Ceramic Industry articles from June 2003

Ceramic Industry archives from June 2003

Going lean. (Inside CI).(efficient manufacturing initiatives in the ceramic industry)
June 1, 2003... Wouldn't it be nice to know exactly when the high-tech markets are going to rebound? "Tech is Back," touted one recent headline. But we've all heard it before, and as much as we'd like to be optimistic, no one has a crystal ball that can...

International calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... JUNE * 11 -1 3 ACerS Southwest Section Spring Meeting, Tulsa, Okla., Gary Schlager, (903) 537-2787, e-mail pes@mt-vernon.com 12-14 Pollers Council Regional Workshop: Firing Practices, University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, LaCrosse, Wis.,...

Minox/Elcan opens toll processing facility. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Minox/Elcan has added a toll processing station to its new site in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Customers can send any quantity of material to be screened on either the Minox tumbler screener or the Kroosher multi-frequency screener. These machines...

Buyers set busy pace at Coverings 2003. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... While international events kept attendance figures for Coverings 2003 from setting new records, the big story on the exhibition floor in Orlando was the high quality and strong buying interests of the thousands who did come. Total attendance at...

Alcoa World Alumina to increase production at Port Comfort facility. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Alcoa World Alumina recently announced that it would adjust the alumina refining production rate at its Point Comfort, Texas, refinery from 1.8 million metric tons per year (mtpy) to 2.3 million mtpy by the end of the second quarter. For the...

Allied Mineral acquires Chicago Fire Brick. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Allied Mineral Products, Inc. has completed the acquisition of certain assets of the Chicago Fire Brick and Wellsville Fire Brick companies (also known as Chicago-Wellsville). Those assets include all of the monolithic refractory product...

Ceradyne in first phase of ceramic radome contract. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Ceradyne, Inc. has been awarded initial facilitization and qualification funding of approximately $600,000 by The Boeing Co. and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). This award is related to production of the ceramic radome (nose cone) assembly...

American Chemet receives ISO 9001:2000 certification. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The quality management systems of American Chemet Corp. were recently certified to the International Organization for Standardization quality standard ISO 900 1:2000. The certification audit was conducted by the firm of Det Norske Vertas (DNV)....

Italian Trade Commission launches new website for ceramic tile. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Italian Trade Commission has launched a new website, www.italytile.com, to link Italian manufacturers of ceramic tile to the North American market. "The website acts as a meeting place where Italian manufacturers can connect with dealers,...

CeramTec North America announces facility certifications. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... CeramTec North America recently announced successful re-certifications at both of its U.S.-based manufacturing sites. Certifications include ISO 900 1:2000 at the company's New Lebanon Operations (Ceramaseal Division) and ISO/QS 9000 at its...

Wessex wins Technology Award from NASA. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Wessex Inc. recently announced that its protective coating for ceramic material (PCC) has won NASA's Commercialize Technology Award for 2003. The Turning Goals into Realities awards outlines four major goals NASA would like to see made...

PowdermatriX issues second call for research proposals. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... PowdermatriX, the Faraday Partnership for Powder Processing, has launched its second call for research proposals in particulate engineering, with a budget of 400,000 British pounds. Proposals are invited under the EPSRC funding program for...

FMC Lithium announces price increase. (Ceramics in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... FMC Lithium has initiated a price increase of 3% for all grades of lithium hydroxide. The increase, which became effective May 1, 2003 (or as contracts allow), applies to all lithium hydroxide pricing worldwide. According to the company, rising...

Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics. (People in the News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics recently announced that Kevin Paskale has been appointed senior application engineer of the company's Energy Systems business. Paskale joined Saint-Gobain in 1996 and was responsible for developing new...

Wacker Specialties. (People in the News).(names Christoph von Plotho president)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Christoph von Plotho, Ph.D., became president of Wacker Specialties effective May 1, 2003. He succeeds Albert Baehny, who left the Wacker Group in late January. With a doctorate in chemistry, von Plotho joined Wacker in 1984 as laboratory head...

Ceradyne, Inc. (People in the News).(hires new product manager)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... James V. Portugal was recently named semiconductor product manager in Ceradyne, Inc.'s Advanced Ceramic Operations Sales and Marketing Department. Portugal will be responsible for business development for the semiconductor equipment industry....

Brick Industry Association (BIA). (People in the News).(creates two new positions)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has established two new positions aiming to advance and safeguard the interests of the American brick industry. Kathleen Curtis was named vice president responsible for strategic planning, education...

Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA). (People in the News).(honors Tom Graham of Florida Tile)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Tom Graham, vice president of sales for Florida Tile, has received the Service to the Industry Award from the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA). The award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated great dedication...

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. (People in the News).(hires two ceramic engineering assistant professors)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has added two assistant professors in the department of ceramic and materials engineering. Manish Chhowalla, whose focus is thin films and fabricating new types of nanomaterials for electronic,...

Struers, Inc. (People in the News).(hires two sales agents)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Huong Luu and Dave Moloney recently joined Struers, Inc. as sales and service representatives serving the company's Canadian customers. Luu will be based in Toronto, with a sales territory consisting primarily of the Central and Western...

Sartomer Co. (People in the News).(names new marketing manager)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Steve Edwards has joined Sartomer Co. as business and marketing development manager for the Asia-Pacific region. Edwards assumes the business and marketing responsibilities of Frank Zeglin, who now works exclusively within the company's Asian...

Jackson Products, Inc. (People in the News).(names David Gilchrist president and CEO)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Jackson Products, Inc. recently announced the appointment of David Gilchrist to the positions of president and chief executive officer. With more than 30 years of management experience in several industries, Gilchrist most recently served as...

Bomas Machine Specialties, Inc. (People in the News).(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 1, 2003... Patrick R. Annese, who founded Bomas Machine Specialties) Inc. in Somerville, Mass., in 1959, died recently at the age of 79. He has long been recognized in the industry as a pioneer in the use of diamond tooling and an innovator in conformal...

Positioned for growth: Pechiney's reorganization plan is positioning the group to continue to provide superior products and customer service while paving the way for future expansion. (Investing in Ceramics).
June 1, 2003... The history of the Pechiney group stretches back to the mid-19th century. Originally an aluminum producer, the group has broadened its focus in the ceramic and refractories markets over the years to include the specialty alumina business of...

The smaller the better: TPL is using its considerable R&D expertise to develop nanosized ceramic powders to meet the ever-increasing demands of the MLCC industry. (Investing in Ceramics).(multilayer ceramic capacitors)
June 1, 2003... In 1990, backed by decades of experience in research and development at Sandia National Laboratories, H.M. (Hap) Stoller launched TPL, Inc., a materials science based technology development company. TPL initially focused on R&D and engineering...

Advanced binders for high-tech applications: today's advanced polyvinyl butyral resins are providing a number of benefits as binders for oxide ceramic-based passives.
June 1, 2003... Since the 1930s, ceramists have attempted to develop novel ceramic plate and film forming processes and techniques that would support the growing trend toward miniaturization within the electronic components sector. The first generation of...

Saving lives with ceramic armor: despite facing a number of challenges, ceramic armor manufacturers continue to work on technology advances that will likely lead to even better protection for tomorrow's soldiers.
June 1, 2003... Over the last few years, ceramic armor has become a booming business. But manufacturers in this sector will be the first to tell you that it's not by any means an easy business, even in the best of circumstances. Extremely cyclical demand,...

High-performance microgrinding: a new high-density ceramic grinding bead can provide increased productivity and longer milling life in advanced ceramics microgrinding operations.
June 1, 2003... Microgrinding is used in a variety of advanced ceramics applications to generate fine UVU particle sizes and homogeneous dispersions. However, the conventional ceramic beads typically used in this operation often wear quickly and also cause...

Machining ceramics with rotary ultrasonic machining: rotary ultrasonic machining provides a fast, high-quality machining method for many ceramic and glass applications. (Special Section: Finishing & Machining).
June 1, 2003... Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) is a hybrid machining process that combines the material removal mechanisms of diamond grinding with ultrasonic machining (USM), resulting in higher material removal rates (MRR) than those obtained by either...

Environmentally friendly adhesives: a water-soluble adhesive is helping high-tech companies streamline their machining and finishing processes while meeting strict environmental standards. (Special Section: Finishing & Machining).
June 1, 2003... Several years ago, Horizon Photonics Inc. was struggling with labor costs and product quality in its dicing operations. The then California-based producer of optical components and technologies * noticed that it was spending an inordinate...

Firing technology for fuel cells. (Special Report: Thermal Technology).
June 1, 2003... A new furnace system can help reduce the cost of manufacturing solid oxide fuel cells by providing energy savings, productivity improvements and a high level of temperature uniformity Fuel cells promise to provide a source of...

Ceradyne, Inc. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Advanced Technical Ceramics Ceradyne, Inc., founded in 1967, specializes in the manufacture of non-oxide ceramic components from silicon nitride, silicon carbide, boron carbide, aluminum nitride and others for the automotive, defense,...

