Ceramic Industry articles from November 2008

Ceramic Industry archives from November 2008

Fall potpourri.(INSIDE CI)(Column)
November 1, 2008... I absolutely love fall; it's such an exciting time of the year. The air is cool and crisp, the changing leaves are gorgeous and the holiday season is right around the corner. There is so much going on, I hardly know where to start. First...

International calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2008... NOV 11-13 AutoPore IV 9500 Series Training Course ** Norcross, Ga., www.micromeritics.com Nov 12-14 16th Annual European Ink Jet Conference ** Lisbon, Portugal, www.imieurope.com Nov 12-14 Spray Finishing Technology Workshop ** Toledo,...

Particle Sizing Systems acquired by Agilent.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Agilent Technologies Inc. has acquired Particle Sizing Systems, a privately held company that designs and manufactures instruments that measure particle size and stability in a wide range of materials. Financial terms were not disclosed. The...

Saint-Gobain Crystals opens new production facility in Ohio.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... On July 29, 2008, Saint-Gobain Crystals inaugurated its new headquarters and production facility in Hiram, Ohio. The 110,000-square-foot building substantially replaces the company's operations in Newbury, Ohio, expanding production of...

Pfaltzgraff retail stores to close.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Lifetime Brands, Inc. recently announced that it will close all of its remaining 53 outlet retail stores, including 39 Pfaltzgraff[R] factory stores, eight Farberware[R] outlet retail stores and six clearance stores. The company also plans to...

Euro Ceramics expands with equipment from Sacmi.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Euro Ceramics Ltd. has been in the Indian market for five years and is reportedly one of the country's biggest producers of floor/ wall tile, kitchen ceramic and sanitaryware. Currently completing a key sanitaryware investment plan, Euro...

Air Products acquires Harvest Energy.(Harvest Energy Technology, Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Air Products has acquired Harvest Energy Technology, Inc., a leader in the development of hydrogen generation technology for industrial and energy applications, to enhance its overall global hydrogen product offerings. Terms of the deal for the...

PPG announces glass and coatings plant closures.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... PPG Industries recently announced a restructuring plan that is expected to result in approximately $100 million in pretax annual cost savings for the company. As part of the initiative, several PPG manufacturing units and facilities in the...

Acme Brick reopens Minnesota plant.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Acme Brick Co. recently announced that its Acme-Ochs brick plant in Springfield, Minn., which began limited operations in June, had an official opening in August. "We're delighted to be making brick again in Springfield, which is Minnesota's...

H.C. Starck announces price increases.(IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The H.C. Starck Group has announced another price increase for substantial parts of its product portfolio as a result of further increases in costs for energy, raw and auxiliary materials, and production supplies. "These are adjustments that...

Magnesita to acquire LWB Refractories.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Magnesita Refratarios S.A., a Brazilian manufacturer and service provider in the refractory industry, has signed an agreement to acquire Germany's LWB Refractories from Rhone Capital for 657 million [euro] (about $938 million) in enterprise...

Nutec Bickley acquires GFC.(IN THE NEWS)(GFC Kilns)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Nutec Bickley recently announced that it has acquired GFC Kilns' intellectual property and has hired the company's key employees as part of the integration process. GFC is an Australia-based kiln company with 38 years of experience in the...

Ferro and Nanofilm form nano-coatings partnership.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Ferro Corp. and Nanofilm have reached an agreement whereby Ferro will market Nanofilm's range of nano-coatings to the global glass and ceramic markets. This new relationship combines Ferro's sales network and supplier position in the glass and...

NREL solar cell sets world efficiency record at 40.8%.(IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2008... Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8% of the light that hits it into electricity. This is...

Media milling advances: the most efficient fine grinding takes place when both impact action and shearing force are present.
November 1, 2008... Particle size reduction has been around almost since the beginning of time and has undergone many changes. We've all seen the picture of the ox turning the millstone to grind grain, a method that is still used in many parts of the world today....

It's all relative: test results for dilatometers are always relative to calibration and testing conditions.(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A common perception regarding analytical instruments is that the operator places a sample into the instrument, closes the door, presses the start button and walks away. In a short time, a multicolored graph emerges...

2008-2009 Equipment Digest.
November 1, 2008... Acknowledgements The Ceramic Industry staff would like to give special acknowledgement to the organizations that provided or assisted with definitions for this year's Equipment Digest: * Agilent Technologies Inc., Particle Sizing...

2008-2009 Equipment Digest.(ABRASIVE WHEELS TO ANALYZERS, DENSITY-KILN CARS TO KILNS)
November 1, 2008... ABRASIVE WHEELS. Ceramic materials are normally ground with superabrasive diamond wheels; however, conventionally bonded silicon carbide wheels can also be used in some applications. The grindability of a specific ceramic material depends on...

2008-2009 Equipment Digest.(KILN CARS TO KILNS-VACUUM CHUCKS TO ZETA POTENTIAL ANALYZERS)(Company overview)
November 1, 2008... KILN CONTROL PANELS. See CONTROL PANELS, ELECTRIC and COMBUSTION CONTROLLERS. KILN FURNITURE. Typical structures in modern, low-mass kiln furniture systems include hollow shapes, such as posts and beams, and flat shapes, such as setter...

Servicing the Brick Belt: a new batching line is providing flexibility and reliability to help Prince Minerals produce high-quality pigment blends for its customers in the Brick Belt.(CASE STUDY: special section: brick & clay record)(Company overview)
November 1, 2008... Prince Minerals, Inc. is a leading producer of specialty mineral products with an emphasis on naturally occurring minerals and pigment applications. Its products are used in brick, refractories, glass, ceramics, foundries, cement and other...

Pushing for green: industry can help make the case that clay brick is the most sustainable green building material available.(special section: brick & clay record)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Green building design and sustainability are becoming more and more integrated in today's culture and vernacular. Articles on this topic are appearing in news outlets more than ever before. More than 100 cities have...

Dual-chamber, space-saving furnace.(WHAT'S NEW)
November 1, 2008... Lucifer Furnaces, Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The series 8000 furnace is a compact and economical dual-chamber furnace. The upper chamber operates between 1850 and 2300[degrees]F for hardening and is standard with a hearth plate to...

High-purity organics.(Alfa Aesar)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Alfa Aesar [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new "High Purity Inorganics Catalog" lists over 1000 high-purity inorganic materials, including base metal compounds, rare earth compounds, and ultra-dry materials for air- and moisture-sensitive...

Combination conveyor, feeder, screener system.(WHAT'S NEW)
November 1, 2008... Sweco [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Feed-Vac[TM] VibroEnergy separator system combines the functions of conveying, storage, feeding and screening of dry materials into one complete unit. The system includes the company's VibroEnergy...

Pneumatic screw pump brochure.(Win. M. Meyer & Sons, Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Win. M. Meyer & Sons, Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new 12-page brochure is now available that details the features and specifications of the Meyer[R] pneumatic screw pump, a heavy-duty dry materials injection pump designed to feed dry...

Microwave moisture sensor.(WHAT'S NEW)
November 1, 2008... Strandberg Engineering Laboratories, Inc. The type 9900 microwave moisture sensor uses the latest microwave sensing technology to produce a non-contact moisture sensor that covers the full range of moisture measurement from 0% to full...