Ceramic Industry August 2011

August 2011 | Volume 161 | Issue Number 8 www.ceramicindustry.com The Green Issue s! r ea b le Ce ing t ra 2011...

Author: Susan Sutton

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August 2011 | Volume 161 | Issue Number 8 www.ceramicindustry.com

The Green Issue

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2011 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition

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October 31st - November 3rd

WALT DISNEY WORLD SWAN AND DOLPHIN RESORT ORLANDO, FLORIDA, USA Since 1976, FCS&E has provided the industry with the opportunity to share the latest technological developments and commercial successes while expanding customer and supplier networks. Each year, the FCS&E features 100+ exhibiting companies & institutions that include: component suppliers, fuel cell manufacturers, researchers, government agencies and customer and end-users. The FCS&E technical seminars attract, on average, 1000 people for the 200+ technical presentations, posters and keynote speakers. FCS&E covers topics focused on: commercialization, demonstrations and end-user perspectives, High/Low temperature R&D, fuel cell testing/modeling, fuel processing, and hydrogen R&D. This years theme is “Fuel Cells: Today’s Safe, Clean, Sustainable Power.” Register to attend today or display your work, developments and products.

www.fuelcellseminar.com @FuelCellSeminar (#FCS2011) The premire meeting for the fuel cell industry.

Accelerate Your Projects with the Best Manufacturing Resources in Assembly and Automation

September 20–22, 2011 McCormick Place North Chicago, IL See leading assembly and automation suppliers showcase lean manufacturing, cost reduction, and enhanced productivity products and technologies that speed time to market and lower your overall costs: tAutomated Assembly Machines and Systems tAssembly Workstations, Benches, Seating and Lighting tAdhesives, Tapes, Sealants and Dispensing Equipment tComponents tControl Software/Hardware tConveyors

tCustom Automation tMachine Vision Systems and Non-Contact Sensors tMotion Control tPneumatic and Hydraulic tPower and Hand Tools tRobotics, End Effectors and Pick-And-Place Machines …and much more

19718_CH_ATE11

For information on attending or exhibiting visit:

AATexpo.com Promo code AB

From start . . . to finish

From retrofits to new “greenfield” brick plants, Harrop does it all. Our turnkey service gives you practical technology, expert project management, and single-source responsibility. We start by analyzing your finished product needs and your raw materials. Engineering: Clay preparation systems, automated machinery, dryer and kiln are designed specifically to meet your process requirements. Construction services include procurement and experienced on-site management of labor crews and subcontractors. Technical service professionals supervise plant commissioning and training of your people, and are always available to provide assistance for the life of the plant. Your finished plant is a model of quality brick production, process efficiency and energy savings. Few, if any, can match Harrop’s demonstrated total service. Let us help you retain your competitive edge.

Fire our imagination www.harropusa.com

³ TABLEOFCONTENTS August 2011 | Volume 161 | Issue Number 8

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DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

Inside CI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

³Tubular Glass Solar Energy Advancement Glass tubes improve the performance of a new rooftop solar panel system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

International Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Ceramics in the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 People in the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Glass Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 What’s New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

³ Green Squared The Tile Council of North America’s Green Initiative Committee has developed a comprehensive plan for sustainable tile standards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ³ Moving Beyond “Good Clay” Is sustainable ceramic manufacturing a thing of the future or an impossibility? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Buyers’ Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Services Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Classified Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Advertiser Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

³“Singin’ in the Rain” Artistic Tile is reaping the benefits of a system it developed for the collection and reuse of rainwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 ³How to Control Dampers for Energy Savings Manufacturers can reduce fuel costs by up to 50% by automating damper controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 ³ Deco 2011 Highlights The annual Deco conference and expo was again a success in 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

SPECIAL SECTION | RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ³Taking Brand Protection to a Whole New Level Using a multi-layered labeling solution can deliver protection and marketing opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 ³Controlling NIMBY “Not in My Backyard Syndrome” can cause opposition for business developments and projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

SPECIAL SECTION | BRICK & CLAY RECORD ³Acme Brick Honors Spence, Krueger Acme Brick recognized top-performing managers at its annual Plant Manager’s Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Denotes articles with global emphasis

ON THE COVER: Cover design by

³ Sustainable Construction Potomac Valley Brick brings attention to the sustainable properties of brick through its BrickStainable International Design Competition . . . . . 32

Cory Emery.

CERAMIC INDUSTRY (ISSN 0009-0220) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media, 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualiﬁed individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualiﬁed individuals in the U.S.A.: $178.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualiﬁed individuals in Canada: $216.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $228.00 (Int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2011, by BNP Media. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing ofﬁces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CERAMIC INDUSTRY, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to CERAMIC INDUSTRY, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076. For single copies or back issues: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or [email protected].

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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³ INSIDECI by Susan Sutton | Editor-in-Chief, Integrated Media

®

www.ceramicindustry.com 6075 B Glick Road • Powell, OH 43065 614-789-1880 (p)

EDITORIAL / PRODUCTION STAFF

Tag, You’re It! I’ll begin with a confession: I’m not the most technologically savvy person in the world. OK, let’s face it—I’m not even the most technologically savvy person in the household. My 15-year-old daughter is my go-to person for all things gadget related. I maintain that this is not an indictment of my intelligence level, but merely an illustration of the differences in the way our minds work. (She never buys that, but I never believed my mother when she said the same thing to me, either.) In any event, when I first saw a mobile tag in a magazine, I thought that the publication had experienced some kind of technical problem. After all, at first glance, mobile tags are just bizarre-looking little squares with strange patterns in them. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that these little enigmas are actually pathways to a world of information. All the reader needs to do is download a free app on their smart phone and scan the tag to be whisked away to a website, video, article—you name it; if it’s got a URL, a mobile tag can link to it. They’re quite amazing, and simple as can be. Take a look at the tag on the cover of this issue for an example, and be on the lookout for additional mobile tags in future issues of CI. This issue of CI is our Green Issue, and I’m excited about all of the great environmentaland sustainability-related information we’re sharing with you. From tubular glass for solar energy applications and a new sustainable tile standard to green manufacturing practices, this issue is chock-full of all things green. Be sure to take a look at the Table of Contents on p. 5, or just scan the mobile tag on the cover to access all of the August issue content online.

Amy Vallance, Publisher 281-550-5855 (p) • 248-283-6543 (f) • [email protected] Susan Sutton, Editor-in-Chief, Integrated Media 330-336-4098 (p) • 248-502-2033 (f) • [email protected] Teresa McPherson, Managing Editor 734-332-0541 (p) • 248-502-2102 (f) • [email protected] Kelsey Seidler, Associate Editor 614-789-1881 (p) • 248-502-2051 (f) • [email protected] Cory Emery, Art Director 248-391-2325 (p) • 248-502-2077 (f) • [email protected] Bryon T. Palmer, Production Manager 248-244-6435 (p) • 248-502-9113 (f) • [email protected] Ralph Ruark, Senior Technical Editor Charles Semler; Sandra Spence; Joe Cattaneo; George Muha, Contributing Editors

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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

ONLINE EXTRA: DOE REPORTS ON THREE RENEWABLE ENERGY MARKETS The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released three reports that detail the market conditions and trends for wind energy, advanced vehicles and fuel cell technologies.

INSIDE LOOK Take an Inside Look at upcoming industry events. This month, we feature the Industrial Designers Society of America’s (IDSA) 2011 Conference.

DIGITAL EDITION CI’s digital editions are easy to read, search and download. Site visitors can also subscribe to receive future digital editions or access the archives to view past issues.

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August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

Surinder Maheshwary, Director, Quality Assurance/Process Improvement, Dal-Tile International; William Babik, Technical Sales Manager, Nabertherm Inc.; Charles Semler, Ph.D., Refractories Consultant, Semler Materials Services; Gary Childress, General Manager, Orton Ceramic Foundation; Matthew Centa, Technical Support Manager - Ceramics & Glass, Rio Tinto Minerals; James E. Houseman, Ph.D., President, Harrop Industries, Inc.

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BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information

³INTERNATIONALCALENDAR AUG 7-10 CGTA Fall 2011 Toronto Gift Show ³ Toronto, Ontario, Canada, www.cgta.org

³ INTHENEWS Harper Receives Contract for Pilot-Scale Carbon Fiber Line

SEPT 12-14 GlassBuild America 2011 ³ Atlanta, Ga., www.glassbuildamerica.com

Harper International recently announced it has booked a contract for a fully integrated pilot-scale carbon fiber conversion line. The line will be installed in Europe to produce carbon fiber for use in advanced communications technology. The fully integrated line incorporates several progressive design features for the production of carbon fiber from 6K PAN precursor and is engineered for higher than traditional processing speeds. Harper will supply its advanced oxidation oven technology; LT and HT slot furnaces rated for 1000°C and 1600°C, respectively; fiber surface treatment and size application conditioning; waste gas abatement; and material transport systems. For more information, visit www.harperintl.com.

