A method of producing a cylindrical insulator for a spark plug includes a molding step of forming ceramic powder filled in a cavity defined by a mold and a molding pin into a compact. In a first removal step of removing the compact from the mold, the compact has at least one protrusion formed in at least one recess of the molding pin formed in an outer cylindrical surface of the molding pin, and the at least one protrusion is locked in the at least one recess, thereby allowing the compact to be removed with the molding pin from the mold. In a second removal step of removing the molding pin from the compact, the molding pin is turned or rotated in the circumferential direction about the compact, causing the at least one recess to cut the at least one protrusion from the compact, and thereafter the molding pin is removed from the compact.

A multi-zone cementitious product, which includes a base zone made of a first cementitious material composition and forming a portion of the product. At least one facing zone is adjacent to and bonded to the base zone, the facing zone made of a second cementitious material composition and forming at least one exterior face of said product which is visible when the product is installed. A disrupted boundary layer is between the facing zone and the base zone, and includes material from both the facing zone and the base zone. The disrupted boundary layer bonds the facing zone to the base zone. The facing zone has a thickness sufficient to prevent the base zone from being visible when the product is installed.

A method of manufacturing a textured former and a glove made therefrom, wherein the method comprises preparing a hand-shaped ceramic greenware, scanning the hand-shaped ceramic greenware to generate a digital 3D hand-shaped greenware model, modelling a pair of stencil covers with curvy texture line based on the digital 3D hand-shaped greenware model, printing the stencil covers, creating a curvy palm texture on the hand-shaped ceramic greenware with the aid of the stencil covers, firing the hand-shaped ceramic greenware with curvy palm texture in a kiln and dipping the hand-shaped ceramic former with curvy palm texture in an aqueous colloidal dispersion to produce glove with curvy palm texture.

A surface treatment method is provided that is capable of raising the slidability of a ceramic surface at low cost using a comparatively simple method. Dimples are formed on a surface of a treatment region, this being a portion of a ceramic surface where surface treatment is to be performed, by ejecting substantially spherical ejection particles having a median diameter of from 1 m to 20 m, together with compressed gas at an ejection pressure of from 0.01 MPa to 0.7 MPa, so as to achieve a value of a fastest decay autocorrelation length of not less than 10. The dimples are formed so as to have a plan view profile with a ratio between a horizontal Feret diameter and a vertical Feret diameter of from 0.7 to 1.43. Thereby a ceramic surface with improved slidability can be obtained regardless of use or non-use of a lubricant.

A technique is described for the application of three-dimensional (3D) relief to a substrate such as a ceramic tile using digital inkjet technology. In an example embodiment, the introduced technique includes application of binder ink to a portion of the surface of a substrate using a digital inkjet process. This binder ink forms a barrier layer which protects the portion of the surface of the substrate. Next, a brushing process is applied to remove unprotected portions of the substrate, thereby forming the 3D relief in the substrate.

A decorative concrete with a very uniform finish surface and a method of fabricating the same is disclosed. A concrete mixture is poured over a subgrade which defines an exposed surface. The exposed surface is finished with any of several techniques, and the surface is then worked with an abrasive material, and additional techniques are used to color and seal the concrete.

The present disclosure describes architectural blocks configured to give the appearance of real cut stone. A plaster composition may be applied to one or more surfaces of a block, such as a concrete masonry unit (CMU) to form an architectural block having the appearance of cut stone. The plaster composition includes a cementitious component, such as white Portland cement, a limestone aggregate component, and optionally an adhesive component. The limestone aggregate component includes a fine sand portion and a coarse sand portion that effectively enable the appearance of cut stone after finishing of the plaster surface via sanding and/or polishing.

A technique is described for the application of three-dimensional (3D) relief to a substrate such as a ceramic tile using digital inkjet technology. In an example embodiment, the introduced technique includes application of binder ink to a portion of the surface of a substrate using a digital inkjet process. This binder ink forms a barrier layer which protects the portion of the surface of the substrate. Next, a brushing process is applied to remove unprotected portions of the substrate, thereby forming the 3D relief in the substrate.

A multi-zone cementitious product, which includes a base zone made of a first cementitious material composition and forming a portion of the product. At least one facing zone is adjacent to and bonded to the base zone, the facing zone made of a second cementitious material composition and forming at least one exterior face of said product which is visible when the product is installed. A disrupted boundary layer is between the facing zone and the base zone, and includes material from both the facing zone and the base zone. The disrupted boundary layer bonds the facing zone to the base zone. The facing zone has a thickness sufficient to prevent the base zone from being visible when the product is installed.

A method and mold assembly for forming a dry cast concrete corner blocks having non-parallel front and rear faces and non-parallel end faces, with a hollow central core in the blocks. The corner blocks can be used to build a square or irregular corner in a retaining wall, and can be used to build columns or pillars in the wall, without having to cut the corner blocks. Fill material may be poured into aligned cores in the stacked corner blocks which form the wall corner or column, to stabilize the corner blocks.