An apparatus for continuously casting a solid member is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a mould forming support configured to form an open channel, a flexible conveyor having a feed end and a peel off end extending across the mould forming support along its length and conforming to the configuration of the mould forming support along its length to form an open channel mould, the open channel mould receiving a settable material which is displaced along the conveyor belt and forms a solid member, the mould forming support and the conveyor transitioning to a flat belt downstream of the open channel mould to facilitate separation of the solid member that is cast in the open channel mould. A method for continuously casting a solid member is disclosed.

The application describes a slurry spread quantification system (200) comprising a forming table including a forming area and at least one slurry outlet (120) configured to, in use, dispense a slurry (130) into the forming area, a sensor (210) trained on the forming area and configured to capture an image of the forming area; and a processor (220) operable to: analyse the image to identify the slurry (130); determine at least one characteristic of the slurry (130); and output at least one indication of the at least one characteristic of the slurry (130). A method, a computer implemented method and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed on a computing device cause the computing device to control a system (200) as described are also discussed.

A device (100) for compacting a layer (MT) of powder material; the device (100) comprises a movable surface (12), which is designed to convey the layer (MT) of powder material in a predefined feeding direction (F); a compacting belt (22) positioned over the transport surface (12); a pressing station (40, 45, 50, 55), which is designed to press the compacting belt (22) towards the transport surface (12), so as to press the layer (MT) of powder material; and an expansion countering station (80), which is designed to counter the expansion of the layer (MT) of powder material downstream of the pressing station (40, 45, 50, 55) and comprises a pusher delivering a gas under pressure to create a pushing gas cushion (STR; STR*) on the compacting belt (22).

A plant for manufacturing ceramic articles comprising two feeding devices, each of which is designed to contain a powder material of a respective type and to feed said powder material to a conveyor assembly; the plant further comprises an operating device which is designed to enable the output of the powder material selectively in the area of the feeding devices arranged successively and transversely to the feeding direction, and a control unit which controls the operating device depending on a desired reference distribution and how far the conveyor assembly feeds the powder material.

A method for manufacturing a single sheet-type green sheet includes a transporting step of transporting a strip-shaped green sheet that contains ceramic along a longitudinal direction thereof, and an irradiation step of irradiating the transported strip-shaped green sheet with a laser beam to cut the strip-shaped green sheet, thereby obtaining a single sheet-type green sheet.

A method for manufacturing ceramic articles is described comprising a step of feeding, during which at least two different ceramic powders are fed so as to obtain a strip of ceramic powders having at least a first zone and at least a second zone having a given shape; a step of compacting, during which the strip of ceramic powders is compacted so as to obtain a compacted layer of ceramic powders, which is expanded relative to the strip of ceramic powders; a step of determination, during which expansion of the layer of powders is determined; and a step of printing, during which a decoration having a modified shape based on the given expansion is applied on the surface of the compacted layer of ceramic powders.

A method for compacting ceramic powder; a layer of uncompacted ceramic powder is conveyed to a pressure device, which has a structured contact surface and comes into contact with the powder material so as to obtain a layer of compacted powder material having a structured surface; the pressure device comprises a first layer and a superficial layer arranged on the first layer; at least part of the superficial layer wears so as to uncover at least part of the first layer and obtain at least areas of the first outwardly exposed layer the areas of the first outwardly exposed layer are hardened by means of irradiation with UV radiations.

Machine and method for compacting ceramic powder; a layer of non-compacted ceramic powder is conveyed in a feed direction through a compacting device; downstream of the compacting device there is positioned a detection device which detects the density of the layer of compacted ceramic powder; the quantity of ceramic powder fed to the compacting device is varied in time as a function of what is detected by the detection device to thus regulate the density of the layer of compacted ceramic powder.

A production line and process including a moving carrier web for transporting the panel, and a device for controlling thickness of a formed, but not yet set, fiber reinforced cementitious panel slurry on the web. The thickness control device may include an angled rigid plate for contacting a downstream end of the angled plate with the slurry on the moving carrier web and a mounting stand for mounting the angled rigid. The thickness control device may include a flat horizontal plate at a fixed height over the moving carrier for contacting the entire lower surface of the horizontal plate with a facer on the slurry on the moving carrier web. Or, the thickness control device may include the angled plate and include the horizontal plate that contacts the facer.

A slurry feed apparatus for depositing a slurry upon a moving forming web having a direction of travel, including: a headbox mounted transverse to the direction of travel of the moving web, having a back wall, sidewalls, a concave transverse front wall, an open top, and an open bottom for directing slurry onto the forming web; a moveable dam releasably attached to the back wall, a seal attached to a bottom wall of the dam; and a headbox support system extending from opposed the sidewalls. Also disclosed is a continuous process for depositing a uniform layer of a cementitious slurry containing reinforcing fibers from the headbox onto a traveling web.