Chand Kare Technical Ceramics. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Outsourcing is becoming the tool of the future, even in the manufacturing community. In these difficult economic times, successful companies are those that pay special attention to maintaining margins and the bottom line. Outsourcing helps...

Electro's refractory Superfines now available. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Electro Abrasives Corp.'s green and black silicon carbide (SiC) and boron carbide ([B.sub.4]C) are now available in "Superfine" sizes for ceramic and refractory applications. "Our Superfines have been tested and are proven successful in...

G-P Gypsum Corp. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Georgia-Pacific Corp. has been a leader in the gypsum industry since the company acquired Bestwall Gypsum Co. in 1965. G-P Gypsum, a wholly owned subsidiary, is backed fully by Georgia-Pacific. Georgia-Pacific Corp. is one of the leading...

The Kanthal Corporation. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Specially formulated elements are Kanthal's new SUPER stars. The four new formulations better handle specific applications and atmospheres, further broadening SUPER's range of problem-solving capabilities. The new versions of [MoSi.sub.2]...

Kromschroder, Inc. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Kromschroder, Inc.'s North American headquarters is entering its eleventh year of providing custom-engineered systems and combustion components to its customers. As an international combustion and controls supplier, Kromschroder is dedicated to...

PIDC. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... One Source for All Your Rare Earth Needs Pacific Industrial Development Co. (PIDC) is an international manufacturer and distributor of specialty materials committed to providing quality products that perform to its customers' needs and...

Pred Materials International, Inc. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Pred Materials distributes specialty chemicals for next-generation technologies. The company represents some of the finest manufacturers from around the world--especially from Japan--but also from Europe, China, South Korea and Taiwan. Pred's...

PSC, Inc. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Perfect RF (radio frequency) dryers from PSC, Inc., with higher quality drying in a fraction of the time of conventional dryers, are just the solution for lean manufacturing cells. Perfect RF ceramic dryers reduce drying times from hours to...

Quantachrome[R] Instruments. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... F. Scott Lowell Quantachrome Instruments is an ISO 9001 manufacturer of particle characterization instruments serving the research and quality control needs of industrial, academic and government laboratories worldwide. Born with a spirit...

Retsch, Inc. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Retsch, Inc. will introduce its new bench top planetary ball mills at Achema 2003. The PM 100, a single-station unit, handles grinding jars from 50-500 ml, while the dual-station PM 200 will accept jars up to 125 ml. Grind sizes are typically...

SAMA Maschinenbau GmbH. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... SAMA Maschinenbau GmbH has successfully developed innovative technology for the fully automated production of special-shaped cups, inclusive of the handle. The first complete production line was installed at the end of last year and serves the...

Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics Corp., Structural Ceramics Group. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics Corp., Structural Ceramics Group--formerly Carborundum Corp.--produces Hexoloy[R] silicon carbide, a machineable ceramic for very high temperature and severe environment applications in the ceramic industry....

Starkey Machinery, Inc. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... The model Starkey 851 de-airing pug-mill/extruder is designed for the extrusion of ceramic, chemical or other plastic materials in R&D, pilot plant, laboratory, testing and production applications. The Starkey 851 features a polyurethane-coated...

Thermcraft, Inc. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Thermcraft, Inc., the industry leader in the development of custom heat treating systems, is pleased to announce the release of the new S line of furnaces. This new S line of standard tube furnaces has been developed with the same precision and...

Vesuvius McDanel. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Vesuvius McDanel has over 80 years of experience in the manufacturing of fine-grained ceramics. These industrial and technical components are usually made in container or tubular shapes for use in heat and corrosion-resistant applications. ...

Wacker Specialties. (Supplier Spotlight: Advertisement).
June 1, 2003... Wacker Specialties is a global technology leader in high-quality binders and polymer additives, and a customized solutions expert in specialty chemicals and biotechnology. Wacker Specialties' redispersible powders, dispersions, solid resins and...

Aluminum oxides. (New Products).
June 1, 2003... Ceralox Division, Sasol North America Inc. Two new 99.97% pure aluminum oxides--AHPA-0.5 and AHPA-0.5 with MgO--with improved economics for high-technology applications are now available. AHPA ceramic powders are recommended for high-purity...

Surface area/pore size analyzer. (New Products).
June 1, 2003... Quantachrome Instruments The new NOVA e series of surface area and pore size analyzers offers enhanced features that improve performance, convenience and versatility, the company reports. The series includes models with one-, two-, three-...