Advanced Ceramic forming

methods

Daniel Ato Adubah

University of Education, Winneba
2021
Ceramic raw materials and other additives are used in fabrication of
both traditional and advanced ceramic products. The type of
forming methods for production is mainly dependent on the size,
shape, dimensions and the quantities to be produced.

Additives such as Ceramic powder, Lubricant, Deflocculant, Binders,

Sintering additive, Solvent, Preservative, Dispersing agent, Wetting
agent, Antifoaming agent, Plasticizer, Softener, etc.
These additives either organic or inorganic with different chemical
compositions are added in the forming process to perform specific
purpose, obtain a required characteristics or functions depending on
the forming processes applied.

The drying and sintering of ceramic products decomposes the organic

additives used in the forming process.
Forming process
• Casting
• Extrusion
• Injection molding
• Uniaxial dry pressing
• Isostatic pressing
Slip casting
In the slip casting process, a gypsum mould(Plaster of Paris)
absorbs water from a suspension of ceramic powders,
additives and water to form a firm solid cast layer at the
mould surface. In order to stabilize the casting slip, a
deflocculant is added to aid in suspending the powder
particles from colliding and settling down.

Clay particles are very small in size and shaped like plates
with thin film of water surrounding each clay particle that
enables the particles to slide over one another when
pressure is applied during forming.
The addition of more water to clay moves the various particles
freely to form slip which is the main raw material form slip
casting. In most cases, casting materials are ball milled for better
casting results. As more water is added to the slip, viscosity is
decreased and slip becomes more fluid.

So much water makes the slip impractical to cast. This problem is

solved by adding chemicals, which changes the behavior of the
clay particles.
Clay particles have two different behaviours when freely
suspended in water.
• Clay particles attract each other in water when acid is added,
making clay slip "flocculated".
• The addition of an alkali (e. g. soda ash), the clay particles in
water will repel each other making the clay slip "deflocculated".
There are two principal variations of slip casting process.
• Thin or drain casting
• Solid or core casting
Thin or drain casting
It is the traditional process of casting used to produce variety
of products from simple to complex shapes such as cups,
dense refractories, chemical porcelain components,
bathroom fixtures etc. In the drain casting process, the
mould is overturned to drain excess slip after a thin layer
has been formed on the surface of the gympsum mould. This
casting usually results in hollow products.

A B C D
Solid casting
In solid casting, a plaster mould is refilled
completely with a slip for form the cast.
There is no excess to drain out from the
mould. It is usually used for the production
of plates, bowls etc.
Solvents
• Non-aqueous (Acetone, Ethyl alcohol, Benzole,Bromochloromethane,
Butanol, Diacetone, Ethanol, Isopropanol, Methylicisobutylketone,
Toluol, Trichlorethylene, Xylol.
• Aqueous (Water with antifoaming agents based on resigns)

Binders
• Non-aqueou(Celluloseacetate butyrate resign, Nitrocellulose, Petroleum
resign, Polyethylene, Polyacrylatester, Polymethylmethacrylate,
Polyvinylalcohol, Polyvinylbutyral resign, Polyvinylchloride)
• Aqueous (Acrylic polymer, Acrylic polymer, Emulsion, Ethylenoxide
polymer, Hydroxyethylencellulose, Methylcellulose, Polyvinylalcohol)
Plasticizers
• Non-aqueous (Butylbenzylphtalate, Butylstearate, Dibutylphtalate, Dimethylphtalate,
Methylabietate, Polyethylenglycol, Polyalkylenglycol, Polyalkylenglycol derivates,
Trikresylphosphate)
• Aqueous (Butylbenzylphtalate, Ethyltoluolsulfonamid, Glycerine, Polyalcylenglycol,
Triethylenglycol, Tri-N-butylphosphate)

Deflocculants
• Non-aqueous: Fatty acids(Glyceryl-trioleate), natural Fish oils (Menhaden), Synthetics
(Benzene sulfonic acids
• Aqueous: Complex vitreous phosphates, Condensed arylic sulfoic acid, Natural sodium
salt

