Ceramic Industry articles from September 2003

Ceramic Industry archives from September 2003

Opinions wanted.(Inside CI)
September 1, 2003... No matter what I'm reading, my favorite articles are always those that focus on someone else's opinion. Letters to the editor, opinion editorials, interviews with individuals--all of these get my intellectual juices flowing. I might not...

International calendar.(Calendar)
September 1, 2003... SEPTEMBER 15-17 Sintering 2003: An International Conference on the Science, Technology and Applications of Sintering, Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, State College, Pa., (814) 863-8735, fax (814) 865-2326, e-mail rgc5@psu.edu,...

Sacmi to purchase Laeis Bucher.(Ceramics In The News)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Bucher Industries AG and Sacmi Imola S.C.R.L. have signed a letter of intent to negotiate a 100% ownership interest of Sacmi Group in Laeis Bucher Technology GmbH. Laeis Bucher, a subsidiary of Bucher Industries, is a leading global supplier of...

Meldrum named vice president of sales for Electro Abrasives.(Ceramics In The News)(Daniel J. Meldrum)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Electro Abrasives Corp. recently appointed Daniel J. Meldrum its vice president of sales. He is responsible for sales and marketing of the company's silicon carbide and boron carbide grains and powders. "Dan brings Electro Abrasives years of...

Pred named Fused silica distributor for Lianyungang Taosheng.(Ceramics In The News)(Pred Materials)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Pred Materials has become the North American distributor of high-purity fused silica products from Lianyungang Taosheng Fused Quartz Co., Ltd. of China. According to the company, the typical purity of these products is 99.95%. Additional...

Paragon to hold in-plant Kiln maintenance seminar.(Ceramics In The News)(Paragon Industries)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Paragon Industries, L.P. will hold a Basic Kiln Repair & Maintenance Seminar at its kiln factory in Mesquite, Texas, on October 3-4, 2003. The seminar will focus on basic electrical theory, troubleshooting, kiln maintenance and repair of most...

SGCD presents the 2003 Frank S. Child and Founder's awards.(Ceramics In The News)(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) presented the 2003 Frank S. Child and Founders' Awards during its annual Awards Banquet, held on April 1 during DECO 2003 in Nashville, Tenn. This year's recipient of the Frank S. Child Award...

ACerS Southeast Section announces fall meeting dates.(Ceramics In The News)(American Ceramic Society)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Southeast Section of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) has announced that its fall meeting will be held at the Beau Rivage Casino and Resort in Biloxi, Miss., October 1-2, 2003. For more information, contact Alex Beltzhoover at (704)...

Defining "Fair Trade".(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2003... I read with interest Ralph Ruark's recent column on "'Fair Trade' and the Demise of American Ceramics" ("Kiln Connection," August 2003, p. 23). Whenever discussing free trade and globalization, the one question that should always be asked is,...

Creating an effective barrier: combining advanced materials with solid engineering principles and the right application technology can provide performance improvements in thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine engines.
September 1, 2003... In the last several decades, thermally deposited ceramic coatings on metallic turbine blades have enabled turbine engines to operate at higher temperatures, and, according to the laws of thermodynamics, higher efficiencies. (1,2) Ceramic...

Successful large-area sputtering: cylindrical rotating magnetrons can provide controlled reactive sputtering on both large areas and high-volume products, while also minimizing arcing and anode problems.
September 1, 2003... Magnetron sputtering, combined With an accurate control of process parameters and layer quality, has become one of the most important methods for depositing thin films. The technique involves bombarding a negatively biased target surface, which...

Inside the raw materials industry: interviews with several clay and mineral suppliers provide a behind-the-scenes look at pricing pressures, recent innovations and manufacturing trends in the ceramics industry.(Interview)
September 1, 2003... Why do raw material prices seem to be continually increasing? When are all clay suppliers going to offer online purchasing and order tracking capabilities? When is someone going to develop the perfect blend for my manufacturing process? Do my...

Saving energy with microporous insulation: a new microporous insulation is helping manufacturers of ceramic, aluminum and steel products maximize their operating efficiencies.(Special report: refractories)
September 1, 2003... Microporous insulation has been used successfully in Europe for years in a variety of ceramic, aluminum and steel applications, and it is also being used in an increasing number of similar applications in North America. Because of the...

SGCD presents the 2003 discovery awards: the SGCD recognized a number of outstanding ceramic and glassware design and technical achievements at DECO 2003 in Nashville, Tenn.(Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators)
September 1, 2003... The Society of Glass and Ceramic Decorators (SGCD) sponsors the annual Discovery Awards competition to recognize outstanding decorated ceramic and glassware design and technical achievements. Winners are honored during the awards banquet at the...

A robotic vision: a new robotic packaging system equipped with advanced vision technology is helping Commercial Brick Corp. increase product quality and profitability.(Special section: Brick & Clay Record)
September 1, 2003... U.S. brick manufacturers have been hearing about the benefits of robots since the early 1990s. Everyone knows they can reduce labor requirements, improve product quality and increase production efficiencies. Everyone also knows that unless...

Managing gas flow for optimum firing control: controlling the gas flow inside your kiln is crucial to achieving a high-quality product at the lowest possible cost.(Special section: Brick & Clay Record)
September 1, 2003... In today's difficult economy, just about everyone is trying to find new ways to cut costs while maintaining--or improving--product quality. For some plants, achieving this goal will require the purchase of a new kiln. For many others, however,...