SEPT 12-14 imX Interactive Manufacturing eXperience ³ Las Vegas, Nev., www.imxevent.com

Owens Corning Issues Sustainability Report

AUG 10-12 8th China (Beijing) International Metallurgy Industry Expo 2011 ³ Beijing, China, (86) 10-8168 0380 AUG 14-17 CGTA Fall 2011 Alberta Gift Show ³ Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, www.cgta.org AUG 28-31 CGTA Fall 2011 Montreal Gift Show ³ Montreal, Quebec, Canada, www.cgta.org

SEPT 13-14 Nanopolymers 2011 ³ Dusseldorf, Germany, http://ismithers.net/venue-details/ XNAN11 SEPT 20-22 Assembly & Automation Technology Expo ³ Rosemont (Chicago), Ill., www.aatexpo.com SEPT 21 Solar Exchange East, Raleigh ³ N.C., www.usa.siemens.com/solarexchange OCT 11-13 POWTECH 2011 ³ Nuremberg, Germany, www.powtech.de/en * OCT 16-20 Materials Science & Technology 2011 Conference and Exhibition (MS&T ’11), combined with the ACerS 113th Annual Meeting ³ Columbus, Ohio, www.ceramics.org OCT 18-19 Manufacturing with Composites ³ Fort Worth, Texas, www.sme.org/cgi-bin/get-event.pl?— 002084-000007-home—SME* OCT 30-11/2 13th Unified International Technical Conference on Refractories (UNITECR) ³ Kyoto, Japan, [email protected] OCT 31-11/4 2011 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition ³ Orlando, Fla., www.fuelcellmarkets.com NOV 9-10 The Composites Engineering Show ³ Birmingham, UK, www.compositesexhibition.com NOV 9-10 Mobile Power Technology Partnering Summit ³ Las Vegas, Nev., www.knowledgefoundation.com/viewevents.php?event_id=267&act=evt * FEB 7-10 Cevisama 2012 ³ Valencia, Spain, http://cevisama.feriavalencia.com * Look for Ceramic Industry magazine at these events! For a more detailed listing, visit our website at www.ceramicindustry.com.

Owens Corning recently released its fifth annual “Sustainability Report,” which outlines the company’s environmental footprint reduction performance relative to seven key aspects of resource consumption, waste and air emissions. In addition, the company announced a new set of 2020 goals designed to raise the bar on its commitment to sustainability. “Our 2010 ‘Sustainability Report’ demonstrates Owens Corning’s continued focus on—and progress toward—improvements in greening our operations and products, and accelerating energy efficiency and renewables penetration in the built environment,” said Frank O’Brien-Bernini, vice president and chief Sustainability officer. “We have met three of our seven goals already and are confident that six of the seven goals will be achieved by 2012.” O’Brien-Bernini said the seventh goal, involving footprint reductions in volatile organic compounds, has generated a 14% improvement since 2002 and has already begun to benefit from the company’s recent conversion to the manufacture of its EcoTouch™ insulation. For more information or to download the report, visit www.sustainability.owenscorning.com.

Wienerberger Receives Approval for Tondach Gleinstätten Acquisition Wienerberger AG recently announced it has received the approval of the responsible cartel authorities for the takeover of an additional 25% stake in Tondach Gleinstätten as part of a stock swap with the now former joint venture partner Monier. Wienerberger and Monier previously held common investments in the roof tile business through two joint ventures that were focused on Eastern Europe. This transaction will give Monier 50% of the shares in Bramac, and thereby the concrete roof tile business, while Wienerberger will receive a further 25% stake in Tondach Gleinstätten, as well as an additional cash payment. Wienerberger will then hold 50% of the shares in Tondach Gleinstätten; the remaining 50% will remain under the ownership of two families. Accordingly, Wienerberger will deconsolidate Bramac as of June 30, 2011, and Tondach Gleinstätten, which was previously accounted for at equity, will now be included in results on a proportionate basis of 50%. For more information, visit www.wienerberger.com. CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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IN THE NEWS

PPG’s Solar Glass Shipments Reach Milestone PPG Industries recently announced that shipments of its SOLARBAN® 70XL glass, reportedly the industry’s ﬁrst triplesilver-coated, solar control, low-emissivity (low-e) glass, have surpassed 94 million square feet. According to the company, this glass, which was introduced at the 2005 GreenBuild International Conference and Expo, set a new standard for solar control performance for architectural glasses with a clear-glass appearance. Featuring a solar heat gain coefﬁcient (SHGC) of 0.27 and visible light transmittance (VLT) of 64%, the glass has a light-tosolar gain (LSG) ratio of 2.37 that remains unmatched six years after its introduction. For more information, visit www.ppg.com.

Saint-Gobain Acquires India Float Glass Business Saint-Gobain Glass India recently signed a definitive binding agreement concerning the acquisition of Sezal Glass Ltd.’s float glass business in India. Through this deal, Saint-Gobain Glass India will acquire a new float plant located in the district of Bharuch, in Gujarat, along with its business assets. Brought on stream in February 2010, the float plant has a daily production capacity of 550 tons of flat glass to supply the architectural market. For additional details, visit www.saint-gobain.com.

experts, which provide outstanding technical service and design advice each and every day.” For additional details, visit www.ibstock.com.

NETZSCH Supplies Material Characterization System to PNNL Thermogravimetric analysis alone is not always sufficient for the analysis of complex reactions such as the release of gases from additives made of polymer blends. Coupling the simultaneous thermobalance-DSC (STA) to a gas chromatograph (GC), however, yields additional findings to help in identifying the components released. NETZSCH, in collaboration with Joint Analytical Systems (JAS), has developed an improvement in reaction gas analysis. Reaction gases from the STA are fed directly into the GC valve box by means of a heated transfer line. Through a sample loop, the substances then arrive at the GC column, where they are separated and then analyzed by means of a mass selective detector. What reportedly sets the new system apart, however, is that the start of the measurement is event-driven. This enables temperature-correlated detection of the substances released, which, in turn, allows for direct correlation with mass loss steps. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will reportedly be using the new system to analyze the production of simulated radioactive waste glass from batch chemistry through the melt state while monitoring the evolved gasses. The data will then be used to populate models to predict melt performance through changes in composition. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.netzsch.com.

Cooperativa Ceramica D’Imola Chooses Ancora Technology Ancora Group has received an order worth more than €2 million (~ $2.9 million) from Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola for two complete lapping and squaring lines. The equipment includes score-and-snap machines, a waxing machine, a cutting machine, and a range of mechanical parts and components that will complement the technology currently installed at the customer’s facilities in Borgo Tossignano and Faenza. “It’s certainly an important order for our company and is also an encouraging sign for the future, revealing a desire on the part of companies to resume investments in technology and product development,” said Fabio Corradini, vice chairman of the Ancora Group. Visit www.ancoragroup.com or www.imolaceramica.it for more information.

Ibstock Brick Releases Customer Satisfaction Survey Results Ibstock Brick recently released results of its 11th Customer Satisfaction Survey. “Our Customer Satisfaction Survey is designed to provide a benchmark for improving the experience our customers receive, enabling us to identify and highlight any areas for improvement in our customer support service,” said Andrew Halstead-Smith, marketing manager. “After speaking to nearly 450 customers, we found that over two-thirds were either very satisfied (52%) or entirely satisfied (16%) with the overall performance of Ibstock. This is a fantastic achievement and a true testament to our dedicated team of 8

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

Corning and SICCAS Open Joint Research Facility Corning Inc. and Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SICCAS) recently announced the opening of a joint research facility on the Chinese mainland. The facility will reportedly provide Corning with a research platform to gain access to SICCAS’ complementary expertise. It’s expected that related SICCAS technologies will be applied in new product development opportunities through collaboration with Corning at this new laboratory. Combining the knowledge and research capabilities of SICCAS and Corning, the joint research facility will explore technologies to support the development of future Corning products that will address needs in China and worldwide. Through research in thermoelectric technologies, the SICCAS-Corning facility is exploring new high-performance materials that can aid in the electrification of vehicles, enabling better vehicle fuel efficiency and lower vehicle emissions. For additional information, visit www.corning.com or www.sic.ac.cn.

O-I Launches Global Glass Campaign Owens-Illinois Inc. (O-I) recently announced the launch of Glass Is Life™. This new marketing campaign is designed to showcase the unique and unmatched qualities of glass packaging to build successful food and beverage brands. A first-ever global initiative, the campaign also highlights the inherent love consumers have for glass.

FDA Approves First Ceramic-on-Metal Total Hip Replacement System The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the ﬁrst ceramic-on-metal total artiﬁcial hip system for patients with osteoarthritis. Hip joints consist of bone in the shape of a ball at the top of the thighbone (femur) that ﬁts into a rounded socket in the pelvis (acetabulum). During total hip replacement surgery, worn and damaged portions of bone and cartilage are removed and replaced with an artiﬁcial hip joint. Speciﬁcally, a shell or cup replaces the socket, a stem is inserted into the thighbone and a femoral head or ball

“O-I’s extensive research shows a strong demand for glass among consumers, but the marketplace does not adequately reflect this interest,” said Al Stroucken, chairman and CEO. “We aim to influence the food and beverage industry’s packaging decisions by showing the power of glass. As the leading maker of the purest and most sustain-

at the top of the stem is ﬁtted inside the curved artiﬁcial socket where the ball can slide around, allowing for movement. Previous total hip replacement systems cleared or approved by the FDA have used different combinations of metal, ceramic and polyethylene. The Pinnacle CoMplete Acetabular Hip System is the ﬁrst to combine a ceramic ball and a metal socket. As a condition of FDA approval, the manufacturer, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., will conduct a post-market study, monitoring patients receiving the Pinnacle CoMplete system for adverse events and metal ion concentrations in their blood. For more information, visit www.fda.gov or www.depuy.com.

able packaging, O-I is excited to spearhead a movement that demonstrates the unique attributes of glass packaging and brings brands back into glass.” Visit www.glassislife.com for details.

