Ceramic Hollowware Glazing with Flow-Dip Boundary Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glazing methods for ceramic articles with openwork feet, such as cups and mugs, result in inconsistent quality, waste of glaze material, and require additional steps due to the use of spray glazing, which is inefficient and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A method combining flow glazing and dip glazing to apply different glazes to distinct parts of a ceramic article, ensuring a precise boundary line, where flow glazing is used for the first part and dip glazing for the second part, with optimized holding and glaze application techniques to achieve a smooth transition and high-quality finish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If spray glazing is used to glaze ceramic articles with openwork feet, then the glazing process is simple and reliable, but a large amount of glaze is lost as overspray and must be laboriously collected and recycled
Solution Approach 1:
The glazing process is divided into two distinct stages: first, dip glazing is applied to the entire article including the foot rim, then the foot rim is selectively removed or masked to create the openwork pattern. This segmentation allows precise control of glaze application and eliminates overspray waste while maintaining process simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The foot rim is prepared in advance by applying glaze and allowing it to set before the openwork pattern is created. This preliminary glazing action ensures that the glaze is already in position and reduces the need for subsequent corrective glazing operations, thereby minimizing material waste.
2Manufacturing precision
If dip glazing is used to glaze the entire ceramic article including the foot rim, then complete coverage is achieved, but additional subsequent glazing steps are required to achieve quality results
Solution Approach 1:
The article is segmented into two glazing zones: the body portion receives full dip glazing coverage, while the foot rim is selectively treated to create the openwork pattern. This allows complete coverage where needed while eliminating unnecessary glazing steps in other areas, improving overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different glazing qualities are applied to different parts of the article: the body receives a complete, uniform glaze coating for aesthetic quality, while the foot rim is given a selective openwork treatment that requires fewer processing steps, thereby improving efficiency without compromising overall quality.
3Manufacturing precision
If the foot rim is held at the edge during dip glazing, then glazing coverage is achieved, but varying glazing results occur leading to quality problems
Solution Approach 1:
The foot rim is pre-positioned and pre-glazed before the main dip glazing operation. This preliminary action establishes a consistent baseline that ensures uniform glaze application across all articles, eliminating variability in the final quality results.
Solution Approach 2:
The glazing process is designed so that the article itself guides the glaze application through its geometry and positioning features. The foot rim structure naturally directs the glaze flow and distribution, ensuring consistent results without requiring complex manual intervention or adjustment during the process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method achieves high-quality, cost-effective glazing with precise color separation and smooth transitions between glazes, reducing waste and simplifying the process by eliminating the need for spray glazing, suitable for both automated and semi-automated applications.
Implementation Method 1
glazing a first part of the ceramic article with a first glaze by means of flow glazing
Implementation Method 2
subsequent glazing of a second part of the ceramic article with a second glaze by means of dip glazing
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for glazing a ceramic article, in particular a hollowware (1) with a perforated base (2). Furthermore, the invention relates to a device (4) for carrying out the method.To enable a less complex, high-quality glazing of ceramic articles, especially hollowware with openwork feet, a method with the following steps is proposed: - Glazing a first part (5) of the ceramic article (1) with a first glaze (6) by wave glazing, - subsequently cleaning the ceramic article (1) by removing the excess parts of the applied first glaze (6) such that a defined boundary line (19) of the first glaze (6) is created, and - subsequently glazing a second part (27) of the ceramic article (1) with a second glaze (24) by dipping, whereby during dipping the second glaze (24) is applied up to the boundary line (19) of the first glaze (6).