacmi. Successfully started up a few months ago, the kiln offers many innovative...

Wellsville Foundry expands, adds ceramics business unit.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Wellsville Foundry, which specializes in high-performance castings for steel mills, metal service centers, pulp and paper processing, and other high-wear environments, has established a new business unit to better serve a growing customer base...

Hanson Brick & Tile achieves award-winning curb appeal.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Hanson Brick & Tile products contributed to the Old World appearance that garnered the Best Front Elevation Award for a home created by Don Craighead Homes for the Greater San Antonio Builders Association Parade of Homes. The 5100-square-foot...

Guardian RAK opens new float glass plant in UAE.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Guardian Industries recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its float glass plant in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, cut the ribbon at the...

Centorr appoints MIM representative in Japan.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Centorr Vacuum Industries, Inc. recently announced it has appointed MIM Technology Co., Ltd. as its sales representative in Japan for metal injection molding (MIM) furnaces. The company's principal, Fumio Nishihara, has had a long career in the...

Unitec production transferred to UCM Advanced Ceramics.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Production from the Unitec Ceramics Ltd. plant in Stafford, UK, has been transferred to the UCM Advanced Ceramics' facility in Laufenburg, Germany. Effective immediately, all orders that would have been placed with Unitec should be handled...

BP Solar to close PV manufacturing plant in Sydney.(IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... BP Solar recently announced that it will cease the production of solar photovoltaic (PV) power cells and panels from its manufacturing plant in Sydney Olympic Park (Australia) at the end of March 2009. The BP Solar sales and marketing team...

sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc. recently announced that it has appointed William Peifer as its director of sales. Peifer is tasked with actively pursuing increased sales of the company's CVD diamond products for thermal management applications,...

Ferro Corp.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Ferro Corp. recently announced that Mark R. Mazanec joined the company on January 2, 2009, as corporate environmental health and safety director. Mazanec brings more than 22 years of legal, business and senior management experience to his...

Spiroflow Systems, Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mathias Lee has been named vice president of Sales for Spiroflow Systems, Inc. In his new position, Lee will be responsible for the company's day-to-day sales activities for the U.S. and Canada, as well as export...

PPG Industries.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Charles F. Kahle II, vice president, coatings research and development for PPG Industries, has taken on additional responsibility as chief technology officer. While retaining direct responsibility for coatings research and development, Kahle...

Sun Chemical.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(appointment of Felipe Mellado and Bradley Schrader)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Sun Chemical recently named Felipe Mellado chief marketing officer and Bradley Schrader vice president of strategy and business development. As the chief marketing officer, Mellado will oversee all of Sun Chemical's corporate marketing...

Ron Townsend, Ph.D., president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) and director of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, recently suceeded Jeffrey Wadsworth, Ph.D., as Battelle's executive vice president of Global Laboratory Operations.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
February 1, 2009... Ron Townsend, Ph.D., president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) and director of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, recently suceeded Jeffrey Wadsworth, Ph.D., as Battelle's executive vice...

SGCD changes name/expands focus.(Decorating News)(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Effective January 1, the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) became the Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products (SGCDpro). The new name reflects the growing number of members who do not actually decorate but who import and/or...

Spence named legislative and regulatory liaison.(Decorating News)(Sandy Spence)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Former SGCD Executive Director Sandy Spence has joined the society as liaison for legislative and regulatory issues. Spence was instrumental in helping establish many of the voluntary guidelines the industry works with today, and she worked...

CPSIA fact sheet available.(Decorating News)(Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008)(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... SGCDpro Legislative Issues Liaison Sandra Spence has completed a fact sheet for members explaining the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The fact sheet also details the CPSC Certificate of Conformity. Members can download...

"Ask the Experts" session added to Deco '09.(Decorating News)(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... SGCDpro has added an "Ask the Experts" session to the Deco '09 program. The session will feature a panel of experts, including Sandra Spence, Richard Jacobs, Wayne Zitkus (former SGCD president and recently retired from Libbey), Walter Lumley...

