Ceramic Industry articles from June 2005

Ceramic Industry archives from June 2005

The big picture.(INSIDE CI)(Column)
June 1, 2005... A person I interviewed for one of the articles in this issue made an interesting comment. He said that in his experience dealing with ceramic component suppliers, it has been very difficult to find a company that could consistently provide both...

International calendar.(ceramics)(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... JUNE 13-15 Architectural Stone and Ceramic Tile Exposition (ASCTEX) @ NeoCon, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Ill., e-mail info@asctex.com, www.asctex.com 13-15 International Powder/Bulk Conference & Exhibition, Shanghai New international...

Fuel Cell Materials updates e-commerce site.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Fuel Cell Materials, a division of NexTech Materials, Ltd., recently announced the updating of its e-commerce website at www.fuelcellmaterials.com. The site enables researchers, developers and integrators to get information on and order the...

VIOX awarded ISO registration.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... VIOX Corp. recently received Certificate of Registration No. 1034732 for ISO 9001:2000. The company received its registration on its first examination attempt with zero non-conformances reported. "Customer satisfaction drives our business, and...

SOFC development platform demonstrated by Fideris and HTceramix.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Fideris Inc. and HTceramix SA recently demonstrated a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) research and development platform at the Hannover Fair in Hannover, Germany. The platform will be marketed to SOFC researchers and industrial labs preparing to...

Oglebay Norton unifies limestone and lime operations.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Oglebay Norton Co. has completed the process of unifying its limestone and lime operations under the name O-N Minerals. The new name applies to all of the company's former Michigan Limestone Operations and Global Stone locations. The change...

Fenton Art Glass commemorates 100th anniversary.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Fenton Art Glass, reportedly the largest manufacturer of handmade colored glass in the U.S., recently marked its centennial anniversary on May 4. West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin joined the Fenton family and employees at the plant to mark...

Corning delivers mirror blank for telescopes.(ceramic contracts)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Corning Inc. recently announced the delivery of a 1.8 m ULE[R] mirror blank to the Pan-STARRS project being coordinated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy (IFA). The IFA is leading the effort to design and implement an...

Ceramic Services supplies drying system for Saxonburg Ceramics.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Saxonburg Ceramics, Monroe, N.C., recently placed a new drying system into production. Ceramic Services Inc. was contracted to completely design, build and install this environmentally controlled batch dryer. The new system is a three-cart,...

Stedman updates website.(internet)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Stedman's website has recently been updated with new customer testimonials, as well as links for PDF file downloads, new files on literature downloads and an overall new look. Stedman manufactures and designs primary impactors/crushers,...

Ceradyne, Inc.(appointed Michael Kraft )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Ceradyne, Inc. has appointed Michael Kraft to the newly created position of vice president sales, marketing and business development, which encompasses sales and marketing for all Ceradyne profit centers, including responsibility for the...

PPG Industries.(People IN THE NEWS)
June 1, 2005... PPG Industries announced a series of management assignments that became effective May 1. J. Rich Alexander, vice president, industrial coatings, has been elected senior vice president, coatings, responsible for the industrial, aerospace and...

Engineered Glass Products.(appointed Patrick J. Earley)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Patrick J. Earley was recently appointed chief financial officer of Engineered Glass Products. "Patrick is an expert in managing and growing international companies," says Mike Hobbs, CEO. "His talents will provide us with the solid financial...

Alcoa.(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Alcoa recently announced the appointment of three executives to new positions. William J. (Bill) O'Rourke has been named president, Alcoa Russia; Richard L. (Jake) Siewert, Jr. has been named vice president, Environment, Health & Safety and...

Microtherm Inc.(appointed William Gregg)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... William Gregg was recently named applications engineer for Microtherm Inc., based at the company's Alcoa, Tenn., site. Gregg joins Microtherm from ITT Industries Conoflow, where he worked in product development for fuel cell applications. He...

Anchor Glass Container Corp.(loses Darrin J. Campbell)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Anchor Glass Container Corp. recently announced the resignation of Darrin J. Campbell, its chief executive officer and a director, effective March 31, 2005. He will continue to serve as a consultant to the company until December 31, 2005,...

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.(National Academy of Engineering appointed Subhash C. Singhal)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Subhash C. Singhal, Battelle Fellow and director of fuel cells research at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was one of 74 members recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Singhal was...