Sapphire Crystal Grower Begins Production in China Thermal Technology recently announced

that its model K1 sapphire crystal grower was used by Hefei Crystalbridge Optoelectronic Materials Co. Ltd. to produce China’s first commercial-grade sapphire crystal of nearly 100 kg. Crystalbridge estimates these crystals will yield 4000 mm of “two inch equivalent” (TIE) rods, or about 5700 high-quality 2-in. substrates. Crystalbridge grew the crystal in

+-0#!&-'!#1-,#1-30!#

Robotic Brick Setting

Automated Brick Setting and Brick Dehacking equipment from ASI sets the standard for productivity, reliability and efficiency. Designed and manufactured in the USA to the highest quality standards, ASI Setting and Dehacking equipment provides unmatched performance for the most demanding applications. +-0#!&-'!#1 • All Electric Monorails • Whiteware and Tile Applications • Re-works of existing equipment • Cube Labelers • Slug Cutters • Bung Unloaders • Cross Strappers • Netting Applicators • ½ Cube and Full Cube Machines • Cube Caps • Push-Up Cutters • Push-Through Cutters

Conventional Air Bag Setter © 2010 Automated Solutions, Inc.

P. O . B O X 5 2 0 K N O X V I L L E , A R 7 2 8 4 5 Û Ý Û 8 0 0 - 5 4 1 - 2 4 6 8 Û Ý Û w w w . A S i d e a s . c o m VISIT US AT THE PLANT OPERATORS FORUM CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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IN THE NEWS

³ PEOPLEINTHENEWS

14 days, an increase in productivity of more than 25% compared to most other Chinese producers. The model K1 sapphire crystal grower is now in startup at multiple customers in China. For additional details, visit www.thermaltechnology.com.

Keith DeCarlo has joined Blasch Precision Ceramics as a development engineer. DeCarlo will complete material and process development projects and programs, providing the company with new ceramic application solutions for its customers. He will be responsible for the technical aspects in a number of current specific business development projects, as well as longer term technology efforts.

Momentive Begins Specialty Ceramics Plant Expansion Momentive Performance Materials recently launched an expansion specialty ceramic powders production its manufacturing facility Strongsville, Ohio. Scheduled for in December, the expansion increase the plant’s production boron nitride powder by 50%. The $5.8 million project addition of 6000 sq ft of production and the installation of special produce and refine specialty powders. The project will add manufacturing jobs, bringing total employment the Strongsville plant and business to 195 associates. For more visit www.momentive.com.

Alfred University Researcher Addresses Glass Vial Problems in Drug Industry Matthew M. Hall, associate professor of glass and director of the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology at Alfred University, was an invited panelist at a pharmaceutical supply chain conference held recently in Arlington, Va. The conference addressed the delamination of glass pharmaceutical vials, a growing concern in the pharmaceutical community. Delamination occurs when the interior surface of a glass vial flakes off into the pharmaceutical solution. While no specific injuries have been traced to the presence of glass delamination particles, the problem is receiving intensified scrutiny from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Hall presented the experimental design for an upcoming study in conjunction with Gerresheimer Glass Inc. The purpose of this study is to better understand glass delamination and possibly link its occurrence to manufacturing processes employed by the glass vial industry. Visit www.alfred.edu for further details.

DOE Highlights New Global Energy Efficiency Standard The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently recognized the publication of ISO 50001, a new global energy efficiency and energy management standard that can help organizations worldwide save money in their buildings and industrial facilities. The new international standard is expected to pave the way for longterm energy savings and serve as a critical tool for the implementation of the DOE’s energy efficiency programs. The voluntary standard, which was developed by a project committee of 45 partnering countries from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), provides organizations with a framework for continuous energy performance improvements. The framework will encourage the adoption of best practices that reduce the energy use of existing equipment and facilities, require the use of energy performance data to target cost-effective upgrades, and emphasize the design and installation of highly efficient energy systems and equipment. Visit www.ansi.org for more information. 10

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

Cookson Group Plc has appointed Emma FitzGerald, Ph.D., to its board of directors as a non-executive director, effective August 1. FitzGerald serves as vice president, Global Retail Network, for Shell International. She joined Shell in 1992 and has held a variety of general management, strategic, and technical roles. FitzGerald has experience of the Asia-Pacific region and has served on boards in Korea and China. Rankin Hobbs, CEO of KaMin LLC, was recently honored as Georgia’s 2011 Small Business Exporter of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. KaMin exports about 60% of its production of kaolin clay to customers in more than 50 countries. Hobbs was nominated for his award by Rick Martin, director of the Georgia Small Business Development Center’s International Trade Center. Owens-Illinois Inc. (O-I) has named Paul Jarrell senior vice president and chief Human Resources officer. He succeeds Steve Malia, who retired at the end of May. Jarrell will be responsible for leading the company’s global human resource function by developing and implementing people strategies that enable O-I to achieve its business objectives. He will be accountable for global talent management and strengthening leadership and organizational development programs, while also supporting O-I’s expanding operations in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America. John Marrone, vice president of Energy Initiatives for SaintGobain Corp., was recently appointed to the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) board of directors. The appointment comes along with the news that Saint-Gobain has joined the IECA, a trade association of manufacturing companies focused on addressing state, national, and international energyrelated issues. The board of directors of Libbey Inc. recently announced that Stephanie A. Streeter has been appointed CEO and was elected to the board effective August 1. An accomplished public company CEO and corporate director, Streeter brings to Libbey a diverse background. She has led consumer-facing, industrial manufacturing and service businesses, and she has a solid history of building world-class leadership teams that drive business success and innovation. Streeter served on the U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors and as interim CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Prior to that, she was chairman, president and CEO of Banta Corp., a global market leader in printing and supply chain management.

³ GLASSWORKS by Lynn Bragg | President, Glass Packaging Institute

Recycle Glass Month 2011

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his past Earth Day, the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) announced that the first official Recycle Glass Month will take place in September. The event has been created to help the industry spread the message about the economic value and environmental benefits of glass bottle and jar recycling. Recycle Glass Month will emphasize the industry’s goal to reach 50% recycled content in the manufacture of all glass containers by the end of 2013. To encourage involvement, the GPI and its member companies have planned events and activities that will engage local recycling officials and communities; model programs that are creating partnerships and innovation around glass recycling; and consumers, who are the backbone of glass bottle and jar recycling.

Building Bridges In 2011, the GPI established a partnership with Earth911.com, an environmental services company that provides consumers with free access to a directory of information on recycling, including where they can recycle glass bottles and jars anywhere in the U.S. During the month of September, Recycle Glass Month will be the home page feature on the Earth911.com website, which reaches over 4.4 million unique visitors annually. At the community level, glass manufacturers will partner with local businesses, schools, and community recycling organizations near their plants to hold glass recycling drives, help expand local bar and restaurant glass bottle recycling programs, offer glass manufacturing plant tours, and visit schools with games and other glass recycling learning tools. The goal is to establish more long-term community partners to increase glass container recycling in the future. To track local glass recycling activity and spread awareness virally, the GPI is creating a hyper-local recycling scheme that leverages social media tools such as foursquare and Facebook. The intent is to provide a forum for participants to share infor-

mation about their glass recycling efforts with friends and family, and encourage them to participate in Recycle Glass Month. The GPI is also exploring ways to use “Deal of the Day” services like Groupon™ and LivingSocial to offer incentives for those who participate in community glass recycling initiatives during the month of September.

Fostering Partnerships This year, the GPI plans to announce its annual Clear Choice Awards winners during Recycle Glass Month. This long-standing program honors consumer products companies for expanding the frontiers of glass package design. The winning glass packages demonstrate why glass is the “clear choice” for consumers who want a 100% recyclable package that offers a premium look, pure taste and the ultimate in product protection. In addition, the GPI will announce the recipients of its “Friends of Glass” awards, which honor individuals, companies, or organizations that make significant and innovative efforts to promote or participate in glass container recycling for bottle-to-bottle use. Finally, the GPI has stepped up efforts to reach out to our members’ customers. While consumer demand for products packaged in glass has grown, some popular brands do not provide a glass package option. In response, the GPI kicked off the “Ask for Glass” campaign, which allows consumers to use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to connect with their favorite brands’ social media pages and request that products be offered in glass. Interested brands can take a simple pledge affirming that they will offer consumers the choice of buying their product in glass. Recycle Glass Month is proving to be a powerful tool to bring attention to the value of glass container recycling. Please join with us for this year’s events. Begin by recycling your glass bottles. For complete 2011 Recycle Glass Month details, visit www.gpi.org.

Lynn Bragg is president of the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI). Founded in 1919, the Washington, D.C., area-based GPI represents the North American glass container manufacturing industry. To find out more about the strong environmental position of glass containers, visit www.gpi.org and sign up to receive the institute’s monthly e-newsletter. Any views or opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not represent those of Ceramic Industry, its staff, Editorial Advisory Board or BNP Media.

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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➤ Glass tubes improve the performance of a new rooftop solar panel system.

Tubular Glass Solar Energy Advancement

A

n ew proprietary rooftop solar panel system has been designed that uses glass tubes rather than traditional flat panel systems.* Compared to previous technologies, the system is easier to install and replace, as it is ideally set flat on rooftops with no anchors. The module design also enables a greater concentration of panels per square foot of rooftop area. In addition, the cylindrical structure of the tubes creates a greater incident angle for light absorption, since it captures sunlight across a 360° photovoltaic surface. The new panels are also very durable. Each module is designed to produce electricity for more than 25 years while surviving the harsh rooftop environment. The modules are more resistant to weather impact than traditional systems; snow and dirt generally do not accumulate.

