Over the years, when I was working in the ceramic industry, defects were as the song goes, Always on my mind. I worked mainly in R & D operations, although I was a production manager a couple of time. When the telephone rang first thing in the morning it was often because a production manager had a problem. Defects were showing up in the ceramic ware.

Defects in ceramic ware can be caused anywhere in the process. A defect showing up in the last decal firing in a whitewares factory can be from the initial raw materials used to formulate the ceramic body. Such a defect is usually a blister. Firing defects are often caused by forming operations. The cause of these defects often can not be determined without expert analysis by the laboratory.

In this series you will learn how to identify defects and determine their cause. It's important that defects be eliminated at once, often before the source is identified. That may sometimes be accomplished by isolating body or glaze batches, raw materials, etc. It is always very important to contact suppliers when a defect comes up. Their expertise can often help you solve your problem.

If you are a laboratory manager and fail to respond rapidly to a production defect problem you may increase the losses dramatically. Losses are measured in dollars or pounds or shekels or won or yen or dinars. If you do not respond or respond in a lackadaisical way, you will not be admired by your production associates nor management.

The Defect Series is in the form of a .PDF file. You will need Adobe Reader to read the file. The download of Adobe Reader is free. CLICK HERE!

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1. Definitions

This section gives definitions of processes as they relate to the text. Their are references to ceramic definition sources on the Internet.

2. Raw Materials

This section identifies defects cause by raw materials.

3. Forming

This section describes defects generated during forming.

4. Drying Operations

This section describes drying defects.

5. Bisk Firing

This section describes bisk firing defects.

6. Glost Firing and Glaze Formulation Notes

This section describes glaze application and glost- or glaze firing defects and gives some helps to reduce defects caused by improper glaze formulation.

7. Decaling Operations

This section describes defects generated during decal decorating operations.

8. Enameling Operations

This section describes defects generated during enameling decorating operations.

9. Gilding Operations

This section describes defects generated during precious metal (gilding) decorating operations.

10. Process Control

This section describes STP and gives references.

TABLE INDEX

2:1 Particle Size Defects

2:2 Particle Size and Surface Area Measurement Methods

2:3 Raw Material Contaminants

2:4 Glass and Glaze Constituents & Composition Range in Glazes

2:5 Typical Molecular Glaze Formula

2:6 Glaze Classifications

2:8 Ceramic Body Constituents

2:9 Ceramic Body Classifications

2:10 Materials for Advanced Applications

3:1 Forming Defects

3.2 Capacitor Defects (multiple thin film)

3.3 Glass Making Defects

3.4 Injection Molding Defects (See also Table 4.2)

3.5 Spray Drying Criteria

4:1 Drying Defects

4.2 Injection Molding Drying Defects (See also Table 3.4)

5:1 Bisk Firing Defects

6:1 Glazing and Glost Firing Defects

6.2 Customer Complaints Glazed Ware

6:3 Thermal Shock and Autoclave Testing

6:4 Special Crazing Problems on Firing & Dunting

7:1 Decaling Operation Defects

8:1 Enameling Operation Defects

9:1 Gilding Operation Defects

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