Ceramic Industry articles from March 2007

Ceramic Industry archives from March 2007

Recognizing opportunities.(INSIDE CI)(Column)
March 1, 2007... As I write this column, a winter storm has closed schools and businesses in my area (and, indeed, in much of the state) for the second day, and the snow continues to fall. The wind isn't helping matters, either; snow drifts are piled several...

International calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2007... March 7-9 9th Annual Small Fuel Cells for Portable Applications Conference ** Miami, Fla., www.knowledgepress.com/events/7131050_ps.pdf March 13-15 AutoPore IV and 9500 Series Training ** Norcross, Ga., www.micromeritics.com ...

Pilkington to build float glass plant in Abu Dhabi.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2007... Pilkington Group Limited, a member of NSG Group, and A1 Hamed Enterprises LLC recently announced the formation of a joint venture company, Pilkington Emirates LLC. This new company will order a float glass manufacturing line to be built and...

CoorsTek acquires Gaiser Tool.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2007... CoorsTek, Inc. recently announced its acquisition of Gaiser Tool Co., a ceramic precision tooling manufacturer based in Ventura, Calif., with operations in Tokyo, Japan. CoorsTek plans to retain the Gaiser brand while infusing technical and...

Asahi invests in automotive glass plant.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2007... Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. recently announced that it will build its second automotive glass plant in China. To be located in Foshan, Quangdong Province, the 6.5 billion yen (US$55 million) plant will produce laminated and tempered glass; production...

Resco, Thermal Ceramics announce license agreement.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2007... Resco Products, Inc. and Thermal Ceramics Inc. recently announced the signing of a licensing agreement that will allow Resco to manufacture and sell Thermal's 80-D brick in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. "Resco is honored to have been chosen by...

ALSTOM Power expanding manufacturing operations.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... ALSTOM Power Inc., Air Preheater Co., headquartered in Wellsville, N.Y., and part of the Energy and Environment Systems Group within ALSTOM Power, will be embarking on an expansion project to build an additional 44,000 square feet of...

Du-Co acquires assets of Saxonburg Ceramics.(IN THE NEWS)(Du-Co Ceramics Company Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Du-Co Ceramics Co. and Saxonburg Ceramics, Inc., both headquartered in Saxonburg, Pa., recently announced that Du-Co is acquiring certain Saxonburg Ceramics assets. Eighty-three-year-old Saxonburg Ceramics will close its Saxonburg manufacturing...

American Standard to sell bath & kitchen business.(IN THE NEWS)
March 1, 2007... American Standard Companies Inc. recently announced that its board of directors has completed a strategic review of the company and unanimously approved a plan to separate its three businesses this year. Upon completion of the plan, American...

A superior opportunity: Superior Quartz Products' new facility is enabling the company to expand its ceramic machining operation and focus on R&D efforts.(INVESTING IN CERAMICS)(Company overview)
March 1, 2007... In 2003, Superior Quartz Products, Inc. (SQP) faced a dilemma not uncommon in industry today: one of its long-time service providers was going out of business, and rather suddenly at that. Instead of casting around to find a new company that...

Photo-machining: a new process can be used to machine ceramic parts simply, quickly and at a lower cost than many conventional methods.(Cover story)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Computer-driven machine tools, like computerized numerical control (CNC) machining, ultrasonic machining and laser cutting technologies, have revolutionized the way precision components are machined. However, these...

Shape the liquid not the solid: a new sol-gel process provides a major improvement in the production of special glass-molded bodies for a variety of applications.(special report: glass manufacturing)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Researchers have been intrigued by the promising principles of sol-gel for decades. In contrast to traditional processes that require the re-shaping of solid blocks of silica glass material, molds of almost any shape...

Shark mode: two potters are putting their youthful experience in the ceramic industry to good use by offering not only their own functional tableware lines, but also complete production services.(Pottery Production Practices)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Brett Binford and Chris Lyon are not your typical 26-year-olds. They don't exist as mere numbers in Corporate America, chipping away at school loans and passing their free time with video games or trips to the local...

Get charged up: voltage is an often misunderstood concept that can cause problems with your kiln's condition and performance.(Pottery Production Practices)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Voltage impacts both kiln operation and performance, and misunderstandings abound. Three important considerations are low voltage, incorrect voltage, and how to mitigate or resolve voltage problems. First, let's...

Sourcing raw materials: a cautionary tale: a diverse and thorough knowledge of raw materials is the potter's only recourse in the present environment of fewer material options.(Pottery Production Practices)
March 1, 2007... Once widely used as a glaze material, Albany slip clay is no longer commercially available, and any stockpiles held by potters will eventually be exhausted. This event is predictable when you consider the history of raw materials in the pottery...

Controlled firings: kiln design matters: Part 2: combustion and control.(TIPS & TECHNIQUES)
March 1, 2007... Every aspect of a kiln's design is a tool that can be used in its operation and control. Whether you decide to build or buy your next gas-fired pottery kiln, keep in mind that features such as the insulation and kiln furniture, the burner type...

NCECA 2007 preview.(Pottery Production Practices)(National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts)(Conference notes)
March 1, 2007... With the theme "Old Currents/ New Blends: A Distillation of Art and Geography," the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) will hold its 41st Annual Conference March 14-17 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in...

Diamond powder.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2007... Warren/Amplex Superabrasives Micron Diamond-plus was designed to avoid the causes of variation inherent in particle manufacturing. Through precise and non-traditional control of the grading process, the company reduces adjusted center...

Tile presses.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2007... Sacmi The new IMOLA range of high-tonnage presses features a luminous status indicator installed in a central position on the upper part of the machine, providing useful information on press status even at a distance. Assembled using the...

Optical lapping pitch.(WHAT'S NEW)
March 1, 2007... Meller Optics, Inc. A full line of contaminant-flee optical lapping pitch is available in five hardness grades that are ready to use without screening and mixing. Hardness grades range from very soft to very hard, with melting points from...