System Development The new technology required R&D efforts and technological improvements for the glass tubes, which were traditionally used for pharmaceutical applications like vials and ampoules, starting with the chemical composition. The glass used for the solar panels is soda-lime neutral flint glass. Classi12

by Juan Cerdan-Diaz, Ph.D., Director of R&D, and Mark Fitzgerald, MSc, Commercial Project Manager, Nipro Glass Americas fied as Type III, this glass offers many advantages for solar applications. One of the primary reasons for the use of soda-lime glass is the chemical reaction between the CIGS coating (copper, indium, gallium, selenium) and the glass chemistry of the inside tube. Consequently, in order to match the thermal expansion between the inside and outside tubes, the outer tube must be composed of soda-lime glass. In addition, since worldwide glass capacity is much higher for this type of glass, it offers greater ramp-up potential for the technology. y. Te c h n o l o g i c a l developments were required d to manufacture this g lass to the standards needed for this process. The fur nace used to manufacturee the soda-lime glass is based in a tube drawing facility acility

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

responsible for making other chemical compositions. New forming equipment and technologies were implemented to optimize the manufacturing process for this particular application. Several primary proprietary changes were made to improve strength and allow better resistance and durability of the solar modules while minimizing surface flaws. Equipment was also installed to continually monitor modulus of rupture. Another improvement was made to optimize the tube-end stress patterns in order to minimize tension in crut cial areas without eliminating beneli eficial compressive ef forces. Advanced f stress measuring equipment, designed specifically for this application, was a used to control u this critical attribute. The Th end finish of the sola solar tube is a very *Designed by Solyndra. *D

critical dimension for the achievement of its hermetic seal. A unique end shape has been designed for the solar application, which resulted in the development of advanced measuring equipment. In addition to the dimensional requirements, the glass’ chemical and physical properties had to be defined to optimize the tubing’s glass light transmission performance. In an effort to optimize glass transmission, the tube drawing team reduced glass colorants (e.g., iron and copper), properly managed the glass colorant oxidation state, shifted the index of refraction (reduction in reflection losses), and continually conducts research in advanced anti-reflective coatings.

Manufacturing for Tomorrow Manufacturing glass for solar energy tubes requires an elaborate quality system based on controlled processes, mechanical vision

inspection and statistical process control (SPC) systems. In this case, all manufacturing lines are producing with 100% visual tube cosmetic and near-100% visual dimensional inspection systems for all conceivable parameters. Additional measured attributes include stress measurements and dimensional requirements for the ends, tube strength, and light transmission. This American-made cylindrical tubing-based solar panel provides clean renewable energy, helps reduce CO2 emissions and is more aesthetically appealing than traditional flat panels. This new technology has the potential to improve the quality of life for everyone. For more information, contact Nipro Glass Americas at 1200 N. 10th St., Millville, NJ 08332; call (856) 825-1400; or email [email protected]. Solyndra’s website is located at www.solyndra.com.

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CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

13

GreenSquared

I

n 2007, the Tile Council of North America approved the formation of the Green Initiative Committee, a group tasked with defining, improving and communicating the environmental benefits of tile. Defining a “green” anything is already challenging because everyone brings their own definition of “environmentally friendly” to the table. Defining a green tile in an acceptable way for environmentalists, end users, architects, standards developers and the rest of the green community is a real challenge.

Setting the Standards In September 2009, the Green Initiative Committee started the definition process in earnest by developing a basic 14

➤ The Tile Council of North America’s Green Initiative Committee has developed a comprehensive plan for sustainable tile standards. by Dan Marvin, Director of Quality Assurance and Technical Services, Florida Tile; and Chairman of the Green Initiative Committee, Tile Council of North America framework for a new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard that would set the bar for green tile installation requirements. Many rounds of discussion and clarification from participating committee members were necessary to further define each section of the standard. What emerged was ANSI 138.1: “Green Squared—North American National

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

Standard Specifications for Sustainable Ceramic Tiles, Glass Tiles, and Tile Installation Methods.” On February 27, 2011, this document was distributed to the Ceramic Tile ANSI A108 committee for comment. From the start, the group felt it was important to not only certify the product, but the factory and company that manufactured it as well. The sections of the stan-

dard include overall environmental product characteristics, environmental manufacturing practices, end-of-life management, progressive corporate management, and innovation credits. Another section includes important terms and definitions. The standard is based on mandatory requirements and attainable electives. To be considered a green product, all of the mandatory requirements must be met, and a percentage of the electives (differing by product category) must also be addressed. The mandatory items are not automatic; a manufacturer must be manufacturing a sustainable product in a sustainable way in order to meet them. The electives are typically higher levels of the mandatory items.

Categories Addressed The lively discussions started almost from the beginning when the group sat down to define recycled content. While Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other green standards define pre- and post-consumer waste, the group felt it was important to include a third category of reclaimed waste. This is material that is generated within the manufacturing process that previously would have gone to a landfill but is now recaptured into new product. This discussion seemed to echo the current thinking in the green community that it is important to include this category of waste (which does not require extra transportation and shipping to become a component of the product). In addition to addressing recycled content characteristics, the first section of the standard touches on the transportation and selection of raw materials, packaging, volatile organic emissions, cleaning/environmental maintenance, life cycle analysis (LCA), solar reflective index (SRI), environmental product declarations, and a variety of subsets of these broader categories. This long list of product attributes is designed to keep manufacturers focused on making a sustainable product while highlighting areas where tile is likely to be the best product option (vs. other flooring choices). The group was also sensitive to addressing categories that the green community has made clear through standards and interpretations as important attributes of sustainable products. The next section addresses how the product is made. Attributes here include pollution prevention, responsible fuel usage, raw materials sourcing, selecting materials with low levels of lead and cadmium, environmental management planning, utility usage and conservation, wastewater discharge, renewable energy usage, waste minimization, and diversion. Again, each of these broad categories is divided into subcategories that address specific parts of the production process. These subcategories look into detailed aspects of the manufacturing process and go beyond simple compliance with government requirements. The end-of-product-life management section begins with a statement from the industry: Inherently, tile products are durable, inert, and intended to have life spans as long as the buildings in which they are installed. Therefore, they are typically engineered to serve as permanent finishes capable of outliving several generations of building occupants. Tile product end-of-life

management is generally pertinent to building demolition waste and ensuring that small quantities of waste are generated during construction. The intent of the criteria in this section is to award credit to those products that can be collected as construction or demolition debris, processed, recycled, and/or re-tasked for other purposes. After this statement, electives are included for using the product as clean fill and implementing a collection and recycling plan.

It is important to have an ingrained vision of environmental responsibility at the corporate level. The Progressive Corporate Governance section of the standard sets a high bar for companies looking to get products certified. The committee specified that it is not simply enough to produce a sustainable product at a sustainable factory; it is also important to have an ingrained vision of environmental responsibility at the corporate level. Mandatory requirements here include a written social responsibility strategy; labor law compliance; prohibitions on forced and child labor; compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations; a written quality assurance program; and compliance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) green marketing claims. Electives include evidence of continuous community involvement, public disclosure, an annual sustainability report, and LEED or Green Globes certification for one or more facilities. Finally, the standard includes a section for innovation. Many tile and installation products companies are working on projects that go above and beyond the basics of the standard, and it is important to recognize these achievements. Any elective that was exceeded by 1½ times the most stringent requirements gets additional recognition, as do innovative attributes (like photocatalytic or photovoltaic coatings) or processes, and a comprehensive carbon footprint analysis.

Future Plans As you can see, the committee left no stone unturned in its efforts to define “green” in the tile industry. This standard goes above and beyond similar standards from competing floor covering groups and is already receiving recognition in the green community. In the coming months, the committee will address any negative feedback on the standard and put it up for a final vote. Soon the new Green Squared standard will provide an objective method for defining green tile products. For additional details, email the author at [email protected], or visit www.floridatile.com or www.tilethenaturalchoice.com. CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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by Paul Burns, Founder and Chief Ceramicist, Fireclay Tile, San Jose, Calif.

Moving Beyond

“Good Clay”

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remember learning at an early age that fire and earth are all we need to make pots to carry our water, tools, and food. As I grew up and started working more in ceramics, I quickly realized that the use of ceramics was born in the need for sustenance and practicality. Ceramic’s malleability and durability makes it possible to use existing materials to fashion what you need. The availability of raw materials has always been a driving force for the establishment of ceramic production. In the clay business, this meant that tile, roof tile or brick factories were set up on flat land near winnable clay. In the U.S., this initially meant the Midwest region in and around Ohio; production expanded to California in the late 1800s as the need for additional local sources increased. Due to the high prevalence of raw materials, searching for alternatives has not really been required— it’s easier to just dig a new quarry or go deeper into the existing ground. 16

Investigating Recycled Materials Today’s ceramic industry is really no different from the past. Raw materials are plentiful, but now manufacturers are discovering that recycled materials provide compelling opportunities to rethink how ceramic products are made. Everywhere around us are potential raw materials that mimic clay and can be reformulated into a ceramic basis that is ideal for manufacturing tile. We learned this the hard way at Fireclay Tile, but the results have far exceeded our expectations and prove that much remains possible for the future. With recycled materials, the time and energy spent collecting is much greater than mining or purchasing prepared clay. Similarly, the cost of materials can initially be higher than alternatives. With the already wide variability of high-fired ceramics, many manufacturers are focused on the challenge of simply making product rather than finding alternative raw materials. When recycled materials are researched

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

thoroughly and thoughtfully, however, a new world of sustainable ceramic manufacturing becomes possible. My partners and I started Fireclay Tile in San Jose, Calif., in 1986 on a shoestring budget. We pooled most of our meager savings together and—most importantly—brought our over 50 years of combined experience in tile making to develop our own custom-made line. From the start, we scavenged for anything useful we could find. Our factory tables were put together with discarded lumber and old pallets. We collected used boxes from a nearby pet supply distributor to pack our tiles. Sometimes we were “penny wise and pound foolish.” We would spend hours scavenging leftover cardboard for packing material when our time really could have been better spent mixing clay and glazes. However, this scavenging from our initial startup phase soon became part of our company DNA.

