Manufacturing and Production

Ceramic Tile and Sanitaryware Production

Ceramic products shrink substantially in firing, so every dimension a customer measures was decided by a body recipe and a kiln curve rather than by the mould, and a small change in either shifts the whole size grade. This course covers holding it. Delegates work through raw materials, clay, feldspar, quartz and their role in the fired body, and the body preparation route through wet milling, slip and spray drying. Forming follows across pressing for tiles and casting for sanitaryware, including mould making, plaster life and pressure casting. Drying is addressed with its cracking risks. Glazing is covered: glaze preparation, application by spray, bell and disc, and the fit between glaze and body that determines crazing. Firing follows through roller hearth and tunnel kilns, with firing curves and the reactions in each zone. Size grading, sorting and quality classification are addressed as commercial realities. Defects are diagnosed, including pinholes, crawling and black core. The course closes on kiln energy and on colour and calibre consistency.