New opportunities for advanced ceramics: with increased military spending and emerging technologies in a variety of fields, advanced ceramics markets are poised for additional growth.
June 1, 2005... In the late 1980s, the advanced ceramics industry was hyped with "ceramic fever," with structural markets projected to reach billions of dollars in a short period of time. However, this rapid growth failed to occur, due in part to the shelving...

A clean air initiative: Corning's Environmental Technologies business is helping the world breathe easier with ceramic technologies, one engine at a time.
June 1, 2005... Imagine stepping outside for a breath of flesh air--and encountering 3 billion tons of air pollution. According to the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA), that's how much pollution has been eliminated worldwide (including...

A safer ride: Ceradyne's new facility in Wixom, Mich., is developing the next generation of advanced protection for military and commercial vehicles.
June 1, 2005... From rocks and handguns to assault weapons and explosives, those who travel in some of the world's most volatile regions never know what they're going to encounter. These days, it's best to be prepared for anything. And that's precisely what...

Refractories and glass defects: a recent study of post-campaign AZS refractory blocks from three types of glass melting furnaces is providing a better understanding of the link between AZS refractory corrosion and glass defects.(alumina-zirconia-silica)
June 1, 2005... Glass defects such as bubbles, stones, knots and cords originate from many sources, including poor melting and/or refining of glass, as well as refractory quality and degradation. The published literature often cites alumina-zirconia-silica...

Casting quality: simple processing procedures can reduce and even eliminate common tape casting defects.
June 1, 2005... For multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCCs), molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and other products that depend on the thin tapes produced by the tape casting process,...

Investing in ceramics: a superior solution: Superior Quartz Products is bringing a new level of service to ceramic component machining.
June 1, 2005... For Canberra Co. (previously Aptec-NRC) in Concord, Ontario, Canada, sourcing ceramic components used to be a significant chore. The company makes gamma exit/entrance monitors (GEM 5), hand and foot surface contamination monitors (Sirius-2 and...

New diamond options: manufacturers of next-generation ceramic and glass products can choose from a number of advanced diamond types to optimize material removal rates and surface quality.(Synthetic monocrystalline diamond )
June 1, 2005... Synthetic monocrystalline diamond (SMD) is used to machine and finish a variety of surfaces, including ceramics, optics, semiconductor materials and media storage components. In most cases, SMD is more than adequate to meet the required...

Under the wire: wire sawing is gaining increasing popularity as an efficient, high-quality slicing method for many ceramic, quartz and glass applications.
June 1, 2005... When machining glass and ceramic components for high-tech applications, criteria such as productivity and cutting quality are paramount. For these reasons, a number of companies are turning to wire saws. With benefits such as high throughput,...

Investing in ceramics: crossing over: PremaTech Advanced Ceramics is combining the best of two service- and technology-oriented companies to provide the ceramic industry with advanced problem solving and design expertise.
June 1, 2005... Since 1968, General Carbide Corp., Greensburg, Pa., has produced a range of tungsten carbide products used in wear, cutting and metal-forming operations in a number of different industries. The company, which is known for its attention to...

A new perspective on cost: a new dryer has enabled Tiles by R Design to increase the quality of its high-end tiles and significantly cut its losses.(R Design)
June 1, 2005... When you look at new equipment, how do you know what you can afford? Is it all about the price tag and the money in your bank account? Or are there other hidden factors that need to be considered? Virtually every successful pottery producer...

Stoneware clay body formulas: Part 1: the basics: understanding how all of the different components of a stoneware clay body work together can help potters develop the best formula for their intended application.
June 1, 2005... Stoneware clay is a widely used generic term for clay bodies fired between cone 6 (c/6, 2232[degrees]F) and cone 9 (c/9, 2300[degrees]F) that create a dense, hard, vitreous, functional piece of pottery or sculpture. * Stoneware clay body...

Accurate temperature analysis.(TIPS & TECHNIQUES)
June 1, 2005... Glaze maturity and firing rates are specific to each potter and depend on the variables imposed during the firing process--i.e., heating rate, soak times and atmosphere. Most potters use pyrometric cones to determine when their firing is...

Fired up: installing an industrial kiln has helped Edgecomb Potters revolutionize its production process.(Pottery Production Practices)
June 1, 2005... The year was 1976. America celebrated its bicentennial, Rocky Balboa took Apollo Creed the distance, and a Bostonian named Richard Hilton faced a difficult decision: take a pay cut in his job as a radio announcer or start a new career in...