➤ Is sustainable ceramic manufacturing a thing of the future or an impossibility?

We often tried to find post-industrial waste materials to use as part of our clay body. My background is in science and chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and I had the chance to grow up in the tile business working for my uncle’s company, Stonelight Tile. I loved making tile, but I also loved experimenting and trying new things. Word somehow got out that the folks at Fireclay Tile enjoyed experimenting, and many materials were sent to us to see if we could possibly use them in our process. Most of these trials and experiments were wild goose chases. For example, a friend of a friend once sent us some yeast cakes from Anheuser Busch to see if we could use them in our clay body. Not knowing a thing about the brewing process, I opened the 5-gal bucket in the side yard. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground and staring up at the clouds. The strong odor of the yeast cakes had literally knocked me down. I resealed the bucket and sent it back without any additional testing. It seems that some materials just aren’t meant for tile manufacturing. The cost of materials is also important. One thing we learned early on is that you must establish a price for someone’s socalled “waste” before undergoing research and development trials. In 1990, we were contacted by a Silicon Valley chipmaker to see if we could incorporate spent abrasives from sandblasting electronic parts into a clay body. The material produced a rich reddish brown clay body that seemed attractive to us, and in all of our discussions the spent abrasive material was described as a landfill-bound waste

After much testing, Fire clay discovered how to best use recycled waste Series Recycled Tile. granite

product. The chipmaker said that we might need to pay some transportation costs, but since the material was close by the cost would be minimal. The company provided us with free samples of material 1 ton at a time over

dust in its Debris

a six-month period, and we ran a series of tests starting from small 10-lb sample mixes to eventual ½-ton batches. When we were ready to move forward and talk about getting a truckload of material, we

O

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CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

17

MOVING BEYOND “GOOD GOOD CLAY” CLAY

maintaining our tradineeded to establish a price. All of m tion of quality ceramic a sudden, the company had large ti handling costs with this material products. p and the price they demanded was After investigating $60 per ton, twice as much as the d different post-industrial $30 per ton we paid for our local rrecycled materials for over 10 years, we finally high-quality clay. We would have o had a steady local supply saved a lot of time and energy if we h of post-industrial matehad determined the cost prior to o o rial that was reliable and beginning the testing process. available. We’ve proAt this time, we also learned thee duced this product, our importance of testing. A very impor-Debris Series Recycled tant step when considering the usee e manufacturing. es to focus on sustainabl tinu con Tile clay Fire 6, Tile, since then with of a new raw material is to have it Founded in 198 success, thoug h most people still chemically analyzed. Testing typichoose our tile because of how it looks rather than its cally costs a few hundred dollars and takes less than two weeks; many independent labs throughout the country offer this service. environmental benefits. This experience has also proBeyond discovering the basic chemical components, it is vided us with a platform to go to other suppliers of important to have materials tested for toxic components. You possible recycled materials with a credible story, allowing us to need to know what you are dealing with before using any mate- incorporate other interesting products such as spent abrasives rial. At Fireclay, we have always been aggressive about reducing from industrial water pipes and porcelain. Without those early trithe toxicity in our materials. In the 1980s, we were one of the als and tribulations, people today would never take us seriously. Over time, we’ve found that using recycled materials as subfirst manufacturers to remove lead from our glazes. We continue to mix each and every glaze we make by hand, and today stitutes for clay is difficult because, even if the raw material might our lead-free glazes are still products we take pride in. Reducing be suitable, it is rarely in the right form and must then be protoxicity levels in materials is equally important when it comes cessed. Thus, four factors need to be brought together: • Capability of producing a product that has a market demand to sustainability, especially for employees. • Availability of post-industrial or post-consumer materials • Ability to process the material for factory production Successful Alternatives All of these early lessons learned benefited us as we continued • Local supply and processing (100 miles or less) While many people have referred to Fireclay as pioneers, to grow the company. In 1998, Fireclay Tile was approached by I believe that what we’re doing has been done forever. One Paul Lessard, the chief environmental engineer at Granite Rock example is McNear Brick, a northern California brickmaker, Co., one of the largest granite quarries in Northern California, to which has creatively tackled the problem of locally sourced see if we could develop a product using granite fines. The commaterials. McNear Brick has been producing brick in the San pany had been generating this granite dust as a waste product at Francisco Bay area since 1868. The company originally set up its quarries and asphalt-making operations. For 80 years, they in an area with easily winnable clay, but over time, as the Bay had been trying to find better uses for this byproduct without Area expanded and the company grew, the clay on the propsuccess. As it happens, the rock quarry was literally next door erty diminished. to our main manufacturing facility in Aromas, Calif., and the McNear then got the idea to use unneeded construction dirt company also operated an asphalt plant in San Jose generating in its process. The company created a clay management system of the dust that we could use in our San Jose-based production. blending different groupings of earth into a consistent red brick After two years of testing, we were still unable to make a clay body. This creates a non-landfill means for depositing waste, high-quality product from this material. In trying to utilize this and it also means that McNear’s clay supply will never diminish. byproduct, my initial thought was to develop a product that By investing in R&D early to determine the best method of testwas made up almost entirely of the granite dust. The problem ing local waste materials for compatibility, McNear found a way was that the resulting product was unappealing. We soon realto remove materials from the waste stream while providing itself ized that by decreasing the amount of dust we were using and with a never-ending supply of raw material. incorporating post-consumer recycled glass and other materials, we would be more successful. A better looking, more sellable product would eliminate far more waste from landfills than if the Additional Efforts product was unattractive. We settled on a tile that included 25% A number of other companies are doing a great job with susof the dust and an overall recycled content of over 50%, while tainable production right now. Others have chosen to focus purely

18

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

on power supply and alternative forms of renewable energy to power facilities. Still others have concentrated their efforts on internal waste streams, creating new products to accommodate these otherwise landfill-bound materials. We do something similar at Fireclay, both through energy retrofit initiatives and closed-loop manufacturing to reuse wastewater and find ways to reprocess scrap material. All of these are great sustainable manufacturing methodologies, and each company needs to determine which is right for them. I believe that sustainable manufacturing using locally sourced materials will increase in the future and is not just a possibility but a necessity. It takes time to develop new systems and wean factories from the ease and reliability of what they have done for the last 150 years; it may take another 150 years to reach true sustainability.

The author scavenges for

recycled porcelain at a San Francisco dump. p

What is important is that we all think a bit more creatively about our materials. At Fireclay, we’ve created processes that are less expensive than traditional means and rely on abundant recycled materials. If we can do it, anyone can.

For more information, contact Fireclay Tile at 495 W. Julian St., San Jose, CA 92107; call (408) 275-1182; email [email protected]; or visit www.fireclaytile.com.

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CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

19

“Singin’

in the Rain”

➤ Artistic Tile is reaping the benefits of a system it developed for the collection and reuse of rainwater. by Susan Sutton, Editor-in-Chief, Integrated Media

B

ased in Secaucus, N.J., Artistic Tile is an importer, distributor and retailer of tile and stone products. A few years ago, the company realized it could make a few changes to better serve its customers. “We decided to get into some light manufacturing in order to supplement our product line and offer more flexibility and customization,” explains Joshua Levinson, president. “In the past, a customer might walk into our store and say, ‘I really like that pattern, but I like it in that color.’ If we didn’t have that color in stock, we might be looking at a 12-week lead time. Now we can say, ‘Sure, we can do that for you.’” The company repurposed existing machinery and acquired new equipment so it could cut tile into mosaic pieces and mount those mosaics on mesh for easy installation. What began as a single multi-disc saw operation has grown to three saws and a water-jet system, plus a finishing line. In fact, Artistic Tile recently started a second production shift to keep up with demand. “The big push in terms of our manufacturing is the flexibility,” says Levinson. “We offer 60+ mosaic shapes and sizes, plus 80-100 different color options, with the ability to blend different colors and change finishes as well.” 20

The company continually pursues new avenues to improve its operations, including a system that gathers rainwater for use in the production process. I recently spoke with Levinson about the water recycling system and the multiple benefits it offers.

How is water used in the production process? We have three multi-disc saws, and each one can be set to cut tile and stones of different sizes. Each of the blades on each of those saws has a water line to cool and lubricate the blades. All of the cutting is done wet, and the water cools, lubricates and keeps the dust down by creating a slurry. Water is also used in the finishing line. We have an eight-head polishing line, and water is applied to those heads to cool and lubricate the diamond tooling that’s doing the finishing. We have a water jet as well, which is a closed system, but it uses 60,000 psi water concentrated through a very fine nozzle with a garnet powder introduced as the cutting media. We also have a bridge saw that enables us to cut slabs.

