WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF MAKING CERAMICS?

The traditional method for making ceramics is given below in steps.
1. Milling
2. Batching
3. Mixing
4. Forming
5. Drying 
6. Sintering

1. Milling :

  • This is a process by which materials are reduced size from large size to small size. Milling may involve various techniques of breaking a material which is also called pulverization. It means grinding the particles in smaller size.
  • These various mechanical processes are attrition, compression, impact etc. 
  • In attrition mill, The particles are break up due to collision of particles itself. It creates shearing to each other and breaks it.
  • In compression mill, It includes jaw crusher or roller crusher or cone crusher. They puts compression load on material and their particles breaks in small size.
  • In impact mill, The include the ball mill which has give the impact load or sudden load on material by which the material break through and convert into small size.
2. Batching :
  • This is the process of weighing the oxides according to recipes according to its use and prepare them for mixing and drying. This process is done by either volume batching or weigh batching.
3. Mixing :
  • This is the process occurs after batching and performed by various machinary such as dry mixer, muller mixer and pug mixer. By this process the ingredient of material are mixing well and make a homogeneous material.
4. Forming :
  • This process converts material in desired form, shape and size. Forming can involve the following processes.
  • Extrusion
  • Pressing
  • Slip casting
5. Drying :
  • This is a removing of moisture from the material which means make material waterless. This process includes following processes like,
  • Spray drying
  • Tunnel drying
  • Periodic drying
  • In this process, water removes by applying heat on material. This step needs carefully control because rapid heating causes cracks and surface defects.
  • The dried part is smaller than the green part.
6. Sintering :
  • This is a process by which small particles of a material are bonded together by solid state diffusion is called sintering.
  • Sintering is carried out below the melting temperature so that a liquid phase is normally not present.
A model explaining the sintering process | Download Scientific Diagram
  • The stage of sintering process are drawn above.
  • Sintering is carried out below melting temperature.

  • During the initial sintering stage, Necks form along the contact regions between adjacent particles.
  • In addition, A grain boundary forms within each neck and every interstice between the particle becomes a pore as shown in above figure.
  • Due to sintering process, The total surface area of material is reduced.

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