Ceramic manufacturing

Introduction to Ceramic:

Ceramics are considered an inorganic, non-metallic, solid material that can be comprised of metal, non-metal, or metalloid atoms that are mainly held in either ionic or covalent bonds. Known for their brittle properties, ceramics are hard, strong in compression, and weak in shearing and tension. They also withstand chemical erosion and high temperatures. Ceramics are a part of our everyday lives without realizing it; we are surrounded by them from domestic and industrial building products, tableware, and art all the way up to medical devices and microchips.

 

Ceramic processing:

The two types of ceramics are crystalline and noncrystalline. Crystalline ceramics are not eligible for a wide range of processing; they can either be shaped in situ or formed with powders and sintered to form a solid body. Forming techniques can vary between hand shaping, slip casting, tape casting, injection molding, dry pressing, and others. Noncrystalline ceramics are basically glass and are usually formed through melting. Shaping glass can involve either bringing the ceramic material to a fully molten state and casting it, or bringing it to a semi-molten state (like caramel) and blowing it into a mold.