How did the idea come about to use rainwater? We had a smaller, self-contained water filtration system that was producing maybe

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

40 gal/min of clean water. Our system now produces about 400 gal/min, so we were in a real water deficit for a while. As our production levels started to increase, we would have to shut down to catch up with our water needs. We decided that we needed to increase our system, and we ended up developing our own. We didn’t want to use a flocculent, which is a chemical that is added to the water to cause the solids to gel together and thus fall out of the water. We wanted to be chemical free. So we got a very large filter press from a Polaroid facility that was shutting down. This press was one of their lightly used pieces of equipment, and we appropriated it for a different use. While converting from the older system and adding on to the newer system as needed to increase our capacity, we realized we had a spare tank. We have a flatroof building, and we had a drain pipe that we could redirect right into that tank. We have not purchased domestic water to add to this system for a few years now. Aside from not using domestic water, which is saving us money, reusing and recycling the water is a great benefit. We’re using thousands and thousands of gallons a day. If we didn’t filter the water and it was just going into the sewer, it would be tremendously wasteful.

The filter press removes the solids from the water via a chemical-free process.

Water is drained from the company’s flat roof to a holding tank.

Is the water treated before being reused? Every time you cut with these blades or finish with the polishing line, you’re introducing dust into the water that then needs to be filtered. In our system, all of this slurry water flows back to an underground pit, where it is stored. The water is pumped up to an aboveground tank and then through the filter press at high pressure. The filter press has a filter fabric on it, and this filter fabric actually removes the solids from the water. Clean water comes out the other end and is returned to the saws for reuse in the process. It’s a closed loop. It’s possible in these closed-looped systems for the water to go septic and cause infections. It was important for us to treat the water so it’s safe for our employees, but we wanted to stay away from using chlorine or any kind of bleach that could potentially damage the product. We use no chemicals in our process. Rather than using an algicide to kill the bacteria that’s potentially in the water, we’re using an ozonator, which is a system that’s used in some swimming pools as a means of killing bacteria. The ozonator system is on our clean

The company has not needed to purchase water for cutting operations since 2008.

Small scraps that cannot be used are sold to another company for use as aggregate material.

water tank. As the water passes through, it’s treated with ozone to kill the bacteria. The solid material, along with stone scraps that can’t be cut down into mosaics any further, goes to a company that grinds that material for use as aggregate in road beds. So it does have a secondary life. One of the nice things about mosaic production is that mosaics are sustainable in that we’re utilizing, in a lot of respects, post-industrial waste. Certainly for some products, we’re using chipped or “second” tiles that would otherwise be considered scrap. We try to utilize everything down to the smallest sized pieces that are no longer workable. Those smallest pieces are then reground.

California leads the nation for solar power, but New Jersey is second. New Jersey requires all of its power producers to generate a certain percentage of their energy via renewable resources. That percentage will increase each year until the early 2020s, when it will max out. Any power producers in the state that are deficient in achieving those numbers can actually buy state renewable energy credits (SRECs), which are generated by solar producers and other renewable energy producers. Having a solar system on the roof of your building, in addition to generating low-cost or free power, also generates these SRECs, which are sold on an open market to power producers to offset their potential fines by not meeting the state’s criteria. New Jersey is a very active state now for solar projects because of these government initiatives and requirements.

What other “green” practices does Artistic Tile follow? We’re using recycled corrugated boxes and biodegradable bubble wrap, and we’re currently in the approval process to install a solar system on our building. With that system, we should be able to run our daytime operations on solar power.

Visit www.artistictile.com for additional information. CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

21

HOW TO CONTROL DAMPERS

for Energy Savings

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atural gas kilns and curing ovens typically operate at high temperatures of up to 1500°C. The solvents used to bind ceramic material together are vaporized in the kilns; the high temperatures are needed to cure the organic polymers to the substrate material. Moving and heating large amounts of air can be extremely expensive. As a result, the cost of heating large volumes of ventilation air is high. Many think that the first approach to controlling costs is to reduce ventilation air to the point where it ensures complete drying at the desired production rate. However, this could lead to a buildup of flammable vapors caused by insufficient ventilation. To prevent such incidents, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) developed NFPA 86—the National Standard for the Safe Operation of Ovens and Furnaces. In accordance with this guideline, when continuous solvent vapor monitoring analyzers are installed to keep track of the flammability levels of the oven or kiln, the vapor concentration is allowed to rise from 25% lower flammable limit (LFL) to as high as 50% LFL. This allows ventilation to be controlled and even cut in half, so excess air does not need to be heated to such high temperatures. The amount of natural gas that is needed to operate these processes safely is therefore reduced.

Safety Automating damper controls to modulate this flow of fresh air and/or exhaust through an oven can further reduce the concentration of ventilated air moving through the system. In turn, the consumption of natural gas used for heating any unnecessary added air is reduced. When adding automated dampers to control the ventilation rates, additional safety and cost savings can be achieved without 22

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➤ Manufacturers can reduce fuel costs by up to 50% by automating damper controls. by Debra Woods, Director of Sales, Control Instruments Corp., Fairfield, N.J. taking the risk of human error—but care must be taken. If the primary controller was to malfunction and the dampers did not open, the system has an added risk of fire or explosion. NFPA-86 therefore states that if a continuous vapor concentration controller is used to control the oven exhaust, a secondary protection system must be used to prevent an analyzer failure from causing a hazardous condition.1 This secondary protection system should have a separate continuous vapor concentration high-limit controller for each zone. Otherwise, a fixed damper must be set so that the solvent vapor concentration input cannot exceed 50% LFL “worst case” (for the highest design solvent load).

Cost Savings Due to the increased design flexibility of the total system, the use of redundant analyzers for secondary safety and cost savings is preferred over setting damper stops to a “worst case” fixed setting of 50% LFL. If fixed damper stops are used as secondary safety, the damper will not close enough when the oven/kiln is lightly loaded, and the optimization that comes from damper control is greatly reduced. When dampers can be sufficiently closed beyond the “worst case” position, especially when the ovens/kilns are lightly loaded, no additional air is heated and companies can achieve substantial cost savings.

Figure 2. The precise concentration of solvent vapors should be measured with the highest possible level of accuracy.

Optimized Process Figure 1. The use of redundant analyzers for secondary safety and cost savings is preferred.

The solvent load in many ovens and dryers contains a mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in differing proportions and concentrations. In various applications, different product and formulations are running through the ovens and dryers. The secondary solvent vapor monitoring analyzer is adaptable to actual process conditions (e.g., the variation in loading from zone to zone, batch to batch, and time to time). This flexibility enables the precise measurement and safe modulation of fresh air or exhaust from an oven or zone (see Figure 1).

Technical Considerations Most dryers are used for more than one solvent, and accuracy completely depends on how the sensor responds to each solvent. This means that the precise concentration of solvent vapors should be measured with the highest possible level of accuracy to optimize the control of damper position and achieve maximum energy savings (see Figure 2). The measuring principle of the sensor is important to achieve these goals. The flame temperature sensor is said to have a “universal calibration” for many common solvent vapors because the response factors are in the range of 0.9-1.1. By contrast, factors for catalytic sensors can range from 0.8-1.3 (a 1.6:1 ratio), and infrared sensors can easily reach 0.25-2.0 (an 8:1 ratio). The more solvents that are contained in a process, the greater the error and the wider the damper will stay open—unless precise measurement is continuously taken. Flame temperature analyzers react accurately to most flammable substances and usually measure both single solvents and mixtures with the same high degree of accuracy. Unlike some sensors, flame temperature analyzers were developed for one specific purpose: to directly measure flammability.

Direct flammability measurements can be used to precisely modulate damper control and ensure that no unnecessary air is heated. This optimization can result in a reduction in fuel costs by as much as 50%; the cost of adding solvent vapor analyzers can be quickly recouped. In addition, a reduction in the oven/kiln exhaust rates will decrease demand on the VOC destruction oxidizers. This would be the case when a thermal oxidizer has reached its maximum rated airflow capacity, preventing the addition of new processes without a sizable investment. Instead of adding another oxidizer for the new equipment, it may be desirable to reduce the exhaust from the existing process ovens by recirculating a portion of the exhaust air. Such a solution is possible when the ovens are equipped with solvent vapor analyzers. (The cost of these flammability analyzers can also be quickly recouped.) When selecting a flammability analyzer, do not assume that one size fits all. The appropriate analyzer for a previous application is not necessarily the right choice for another. It is beneficial to select an analyzer that can handle future changes in sample stream composition. However, the specific details of each application need to be examined closely in order to prevent disaster. The instrument of choice may vary from one application to the next, but the correct process flammability analyzer will always be fast, accurate and fail safe. For more information, contact Control Instruments Corp. at 25 Law Dr., Fairfield, NJ 07004; call (973) 575-9114; fax (973) 575-0013; email [email protected]; or visit www.controlinstruments.com.

Reference 1. NFPA-86 2011, Section 11.6.10.4, Quincy, MA, www.nfpa.org.

Find this and other informative articles online at www.ceramicindustry.com. CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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➤The annual Deco conference and expo was again a success in 2011.

DECO 2011 s t h g i l h g i H

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GCDpro returned to its birthplace in Pittsburgh, Pa., for this year’s annual Deco conference and exposition, which was held March 17-20. More than 175 members and industry professionals attended the event, which emphasized regulatory compliance and applications for organic decorating materials in response to the numerous product recall efforts in 2010 and early 2011. Even though the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) did an aboutface on the Shrek and Coca-Cola recalls, industry participants took the opportunity to learn about alternative materials and their successful applications.