Good impressions: custom-engraved clay stamps are helping potters create clean, consistent signatures and other designs in their ware.
June 1, 2005... Todd Scholtz didn't like how his signature looked in clay. He tried using different tools, but the results were always inconsistent and "ratty." An engraver by trade and an inventor by nature, Scholtz decided to try making himself a few metal...

Automatic sample feeder.(NEW Products)
June 1, 2005... LaserComp A new AutoFeeder for the FOX50 series of thermal conductivity measurement instruments is now available. The new feeder enables users to load up to 24.5 in. (12.7 mm) thick samples that are 2 in. (50.8 mm) in diameter. These...

Pump catalog.(NEW Products)
June 1, 2005... NETZSCH Inc. The third edition of this company's NEMO[R] Progressing Cavity Pumps Catalog is available on CD-ROM. The easy-to-navigate digital catalog describes NEMO's complete line of progressing cavity pumps, geometries, accessories and...

Pulverizer.(NEW Products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Applicon Co. Inc. The AIM-Jet pulverizer reportedly grinds highly abrasive and temperature- or contamination-sensitive materials to fine micron powder. The unit uses autogenous immersion milling, has no moving parts, and is available with...

Micaceous iron oxide.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Kraft Chemical Co. This company offers a new grade of micaceous iron oxide for use in the ceramic industry. Selling under the tradename MIOX, the A grade material is designed specially for ceramic tile applications. With its...

Alstom Power: Bartlett-Snow[TM] rotary calciners for pilot plant testing.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Bartlett-Snow rotary calciners)(product information of Air Preheater Co)(equipments of Raymond Research Laboratory )(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... Bartlett-Snow rotary calciners provide a highly effective way to process an array of materials, from fine powders to granular solids. Capable of temperatures exceeding 1500[degrees]C with controlled atmosphere, these indirectly heated units...

Ceradyne, Inc.: advanced technical ceramics.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... 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, industrial, medical, orthodontic and...

Datapaq: Kiln Tracker: temperature profiling excellence.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Datapaq Kiln Tracker )(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... Designed specifically for the ceramic industry, the Datapaq Kiln Tracker is the gold standard for analyzing and optimizing the firing cycle. The Kiln Tracker System monitors rates of heating and cooling across the quartz inversion point, giving...

EXAKT Technologies, Inc.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(product introduction of EXAKT Technologies, Inc)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... The new EXAKT "E" Series Three Roll Mills are bringing new levels of control to the dispersion of powders in products. EXAKT has added a wealth of new features that make product development, scale up and process controls available in both the...

I Squared R Element Co., Inc.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... When founded in 1964, I Squared R was the number three silicon carbide heating element manufacturer in the U.S., far behind the Carborundum Co. (Globar) and the Norton Co. (Hot Rod). I Squared R is now the only U.S. manufacturer of silicon...

Jyoti Ceramic Ind. Pvt. Ltd.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Jyoti Ceramic Industry has modern manufacturing facilities supported by a state-of-the-art R&D laboratory in Nashik, which is 180 km from Mumbai in India. With over 35 years of experience in the ceramic field, Jyoti is recognized as one of...

The Kanthal Corporation.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(product introduction of Kanthal)(Superthal[R] modules)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... 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 Mo[Si.sub.2]...

Mohr Corporation.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... From one pre-owned ceramic manufacturing machine to entire factory liquidations to the sale of ceramic entities for ongoing production, Mohr Corp. is experienced in ceramic production and related machinery. Applications include the manufacture...

Pred Materials International, Inc.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... 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...

PremaTech Advanced Ceramics.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... PremaTech Advanced Ceramics is a dynamic operation whose capabilities are always expanding and improving. The service of a smaller organization is now combined with the strength of a larger company. As a member of the General Carbide family of...

Rath Performance Fibers.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Rath Performance Fibers supplies refractory materials, for use as kiln linings, car insulation, and furniture, capable of withstanding operating temperatures of 1800[degrees]C in reducing, oxidizing and corrosive atmospheres. These high...

Hexoloy[R] silicon carbide.(SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT)(product information and properties of Hexoloy silicon carbide )(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... Hexoloy silicon carbide from Saint-Gobain Ceramics, Structural Ceramics offers an ideal material for a wide variety of high-temperature furnace applications, such as kiln support beams, kiln tiles, thermocouple protection tubes and other...