Country of origin markings clarified.(Decorating News)(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... A rumor was reported to SGCDpro in December suggesting that new federal rules would require permanent marking of country of origin (COO) on mugs. This is true for products intended for use by children age 12 and under. To improve tracking and...

FDA updates list of certified Chinese ceramicware factories.(Decorating News)
February 1, 2009... The FDA has published an updated list of 641 ceramicware factories in China that China has certified under terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the FDA and the China National Certification and Accreditation (CNCA) agency. Under...

Jacobs to receive Frank S. Child award.(Decorating News)(Richard Jacobs)(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorated Products)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... At its November meeting, the SGCDpro board voted to present Richard Jacobs with the Frank S. Child award, which is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the business of glass and ceramic decorating....

Perfect prep: new technologies have improved the speed and accuracy of specimen preparation for materials such as ceramics, cermets, nitrides, borides and sintered carbides.
February 1, 2009... Microscopic examination is an important inspection technique widely used in the research, quality control and failure analysis of very hard materials. To properly reveal the microstructure of these very hard materials, it is critical to use the...

Real-life impact: impact tests expose materials and products to dynamic events to help manufacturers optimize how their products perform in real life.(Technical report)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a member of the trio of large classes of solid materials (metals and polymers being the others), ceramics offer many advantages. They are harder and stiffer than steel; more heat- and wear-resistant than metals or...

Walkin' on ... glass? cold-bending technology enabled the molding and forming of glass for a 23-ft-long transparent glass bridge without using heat.(special section: glass manufacturing)(glasstec 2008)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] glasstec 2008, held in October in Dusseldorf, Germany, featured a 23-ft (7-m) transparent bent bridge made of coldmolded glass. The exhibit was presented by seele GmbH & Co. KG, in cooperation with Stefan Behling and...

Raise a glass: the Phoenix Award was recently presented to John Gallo of Gallo Glass Co.(special section: glass manufacturing)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John Gallo, vice president of Gallo Glass Co., recently received the 2008 Phoenix Award, the glass industry's most prestigious honor. He is the 38th recipient of the award, which is given in recognition of...

R&D lab equipment and instrumentation directory.(Directory)
February 1, 2009... R&D LAB EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION DIRECTORY Batching and Materials Handling 2009 R&D LAB EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION DIRECTORY Grinders...

KILN connection: fuel conservation in a slow economy.(special section: brick & clay record)
February 1, 2009... Plants often have to curb the output of their kilns during economic slow-downs. This is no problem with periodic kilns, since they needn't be fired as often and the fuel consumption in BTU/lb is normal. Continuous tunnel kilns do present...

Control your process: Palmetto Brick recently implemented statistical process control (SPC) software across its manufacturing network.(special section: brick & clay record)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A 150-year product guarantee makes a confident statement about a company's engineering, production and quality capabilities. For Palmetto Brick Co., it represents a longstanding commitment to continuous process...

Dry grinding: NETZSCH-CONDUX Mahltechnik GmbH.(WHAT'S NEW)
February 1, 2009... Along with Roland Nied, Ph.D., a particle processing technology scientist, this company recently developed the S-JET[R] System (patent pending), which reportedly makes it possible to dry-grind material to particle sizes in the submicron range...

Ceramic printing system: Enduring Images.(WHAT'S NEW)
February 1, 2009... A new desktop ceramic printing system provides low cost and ease of use for the customization of ceramic products such as tableware, tile, bath and plumbing fixtures, and porcelain enameled metal. The system uses a new state-of-the-art printing...

Boronic acids brochure: Alfa Aesar.(WHAT'S NEW)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A 56-page technical document outlines the chemical properties and highlights the main synthetic uses of boronic acids and related chemicals. Organoboron compounds play a major role in modern chemistry, and boronic...