Ceramic Industry articles from May 2006

Ceramic Industry archives from May 2006

Operation innovation.(innovations)
May 1, 2006... Recently, an ill-fated DIY home improvement project brought the importance of innovation to the forefront of my mind. Little did I know that if you ask four contractors how to repair nearly 100-year-old plaster walls, you will get six different...

International calendar.(calendar)(Calendar)
May 1, 2006... MAY * 9-11 International Powder & Bulk Solids Exhibition, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont (Chicago), Ill., (800) 354-4003 or (203) 840-5650, e-mail inquiry@powdershow.com, www.powdershow.com 10-11 Assembly East 2006...

Unifrax to be acquired by AEA.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
May 1, 2006... Affiliates of AEA Investors LLC have signed an agreement to acquire, in partnership with management, ASP Unifrax, Inc. and its operating company subsidiary, Unifrax Corp., from American Securities Capital Partners, L.P. (ASCP). Terms of the...

Jacuzzi Brands to consolidate UK Bath Products plants.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
May 1, 2006... Jacuzzi Brands, Inc. will consolidate its Bradford, UK, ceramic production into its Newcastle-Under-Lyme, UK, facility and its outsourcing partners. The Bradford facilities manufacture bath products including shower enclosures, sanitaryware and...

CoorsTek expands in Europe.(acquisition of VZS/Seagoe Advanced Ceramics Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... CoorsTek, Inc. formally announced the expansion of its European presence through the acquisition of VZS/Seagoe Advanced Ceramics of Glenrothes, Fife, Scotland. While CoorsTek has been manufacturing in the region for over three decades and...

Control Instruments updates website.(Service enhancement of Control Instruments Corp)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Control Instruments Corp. has added a new section to its website that focuses on the various applications and industries the company serves, providing links to educational and product information that it anticipates will assist customers in...

Ohio announces fuel cell grants.(awards)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Ohio Governor Bob Taft recently announced that more than $6 million in grants have been awarded to seven Ohio companies and research collaborations to assist in the commercialization and adaptation of fuel cell technologies through the Third...

Alfa Aesar forms operation in China.(Alfa Aesar opening of a new facility in the Tianjin Economic Development Area)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Alfa Aesar, a Johnson Matthey company, recently announced the formation of Mfa Aesar China and the opening of a new facility in the Tianjin Economic Development Area (TEDA). The company expects that the new operation will offer improved service...

3M to acquire General Industrial Diamond.(3M co acquired General Industrial Diamond Co Inc)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... 3M has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire General Industrial Diamond Co. Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "Adding General Industrial Diamond's bonded superabrasives enhances our existing product line and enables 3M...

What does H.R. 4167 mean for your business?(restrictions for seafood)
May 1, 2006... On March 8, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 4167, the National Uniformity for Food Act. The House also rejected several amendments that would have crippled the bill, although an amendment was passed that would permit...

CM Furnaces, Inc.(People IN THE NEWS)
May 1, 2006... CM Furnaces, Inc. has appointed Jon Guibor its new regional sales manager for the Mid-Atlantic region. With a strong background in capital equipment technical sales, Guibor's responsibilities include the supervision and management of sales of...

sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc.(sp3 Diamond Technologies Inc. appoints its vice president)
May 1, 2006... Rob Hay has been appointed vice president of sales for sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc. Hay brings a strong and diverse background to sp3, one that encompasses new business and market development, technical sales, and advanced materials...

Potomac Valley Brickand Supply Co.(appointments in Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Co)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Potomac Valley Brick and Supply Co. (PVB) has named Don Wasmunski its first chief financial officer and Allen Carter its first customer service manager. Additionally, PVB has named Chris Tallevast its new Baltimore area sales manager. Prior to...

Plibrico Co., LLC.(appointments)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Jim Eckert has been named Plibrico Co., LLC's new president. He will be responsible for the operations of the company's two divisions, Plibrico Refractory Materials and Plibrico Refractory Construction. Eckert was most recently president of...

Daniel M. Storey was recently promoted to chief technology officer for both Ionic Fusion Corp. and its medical subsidiary, Nexxion Corp.(appointments)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Daniel M. Storey was recently promoted to chief technology officer for both Ionic Fusion Corp. and its medical subsidiary, Nexxion Corp. Storey joined Ionic Fusion as senior scientist in 2004, and he has been instrumental in the development of...

Ascon Corp.(Ascon Corp appoints technical services manager)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Ascon Corp. recently announced the addition of Davide Bugatti as its North American technical services manager. Formerly in the after sales service department at Ascon, S.p.A. in Milan, Italy, Bugatti joined the company in 2001 as a field...

Trade war, anyone?(currency management)
May 1, 2006... It appears the honeymoon is over-will we skip marital bliss and head straight for divorce and, if so, how ugly will it get? On July 21, 2005, China announced that it would revalue its currency, the yuan, by 2% and allow it to float more freely...

Bizarro world.(KILN CONNECTION)(energy efficiency)(Column)
May 1, 2006... You know the Seinfeld episode where everything is backward? Kramer gets an office job (with no pay); George becomes attractive to beautiful women; Elaine meets the opposites of Jerry, Kramer and George; and Jerry dates Man Hands? As Seinfeld...

Dynamic pressing: a new continuous precompaction process for porcelain tile increases the speed and flexibility of production while providing enhanced technical and aesthetic features.(new technologies being used in ceramic industry)
May 1, 2006... The recent introduction of tile manufacturing systems based on double-pressing technology has aroused great interest, particularly in the porcelain tile field, which imitates natural products and requires a ceramic body with an appropriately...

Advancing components with low-pressure injection molding; low-pressure injection molding is leading to advances in ceramic microcomponents and other ceramic parts.(using of injection molding ceramic industry)
May 1, 2006... Numerous ceramic manufacturers have faced the challenges of manufacturing advanced components--including the difficulty of forming increasingly small, complex shapes; the high costs of machining; and the problem of quickly and cost-effectively...

Case study: a quality profile: Mansfield Plumbing Products uses a kiln profiling system to effectively monitor and analyze the heat work in its kilns.
May 1, 2006... Headquartered in Perrysville, Ohio, with additional plants in Henderson, Texas, and Big Prairie, Ohio, Mansfield Plumbing Products produces a wide range of sanitaryware products, including bowls, tanks, lavatories and related items. The...

Characterizing stability: zeta potential and particle size analysis techniques can accurately characterize the stability of ceramic dispersions.(analysis of zeta potential )
May 1, 2006... Ceramics in the form of colloidal dispersions are used in a wide variety of products and applications, from polishing semiconductor wafers to forming corrosionresistant coatings. The dispersions are expected to retain their original properties...

Taking advantage of waste: kiln and dryer upgrades are helping Logan Clay Products reduce fuel consumption by optimizing the use of waste heat.(SPECIAL SECTION: BRICK & CLAY RECORD)
May 1, 2006... Logan Clay Products Co. in Logan, Ohio, has always been in the waste business--wastewater, that is. For more than 100 years, the company has produced the high-quality clay sewer pipe specified by municipalities from New York to Chicago to the...

Smart tracking: radio frequency identification (RFID) is helping brick manufacturers improve product tracking both in the plant and on the yard for better quality and inventory control.(use of radio frequency identification equipment)
May 1, 2006... From robotic setters and dehackers to precisely controlled drying and firing processes, some of today's most sophisticated manufacturing technologies are helping brick manufacturers become more competitive in the building industry. Recently,...