Due to its inherent characteristics, the thermal processing of powders (including calcination, sintering, carburization, etc.) is primarily performed in rotary tube furnaces.

Acme Brick Co. recently celebrated the first load of brick produced at its newly reopened Bennett, Texas, plant facility.

Companies that are starting up, moving or expanding may be able to tap into state and local economic development incentives to save significant money and improve profitability.

Screening is an essential aspect of processing ceramic materials. An array of commercial applications for ceramics—from building materials to aerospace—is facilitated by the diversity of available ceramic products.

Firing ceramics that contain organic binders poses a unique safety consideration. When heated, organic binders release combustible vapors. Under some conditions, concentrations may reach flammable or explosive levels during binder burn-out.

Many particulate solid materials can exhibit self-heating that, if unchecked, can progress to a fire or explosion.

Ever wonder why the steaks cooked on a home barbecue don’t taste like the ones from a high-end steakhouse? It’s because many steakhouses use high-temperature infrared (IR) grilling technology that can sear meats evenly at 700° or hotter under the careful watch of professional chefs.

Kyocera Corp. recently announced that a solar project using the company’s solar modules has been awarded the 2012 Swiss Solar Prize: The wheelchairs of 10 inhabitants at the Quimby Huus, an institution for the physically disabled in St. Gallen, Switzerland, are driven exclusively using solar power.

An MIT researcher has developed a technique that provides a new way of manipulating heat, allowing it to be controlled much as light waves can be manipulated by lenses and mirrors.

 Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) is a naturally formed material created during the development of the earth due to the ammonia-rich atmosphere, silicon-rich crust and high temperatures.Silicon nitride was first developed synthetically in 1859 by Deville and Wöhler, resulting in a patent filed in Germany.