There is provided an apparatus and process for manufacturing a brick or paver with a high content of coal ash (ranging from 60% to 100% coal ash or fly ash) so that a waste product (coal ash, and more particularly Class F coal ash) from a coal-fired power plant is incorporated into a building product (high content fly ash brick or paver). Also provided is a variable firing tray to support the dried, high content coal ash bricks/pavers as the dried products are sent through a tunnel kiln, to improve circulation around the individual bricks/pavers and thereby result in reduced firing time in the kiln.

“Green”, ceramic tapes intended as building blocks for making complex, fully ceramic components and devices for electronic-, lab-on-chip-, and sensing applications, the manufacture of which comprises in sequence: I. mixing of a ceramic “green” paste, II. homogenisation of a ceramic “green” paste, III. dimensioning and optionally structuring the ceramic “green” paste, IV. drying of the dimensioned and structured ceramic paste, in which: step iii) is performed in a combination of an extruder and a calender, the extruder being provided with a circular extrusion die, splitting and unfolding the extruded tube to a flat, continuous tape strip, using methylcellulose or derivatives thereof as binder, and, an additional step chosen among cutting and punching the thus dimensioned and optionally structured “green” paste, thereby making thick, “green” tapes. A method for its manufacture is also contemplated.

A stirrer (1; 100) for stabilizing liquid binding unfinished products intended to form ceramic items comprising a support shaft (2) individuating a longitudinal rotation axis (Y) and contained into a mixing tank (V) of the liquid binding unfinished product, motorization means (3) operatively connected with the support shaft (2) in order to rotate it around the longitudinal axis (Y), and a main operating blade (4), coupled with the support shaft (2) through interconnection means (5) in such a way as to be contained into the mixing tank (V) in order to interfere with the liquid binding unfinished product and cause its continuous mechanical mixing action inside the mixing tank (V) itself when the support shaft (2) rotates around the longitudinal axis (Y). In this case, the stirrer (1) includes a thermoregulation circuit (6), which extends within the support shaft (2) and within the main operating blade (4) and is connected with an external source for supplying a heat transfer fluid crossing the thermoregulation circuit (6) in such a way as to exchange heat with the liquid binding unfinished product within the mixing tank (V), in order to bring the it to a predefined temperature, while the support shaft (2) and the main operating blade (4) integral with it rotate around the longitudinal axis (Y).

A method of manufacturing a catalytic sieve includes providing starting materials of an aggregate, a cementing agent, a sublimation agent and water. The sublimation agent (between 25% and 50% by weight of the cementing agent) is selected from molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide, vanadium disulfide, copper sulfate, and combinations thereof. The aggregate contains at least 2% by weight of at least one transition metal. The method includes mixing the starting materials to achieve a mixture, placing the mixture into a form, and curing the mixture in the form to allow the mixture to become a solidified unit defined by a minimum dimension of thickness, length, width or diameter. The method further includes placing the solidified unit into a kiln, heating the kiln to 1115°−1350° C., maintaining the kiln at the temperature for between 10-60 minutes per centimeter of the minimum dimension, and removing the solidified unit from the kiln.

A composition comprises at least one form of attapulgite present in a solid weight fraction amount ranging from 0.25% to 5%; kaolin present in a solid weight fraction amount ranging from 17% to 50%; and optionally Ball Clay in a solid weight fraction amount ranging from 0% to 25%. Although makeable by other processes, in some embodiments, the composition is makeable by mixing component ingredients. Although usable for other purposes, in some embodiments, the composition is used to make ceramic pieces, e.g., via casting, pressing, jiggering or jollying, especially when the slip has solids, chemistry and viscosity suitable for shaping before drying, sintering, and optionally finishing.

A digital printer machine for ceramic products, including at least one conveyor, suitable for transporting the products to be printed along a feed direction, and at least one printing module, positioned along said conveyor and comprising an operating unit with respective print heads provided with nozzles for dispensing at least one printing fluid to be deposited on the surface of the products. The printing module includes a basement provided with a recess (R), underlying the operating unit, wherein the conveyor is inserted to make the products pass under the heads; the basement further comprises two completely flat and free lateral opposite flanks, so that the printing module can be matched to other modules along the conveyor until a complete mutual matching is obtained.

The disclosure discloses a method for preparing a multifunctional ecological exterior wall, including: preparing a ceramic board of a ceramic thermal insulation waterproof layer; preparing a ceramic sound-absorbing board of a sound-absorbing layer; and installing a ecological exterior wall: leveling a surface of the wall of a building with cement slurry, and applying a cement bonding layer thereon; laying the ceramic thermal insulation waterproof board on the cement bonding layer, and applying the cement bonding layer on the ceramic board; laying the ceramic sound-absorbing board on the cement bonding layer and reserving a gap used to place a pipe; driving the screw-thread steel bolt from the surface of the ceramic sound-absorbing board into the wall obliquely; installing and fixing the pipe in the gap, which is reserved at the upper of the ceramic sound-absorbing board; planting a green plant on the surface of the ceramic board of the sound-absorbing layer.

Provided is a mold cooling system for the manufacturing of ceramic parts by freeze-casting including: a source (1) of cooling gas; a cooling gas cooling medium (7) fluidically connected to the cooling gas source (1); and a cooling cell (5), fluidly connected to the cooling gas cooling medium (7), including a mold (9) in its interior, wherein the cooling cell (5) includes a refrigerated cooling gas injection opening. Thus, a mold cooling system is provided for the manufacturing of ceramic parts by freeze-casting including the stages of: refrigerating a cooling gas coming from a cooling gas source (1); and injecting a cooling gas that is refrigerated in a cooling cell (5) including a mold (9) in its interior.

An industrial apparatus for the firing of ceramic articles; the apparatus comprises a tunnel kiln provided with at least one side wall, a firing chamber and a transport system configured to convey a plurality of ceramic articles along a conveying path; the apparatus comprises at least one burner, which is provided with a first tubular discharge element, a second tubular discharge element and a suction element for the gases present in the firing chamber; the suction element is arranged between the first tubular discharge element and the second tubular discharge element inside the firing chamber.

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods and devices for high-melting-point materials are disclosed. In an embodiment, an additive manufacturing method includes the following steps. (S1) Slicing a three-dimensional computer-aided design model of a workpiece into multiple layers according to shape, thickness, and size accuracy requirements, and obtaining data of the multiple layers. (S2) Planning a forming path according to the data of the multiple layers and generating computer numerical control (CNC) codes for forming the multiple layers. (S3) Obtaining a formed part by preheating a substrate, performing a layer-by-layer spraying deposition by a cold spraying method, and heating a spray area to a temperature until the spraying deposition of all sliced layers is completed. (S4) Subjecting the formed part to a surface modification treatment by a laser shock peening method.