A method and extrusion die to form a laminar integral skin of a honeycomb structure is provided. The method includes extruding a ceramic precursor batch through a die with feedholes in entry side and slots in exit face of the die to form the honeycomb structure. In a region on the periphery of the die configured to form the cell matrix, a series of concentric slots around the matrix in the exit face of the die are configured to feed skin onto the matrix. Ring sections between concentric slots are angled away from the center and a mask is disposed on top of the periphery producing a channel for extruded skin to meet and bond to extruded matrix. Optionally, slots in the skin-forming ring sections enhance knitting between laminar skin layers.

A ceramic filter having a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure, wherein when observing a plurality of pores from a surface of partition walls with a laser microscope and plotting an equivalent circle diameter (μm) of each pore on an X-axis and a pore depth (μm) of each pore on a Y-axis on a two-dimensional coordinate system, a slope of a regression line (y/x) obtained by a least squares method in a range of 20≤x≤40 is 0 to 0.20, an average value of the pore depth of the plurality of pores is 2.5 μm to 5.0 μm, and a number density of the plurality of pores is 600/mm.sup.2 to 2450/mm.sup.2.

A honeycomb structure including a honeycomb portion having porous partition walls extending from an inflow end face to an outflow end face, an outermost peripheral wall, and a pair of electrode layers on a side surface of the honeycomb portion. Each electrode layer extends in a direction of the cells. One electrode layer is disposed on a side opposite to the other electrode layer across a center of the honeycomb portion in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction of the cells. The honeycomb structure portion includes first cells opened on the inflow side and plugged on the outflow side, and second cells opened on the outflow side and plugged on the inflow side. A middle of each length of the pair of electrode layers is closer to the outflow side than a middle position of a length of the honeycomb portion in the extending direction of the cells.

A honeycomb filter includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells and a plugging portion, wherein the partition wall is composed of a material containing cordierite as a main component thereof, porosity of the partition wall measured by a mercury press-in method is 60 to 68%, an average pore diameter of the partition wall measured by a mercury press-in method is 8 to 12 and in a pore diameter distribution which indicates a cumulative pore volume of the partition wall measured by a mercury press-in method, with a pore diameter (μm) on an abscissa axis and a log differential pore volume (cm.sup.3/g) on an ordinate axis, a first peak that includes a maximum value of the log differential pore volume has a pore diameter value of 10 μm or less, the pore diameter value corresponding to a ⅓ value width of the maximum value.

A honeycomb filter includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells and a plugging portion, wherein the partition wall is composed of a material containing cordierite as a main component thereof, porosity of the partition wall measured by a mercury press-in method is 60 to 68%, an average pore diameter of the partition wall measured by a mercury press-in method is 13 to 18 μm, and in a pore diameter distribution indicating a cumulative pore volume of the partition wall measured by a mercury press-in method, with a pore diameter (μm) on an abscissa axis and a log differential pore volume (cm.sup.3/g) on an ordinate axis, a first peak including a maximum value of the log differential pore volume has a pore diameter value of 15 μm or less, the pore diameter value corresponding to a ⅓ value width of the maximum value.

A plugged honeycomb structure, including: a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body including porous partition walls; and plugging portions disposed at open ends of cells at an inflow end face side or at an outflow end face side, wherein a pore diameter corresponding to the cumulative pore volume of 10% is D10, a pore diameter corresponding to the cumulative pore volume of 30% is D30, a pore diameter corresponding to the cumulative pore volume of 50% is D50, a pore diameter corresponding to the cumulative pore volume of 70% is D70, a pore diameter corresponding to the cumulative pore volume of 90% is D90, the pore diameter D10 is 6 μm or more, the pore diameter D90 is 58 μm or less, and the plugged honeycomb structure satisfies the relationship of Expression (1).
0.35≤(D70−D30)/D50≤1.5  Expression (1):

A method for drying at least one unfired columnar honeycomb formed body comprising a raw material composition containing at least one raw material of ceramics, water and at least one heat-gelling binder, and cells defined by partition walls comprising flow paths from a first end surface to a second end surface. The method comprising drying the honeycomb formed body by passing hot gas satisfying 0.8≤T2/T1≤3.3, where T1 represents a gelation temperature of the binder (° C.) and T2 represents a wet-bulb temperature of the hot gas (° C.) through the flow paths from the first end surface and out the second end surface, while surrounding the honeycomb formed body with a correction mold to correct the shape of the honeycomb formed body during drying.

An additive manufacturing method for producing a component having at least partially or at least locally a porous material structure includes providing a porous or porosable base material, applying the porous or porosable base material to build up the component, and adjusting a porosity of the porous or porosable base material during the applying.

A honeycomb filter includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells and a plugging portion. The partition wall defining outflow cells includes an exhaust-gas purifying catalyst at least at a part of a region of 0 to 80% of a thickness of the partition wall and includes a portion that does not include the exhaust-gas purifying catalyst in a region of exceeding 80% and being 100% or less of the thickness of the partition wall, and the partition wall defining the inflow cells is not loaded with the exhaust-gas purifying catalyst on the surface, or is loaded with the exhaust-gas purifying catalyst so that a percentage of a ratio of an area of a range loaded with the exhaust-gas purifying catalyst to a surface area of the partition wall defining the inflow cells is 10% or less.

A honeycomb filter includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a porous partition wall disposed to surround a plurality of cells and a plugging portion, wherein the partition wall defining inflow cells includes partition wall parts making up sides of polygon that is sectional shape of each cell, the partition wall parts each having a surface that is a face defining the inflow cell, the partition wall part is either a first partition wall part loaded with the exhaust-gas purifying catalyst on the surface so that a percentage of the area loaded therewith exceeds 10%, or a second partition wall part loaded with the exhaust-gas purifying catalyst so that a percentage of the area loaded therewith is 10% or less, and the partition wall is configured to include one or more the first partition wall parts and one or more the second partition wall parts as the partition wall parts.