Wetting Agent
• Non-aqueous (Alkylarylpolyether alcohol, Polyethylenglycolethylether, Athylphenylglycol,
Polyoxyethylenacetate, Polyoxethylenesther)
• Aqueous (Non-ionic octylphenoxyethanol)
Pressure casting
Pressure casting is used for manufacturing of large thick-walled
components in sanitary ceramics like sinks. Moulds are produced from
non sucking porous polymers. The water-based powder suspensions
are poured into a plaster mould, which by its capillary forces removes
liquid from the suspension (slip). Upon formation of the ceramic cast
the porous polymer mould is opened and is rinsed with water from
behind to release the cast. As the mould material must not be self-
drawing it needs not to be dried. This process has many disadvantages,
mainly that a large-scale production requires large production areas
and many plaster moulds.
However, plaster moulds have a
limited durability and need to
be changed frequently. To avoid
these problems high-pressure
slip casting (also known as
pressure slip casting or pressure
casting) has been introduced.
Instead of moulds made of
plaster, porous resin moulds are
used. This results in faster
casting cycles than in slip
casting where the capillary
forces correspond to a
pressure.
Extrusion
Extrusion of plastic ceramic feeds is used for manufacturing components
with defined cross sections whose length is determined by cutting an
extruded rod. The plastic material is fed through a charging hopper and the
metering screw into the press. In a vacuum chamber the feed is evacuated
and fed by the auger to the die. Depending on the die geometry, feeding
extrudes are produced to be further process as starting material for the
manufacturing of isolators and dinner ware or to extrude bricks, tiles,
tubes, substrates or “honeycomb” structures for catalyst carriers by means
of suitable inserts.
 • Auger extruder.
In case of clay based feeds the raw materials are plasticized by
water and very small quantities of deflocculants. Oxide and non-
oxide ceramic raw materials are plasticized by aqueous and non-
aqueous binder systems. Three typical examples of ceramic feeds
that are suited for extrusion.
Injection molding

Injection molding is a forming method used in the

manufacturing of small but complex geometric components
and low wall thicknesses in large quantities. Ceramic powders
mixed with binders, plasticizers and lubricants are
homogenized to plastify the feeds, which is done in heatable
mixers or kneaders above the melting point of the organic
additives
The high shear stresses required for mixing and for the dispersion of
agglomerates will result in high torques in the mixer and often in
considerable abrasion of metallic components.
Uniaxial dry pressing

Uniaxial dry pressing generally describes the densification or

compaction of ceramic powders or granules into a rigid die
through axial direction between two punch or piston. The
presses are usually mechanical or hydraulic and the pressing
cycle repeats 6 to 100 times/min. This process allows only
comparatively simple geometries to be manufactured like
magnetic and dielectric components, alumina substrates, cutting
tools, sensors, refractories, grinding disks, steatite isolators and
tiles. After filling the mould the parts are densified and ejected.
The sliding processes are favoured by organic additives that are normally
added to the powders before or during the granulation. This shaping
method is inexpensive and suitable for high-volume production of simple
shapes (limited geometrical possibilities) such as refractories, tiles,
electronic ceramics, etc. The uniformity of compaction is not very high.
There are two kinds of uniaxial pressing.
• Dry pressing: for spray-dried powders containing 0-4% moisture; easy
to automate; tight tolerances.

• Wet pressing: for 10-15% moisture, clay-containing powders; not well-

suited for automation; larger tolerances.
Uniaxial dry pressing
Isostatic Pressing
Isostatic pressing is similar to uniaxial pressing but the
compaction here takes place under hydrostatic conditions
where pressures are transmitted equally from all angle in the
production stages. The powder is loaded into the flexible
mould, the mould is sealed and the pressure is applied in a
pressure vessel via a liquid In this process the pressure is
applied uniformly from all sides on to the granules to be
densified. Isostatic pressing can also be called Cold Isostatic
pressing to differentiate it from hot isostatic pressing, a
similar pressing but done under high temperatures. There are
two principal variations of isotatic pressing operations: wet
bag and dry bag.
Isostatic Pressing
Literature
• Hammer, F. (1997).The Potter’s Dictionary of Material and Techniques. (4th Ed). Pennsylvania:
University of Pennsylvania Press
• McCabe, W.L., Smith J. C. and Harriot, P. (2005) Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering (7th Ed).
McGraw Hill International Edition
• McColm I. J. (2013).Dictionary of Ceramic Science and Engineering. Springer Netherlands
• Taylor, L. (2011). The Ceramics Bible: The Complete Guide to Materials and Techniques. San
Francisco: Chronicle Books
• Heinrich, J.G. (2004): Introduction to the Principles of Ceramic Forming, Göller Verlag,
BadenBaden, ISBN 3-87264-016-X.
• Terpstra, R.A., et al.(1992) : Ceramic Processing, Chapman & Hall, London.
• Kingery, W.D. (1975): Ceramic Fabrication Processes. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York.