Cost factor
Cost factor The cost factor “fire & kiln” in porcelain production Cost factor porcelain firing The German porcelain bible of Hans Friedl from 1987 describes the firing costs as the majority cost factor of the porcelain industry. Certainly this statement dates back to the time when the kilns in the bavarian mountains Fichtelgebirge were still…
Capsule firing
Capsule firing The capsule firing is a firing method that is only used for firing the glaze (smooth firing) for the firings that retain the shape. Any firings (preliminary firings) do not require the encapsulation of the porcelain bodies. In the refinement of porcelain by e.g. reactive glazes, which are produced in the reduction process,…
Hard firing
Hard firing The hard firing in the porcelain industry Mixed from the raw materials kaolin, quartz and feldspar, shaped and pre-dried, the glost firing takes place after the glaze has been applied. The unfinished porcelain body is in a bisquite-like state (green firing method) or in a leather-hard state (mono firing method). The following names…
Vitrification (Gas-phase)
vitrification (Gas-phase) The English term vitrification (vitrification) means in the German translation “vitrify” or “melt into glass”. It comes from the Latin term “Vitrum”, which stands for glass. In general physics, vitrification describes the solidification of a liquid by increasing its viscosity during the cooling process, with no crystallization and thus an amorphous material (glass) is formed. Vitrification of…
Gas phase
Gas phase (Graphic: Tunnel kiln control panels, gas phase marked red) “… Door closed, porcelain in, temperature high and after a while door open again, porcelain is ready…” This is how many consumer imagine the firing process of porcelain or ceramic tableware. Unfortunately it ain’t that simple! Porcelain firing is a philosophy in itself and…
Double firing
Double firing Double firing – the double firing technique in the porcelain industry Porcelain is an end product that only grows into a solid state when raw materials are fused together under great heat. This process of porcelain production is called porcelain firing, which can take place in different furnaces and production stages. We have…
Decor firing
decor firing Decor firing – the final stage of porcelain refinement The shaped porcelain body was smooth-fired into whiteware and the decoration was applied to this finished body in various processes. This decoration must now be thermally applied and consolidated in a further firing process so that it retains its stability and strength. Due to the low porosity of the porcelain, decors,…
Fuels
Fuels Fuels for the production of porcelain & ceramics Energy source quality feature Please clarify the difference between a cooked salmon and a smoked salmon. The way the porcelain is fired has just as great an influence on the quality of the end product. Our picture (above) shows a traditional coal stove as it is…
Firing curve
Firing curve The firing curve is the time axis (X) in relation to the thermal firing (Y), i.e. a temperature-time-atmosphere curve. In addition to the composition of the raw materials and the admixture of additives, the length and structure of a firing curve always depends on the individual conditions of the respective production site and…
Firing helpers
Firing helpers Kiln furniture in porcelain production Firing aids in porcelain production are refractory kiln accessories that are used in the firing processes of porcelain as carrier plates, supports, cassettes, firing racks, etc. The material and thickness of the firing aids play an important role in the production costs, because the higher the proportion of…