Event Highlights On Saturday, attendees participated in a business seminar that included dis24

cussions on employee productivity, maximizing energy use, precious metal reclamation and the use of social networking in business. Sunday’s “Ask the Experts” legislative session panelists included Mary Toro from the CPSC; SGCDpro lobbyist Walt Sanders; noted attorney Carol Brophy, who specializes in California Proposition 65 cases; Ferro Corp.’s Alan Olson, who specializes in EPA issues; U.S. Food and Drug Administration retiree Richard Jacobs; Libbey, Inc. retiree Wayne Zitkus; and SGCDpro legislative liaison Sandra Spence. These experts addressed attendees’ questions on a number of topics, including the proposed changes to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and the recent emergence of new California Prop 65 cases.

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

SGCDpro charter member and past-president Norbert Buddenbohn (left) receives the prestigious Frank S. Child Award from Ed Weiner.

As part of her presentation, Brophy urged attendees to remember that Prop 65 settlements do not create an industrywide standard. Past settlements only apply to the parties involved and are only for the products mentioned in the settlement. This extends to the triangle sign and label used on dinnerware. Brophy indicated that this particular warning may only be used by parties to the original dinnerware settlement in the early 1990s. Toro spent considerable time discussing implementation of the CPSC public database, which went live shortly before the meeting. She urged member companies to register with CPSC so that they may receive timely notification if one of their products is listed as defective. The site allows anyone to list defective products; this has put many companies on the

The Ask the Experts legislative session addressed attendees’ questions on a number of topics, including the proposed changes to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and the recent emergence of new California Prop 65 cases.

defense against the possibility that a competitor or disgruntled employee may try to cause material damage through such an avenue. It is up to companies to then prove to CPSC that the product is safe.

Monday’s technical session offered new technology solutions to member companies. Sanders discussed the benefits of company and member involvement at the local level. He reminded attendees that members of Congress are supposed to represent their interests and that contacting one’s Congressman can be an effective means of having one’s voice heard in Washington. He recounted the success SGCDpro members have had in securing an audience in the nation’s capitol. This

was evidenced in the 2010 recall of Shrek glasses (which was later determined to be unnecessary) and the current efforts to reform CPSIA. Monday’s technical session offered new technology solutions to member companies. Representatives from several companies, including Ferro Corp., Sun Chemical, Sylvan Technologies, Marabu GmbH, and Bayer, discussed new products and the applications where those products offer solutions to heavy metal and other concerns. In addition, 24 exhibitors presented their products (some related to organic decorating) to attendees. Other networking opportunities included luncheons and receptions.

in the exhibit hall. Lenox China, with its Palatial Garden pattern, won both the Vandenoever “Best-of-Show” award and the Directors’ Award. Additional winners included Susquehanna Glass for glass nonpromotional, glass promotional, artware, and mugs; Custom Deco for containers; and Commercial Decal for dinnerware.

New Officers SGCDpro installed new officers during its annual meeting of members on March 21. Officers for the 2011-12 year include: Ted Zych, president; Brian Deszell, vice president; Chad Yaw, treasurer; Christine Fleek, secretary; and Mike Gervais, director. Jan Weyrich and Sylvie Strevey also continue as directors.

Award Presentations Several awards were presented during Deco ’11. SGCDpro charter member and past-president Norbert Buddenbohn received the prestigious Frank S. Child Award. Buddenbohn spent 40 years with Carr-Lowry Glass in Baltimore and was the founder (along with his late son, Norbert, Jr.) of Baltimore Glassware Decorators. He invited all past presidents of SGCDpro in attendance to join him at his table during the awards luncheon. During his acceptance speech, Buddenbohn recounted the many changes he has seen in the industry. The annual Design Excellence Awards were again held, with voting taking place

Deco ’12 to be Held in Vegas Deco 2012 will be held March 24-26 in Las Vegas. SGCDpro will return to the Flamingo Hotel for three days of informational sessions, networking and exhibits. To reserve exhibit space or a spot on the technical program, contact SGCDpro at (740) 588-9882.

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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Taking Brand Protection

To A Whole New Level

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ever h ever has as b brand ra nd dp protection rote ro tect ctiion ion been more important or more challenging than in today’s business environment. Counterfeiting is one of the biggest challenges brand owners and manufacturers face. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Interpol’s World Customs Organization estimate the global counterfeiting problem to be upward of $600 billion per year. In addition to the billions of dollars in lost revenues, counterfeiting threatens brand and product integrity, corrupts supply chains, taints product pedigree, and increases the risk of liability for brand owners in case of consumer injury or death. Given the growing landscape and increased sophistication of counterfeiters, the use of a single security solution to secure and validate is no longer enough. Brand owners and manufacturers that put all of their time and effort into deploying a single overt solution are likely to find that they are using an incomplete system. For example, packaging that can be reused or resealed needs more than a single layer of security. Rather than authenticating the product inside the container, companies that put their focus on a single area such as the outside label are merely authenticating a container that can later hold adulterated or fake materials. If the ultimate goal is to deliver a legitimate product from the manufacturer to a consumer and to protect consumers from 26

➤ Using a multi-layered labeling solution can deliver protection and marketing opportunities. by Steve Delepine, Vice President of Business Development, BrandWatch Technologies, Portland, Ore. counterfeit goods, then brand protection requires more than a single layer of security imprinted on the outside of a box. It requires a multi-layered solution that features overt, covert, track and trace, and forensic elements to prevent counterfeit products mixing with legitimate items while assuring customers that the products they are buying are genuine. Multiple layers of protection and the infrastructure to validate authenticity can not only provide comprehensive brand protection, but also deliver many costsaving and marketing benefits. In fact, when used correctly, brand security can actually be a profit center. Integrating security with marketing and customer loyalty programs can move brand security into value-added payback, spurring additional customer interaction that can enhance customer loyalty and result in additional sales opportunities.

What Constitutes Multi-Layered Brand Protection? Multi-layered brand protection includes a combination of security elements such as industry and regulatory compliance, information technology systems to

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

provide track and trace capability, and enforcement mechanisms that initiate internal and external response teams. It uses technology that incorporates overt, covert, track and trace, and forensic security (see Figure 1). Overt technologies can be seen and include bar codes, specialty inks and labels, intaglio printing, holograms, watermarks, and tamper-evident film. Track-and-trace systems are unique product identification solutions that can be applied covertly and overtly to individual products, cases, pallets, or shipping containers. The unique markers can be scanned at any point in the supply chain. Information is then uploaded to centrally located data management systems. Brand owners and enforcement teams can access these information systems at any time to track and authenticate their products at any point in the supply chain, from production to the retail shelf. Covert technologies are solutions that are not visible to the human eye. These may include specialty inks, nanoencryption, and taggants that are integrated into the packaging or product, and can only be read with proprietary readers or detectors.

special section | resource management

Figure 1. Multi-layered brand protection includes a combination of security elements.

Forensic solutions are difficult to replicate. Forensic technologies can be tailored to meet the individual needs of customers and are exclusive to a product or brand.

Benefits of Multi-Layered Brand Protection Programs A multi-layered brand protection program not only combats fraud and provides the ability to validate product authenticity, but also adds the capability to integrate pushpull marketing efforts that enhance customer engagement and reduce costs associated with product recalls and fraud. Product Recalls/Fraud It is difficult to go a day without reading about a new product recall. In 2010, for example, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 230 infant and child products (a 68% increase over 2009). Other industries, from pharmaceuticals to electronics and automobiles, have also faced significant recall challenges this past year. Companies that incorporate layers of security and leverage new track-and-trace technology can actually limit the amount of product they have to recall. Batch or product serialization helps manufacturers authenticate their products throughout the supply chain. When integrated with a marketing component, the serializa-

tion component can identify who actually purchased the product and from where. With a back-end track-and-trace system in place to capture data along the supply chain, serialization can also prevent product diversion or errant distribution, as well as fraud. Marketing Opportunities Many product manufacturers do not have a direct connection to their consumers because products are distributed through a complex supply chain before they ultimately end up on retail shelves. Modern security solutions actually make it possible for brand owners to create a previously unattainable two-way exchange of communication. For example, multi-layered integrated labels for wine and spirits provide stateof-the-art forensic protection, as well as a means for consumers to provide direct feedback to the brand owner. A unique forensic identifier provides the distributor and consumer product authentication that is impossible to replicate. A unique serial number on the label can also be crossreferenced via the Internet or a mobile device with an authentication database that can validate an individual bottle. Once entered online or via smartphone, the winery can provide the customer with additional product information, as well as methods for interaction

with the brand such as accessing recipes and wine/food recommendations. Leveraging these layers of security creates a proactive system that helps brand owners know who their customers are while providing validation technology that can help manufacturers identify problems with the supply chain down to a single bottle. If a unique ID is checked in California and then checked two hours later in France, the system has built-in alerts that are sent to the manufacturer to help them proactively enforce their brand protection in real time. Layered security solutions also provide different levels of knowledge for the appropriate audience. A scan of a secure label can help brand owners know where a product is in the supply chain or provide a distributor with validation that a product is authentic. In addition, entering a code into a smartphone can provide consumers access to additional product information and interaction opportunities with the brand. Consumers want to know they are getting what they pay for, and by incorporating brand protection with marketing initiatives, brand owners can include their customers in the validation process and engage them on an entirely new level.

