Pottery Greenware Material Segmentation for Uniformity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current pottery greenware production methods face challenges in achieving both high productivity and quality, with existing methods either compromising on designability or requiring complex processes, and often resulting in unevenness during molding and firing due to differences in raw material mixing ratios and particle sizes.

Innovation Solution

A pottery greenware material comprising a first and second greenware material, both containing SiO2, Al2O3, and either K2O or Na2O, with the second material having a smaller average particle diameter than the first, allowing for a high degree of freedom in mixing ratios and simplified production processes while minimizing unevenness during molding and firing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If greenware raw materials are processed by the stirring/mixing method to achieve fine greenware-designing and high strength, then manufacturing precision is improved, but consolidation ability (productivity) is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegreenware-designing qualityVSAvoidconsolidation ability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the greenware raw materials into two distinct groups: stone-based raw materials (pottery stone, silica stone) and powdery raw materials (clay, feldspar). Each group is processed separately using methods optimized for its properties, then combined. This segmentation allows the stone-based materials to provide consolidation ability while powdery materials contribute to fine designing and strength, resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If greenware raw materials are processed by the grinding/mixing method to achieve high consolidation ability, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsolidation abilityVSAvoidgreenware-designing quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention separates stone-based raw materials from powdery raw materials and processes them differently. Stone-based materials undergo grinding/mixing to ensure high consolidation ability and productivity, while powdery materials are processed to maintain fine particle distribution for designing quality. The separate processing preserves the advantages of each material type without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If all greenware raw materials are mixed and processed together in a lump to simplify the production process, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision is reduced due to unevenness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction process complexityVSAvoiduniformity during molding and firing
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides raw materials into two groups that are processed separately to maintain uniform particle size distribution within each group, then combines them in a controlled manner. This prevents the unevenness that would result from mixing all materials together, as each material type maintains its optimal particle characteristics while still achieving a simplified two-stage process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies different processing qualities to different material groups: stone-based materials receive grinding treatment optimized for their hardness and fragmentation characteristics, while powdery materials receive mixing treatment optimized for their fine particle nature. This local quality approach ensures each material contributes its best properties to the final greenware without compromising uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20230110260A1Pottery greenware material
Publication Date: 2023.04.13 TOTO LTD

AI summary

Disclosed is a pottery greenware material by which a pottery having both productivity and quality can be produced with a high degree of freedom depending on an intended use thereof. The pottery greenware material includes a first greenware material and a second greenware material; both the first greenware material and the second greenware material including, as chemical species, SiO2, Al2O3, and either one or both of K2O and Na2O; and an average particle diameter (D2) of the second greenware material being smaller than an average particle diameter (D1) of the first greenware material.