A Solid Program In the world of business today, it’s all about the brand. This includes brand protection, enhancement, profitability, strategy and sustainability. All of these can be significantly impacted by an effective brand security program that involves a thorough evaluation of a company’s security needs, followed by the design of customized, multi-layered security strategies that will protect products throughout their lifecycle, enhance the customer experience, and deliver multiple levels of knowledge and validation. A solid brand protection program does more than create confidence; it can help drive customer loyalty, providing additional opportunities for direct customer interaction and sales. Visit www.brandwatchtech.com for more information. CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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➤ “Not in My Backyard Syndrome” can cause opposition for business developments and projects. by Al Maiorino, President, Public Strategy Group, Boston, Mass. person or a group of people to a new project or development in their community. The key to NIMBY opposition is in the location of a proposed construction. It has been suggested that the NIMBY syndrome stems from self-preservation. Communities simply don’t want anything positioned nearby that may potentially be dangerous to their health, or merely to their lifestyle and community vibe. Whatever may be their motivation, NIMBYs, as they are commonly termed, are very likely to organize quickly to communicate their opposition to a local project in an effort to curb development.

A Little History

Controlling

NIMBY

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icture this: the CEO of a large ceramics company wants to pursue an innovative product opportunity, and he decides to build a new production plant near a small town in Massachusetts. The company’s management team constructs the business plan, collects the proper paperwork and prepares for the approval process. Almost immediately, the zoning commission holds off on granting their permit. Why? Nearby town residents of the proposed site have created an opposition group to fight the project. Despite the fact that the presence of the new plant would create new jobs, increase the tax revenue 28

and improve the local economy, the community for one reason or another is opposing the project. The residents say the new facility would be too close to their homes and may be potentially hazardous to their health. They are concerned about a variety of issues from noise and traffic created by the construction to the dangers of living near a factory that operates with chemicals. The CEO soon realizes that opposition is indeed a road block that may halt or even destroy his project. What does he do now? The problem this company faces is not so uncommon; it is called the “Not in My Backyard Syndrome” (or NIMBYism), which consists of strong opposition by one

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The origins of NIMBYism are somewhat vague. Some scholars believe the concept originated as early as the 1950s. However, the practice of communal opposition to development blossomed in the 1980s. During that time, community concerns were reasonable and justified in most cases. Although the history of ceramics can be traced back thousands of years, for the most part people are unaware of the processes involved in the production. Thus, the fear of the industry as the unknown was one of the reasons communities opposed these factories. In addition, with the technology available during that period, building a plant in a neighborhood could mean noise, traffic and pollution. The equipment and safety protocols used in ceramics production were far less advanced than they are now. The risks of equipment malfunctions and exposure to chemicals were high. While those days are gone, the sentiment of opposition remains, as does the stigma of a chemical-based plant near one’s home. With the use of modern technology and strict government regulations, the inconvenience caused by any sort of development is usually reduced to the minimum.

special section | resource management

The NIMBYs always seem to find a reason to oppose development. Very often, they are simply “in it to win it” and oppose just for the sake of making a statement. Remarkably, members of NIMBY groups frequently support development in general; they favor any projects that may improve the local economy. However, when a plant construction is proposed in their neighborhood, NIMBYs quickly organize into an opposition group. Society as a whole understands the necessity of building new factories, including those in the ceramic industry. Nevertheless, in reality, virtually nobody wants to make their backyard available. Therefore, the physical proximity to a development seems to be the main criterion in NIMBY activity.

What Can You Do? If your firm finds itself involved in a NIMBY fight, take the steps necessary to ensure the proper message is getting out to the public. Very often, the opposition stems from misinformation and poor communication between project representatives and the community. In this case, it is better to play on the offensive. Instead of waiting for the opposition to grow, present them with the facts. Make sure community members understand how ceramics are made and what processes are involved. Demystify the process—explain safety procedures and protocols that will ensure the absence of health threats to the neighborhood. Explain that your facility will not, in fact, be a chemical site, but rather will use only controlled amounts of certain chemicals. Finally, explain the economic benefits of building your plant. These are a few basic facts you need to relay to the community. The next crucial step is to look for local support and build allies in order to form a supporter coalition. First, identify and create a database of local residents who are in favor, against or undecided about the project. A good way to begin is by carrying out a poll or a phone bank, asking local residents their view of the ceramic industry in general and your development plan in particular. The results of the surveys may then be published to showcase the positive attitude in the community toward your venture. Once the database is created, it has to be maintained and updated frequently for the campaign management to be aware of the changes in the local opinion. One way to do this is through a targeted direct mail and/or advertising campaign. In addition, a strong social media campaign is a modern and necessary tool to spread your message, reach out to the community, and provide supporters with a communication outlet. Now that you have distinguished supporters from opposition, the next step is to reach out to third-party groups that support your development. These groups could be anything from small businesses to a local decision maker. Those companies or groups who you have had a positive relationship with or will benefit from your project should be encouraged to participate in the campaign. Residents should be encouraged to express their support through writing letters to their elected officials or newspapers.

Those who are looking to support further can attend public hearings where they can speak about the benefits of your project. Most likely, an independent pro-group would have emerged by now and will actively participate in all aspects of the campaign. You may choose to fight NIMBY on your own. However, experience shows that hiring a specialized firm will provide you with the necessary tools and tactics to ensure a victory for your development. Trained professionals from a grassroots firm will make sure that the correct message from your company is being distributed to the community and the silent majority is heard. The way you approach the situation will make all the difference. When it came down to it, the CEO of that ceramics company had a decision to make. He could choose to ignore the NIMBY fight, avoid communicating with the local community and take the situation to an unnecessary level of tension. Instead, the company’s management team hired a specialized firm that developed a strategy, engaged in conversation with the community and encouraged the proponents of the project to voice their support. Soon after the conflict was put to rest, the permit was granted and the company went on to build the plant. For additional information, call (888) 719-6924 or visit www.publicstrategygroup.com. CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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special section | brick & clay record

Honors Spence, Krueger ➤ Acme Brick recognized top-performing managers at its annual Plant Manager’s Meeting.

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cme Brick held its annual Plant Manager’s meeting on April 29. At the meeting, the company recognized Joe Spence, manager of the Ouachita, Ark., plant, as the 2010 Acme Brick Plant Manager of the Year. Spence received the award due to the plant’s improvement in several key areas, including profit as a percent of delivered sales, profit growth over the prior year, margin of growth over the past two years, improvement in bat loss, improvement in work hours per mbe, and an exceptional safety record related to incident and lost-time accident frequency rates. Spence received an associate’s degree in ceramic engineering from Hocking Technical College. He began his career with Acme Brick in 1979 as a management trainee at the Perla, Ark., plant. After a short stint at the Baton Rouge plant, Spence was named the OEP plant manager in 1989. As plant manager, he is reportedly always looking for ways to improve the plant’s performance and product offering. Spence shares his knowledge and experience with others, and gives accolades to the associates who work with him. Spence has received the A1 award eight times since 1991, and was named Plant Manager of the Year in 1992 and 1997. In addition, he received the TOP award in 2003 for being among the top performers in 10 out of 12 years. In addition, Jim Krueger was presented with the 2010 A1 Award. Krueger received the award due to the Elgin (Texas) New Plant’s (ENP) improvement in the same key areas. Krueger received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1985 from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He began his career with Acme in 1985 as a management trainee at the Denton, Texas, plant. He moved to the Garrison, Texas, plant for a few years, then trained under Wally Chrystal in San Felipe, Texas, before transferring to the Elgin plant in 1999. Krueger helped build the newest Elgin plant and was assistant plant manager at the 2000 startup. He was promoted to plant manager in 2001, and to district production manager in 2009, with the added responsibility for the original Elgin plant. He was the recipient of the A1 award in 2002 and was named the Plant Manager of the Year in 2008. For additional details, visit www.brick.com. 30

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

Ed Watson, senior vice president of Production (left), presents the 2010 Plant Manager of the Year award to Joe Spence.

Watson presents the A-1 Plant Manager award to Jim Krueger.

➤ Potomac Valley Brick brings attention to the sustainable properties of brick through its BrickStainable International Design Competition. by Alan Richardson, President, Potomac Valley Brick; and Peter Doo, AIA, LEED AP, President, Doo Consulting

Sustainable

Construction T

ake a moment and recall playing in a barn in the summer, exploring a vacant building, or visiting an old church on a hot day. Remember the cool relief of a church interior, or the warmth and humidity of a greenhouse on a crisp fall afternoon? These buildings’ construction materials contribute to their behavior in different climates and add to our sense of comfort, whether thermal, acoustical or aesthetic. Buildings that provide the most stable thermal environment are typically constructed with masonry, materials that humans have used for 3000 years. For the past two years, Potomac Valley Brick has brought attention to the sustainable properties of brick through its BrickStainable International Design Competition. The competition is held in pursuit of design solutions that exploit the unique properties of brick masonry construction 32

and seek new ideas in the development of this age-old building material. The competition is organized in two categories: • Integrated Building Design Competition—The 2010 competition challenge was set in an urban location where entrants created integrative design solutions that exploited the thermal qualities of brick masonry construction to create a passively heated and cooled building. The target: Net zero. • Technical Design Competition— Entrants must design a single element of a building that provides a sustainable solution to real-world environmental challenges. BrickStainable is open to teams of architects, engineers, material scientists, landscape architects, ecologists, students and others from around the world. This year, teams from 62 countries entered the competition.

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

Why Brick? Brick’s characteristics include passive solar energy potential through thermal mass, as well as durability and flexibility. Passive solar design does not require mechanical equipment to create temperate interior living conditions. Instead, it uses the building’s materials to regulate the temperature indoors. Masonry buildings absorb the heat of the sun into the mass of their walls during the day. This helps to stabilize the interior temperature whether it is hot or cold outside. At night, the stored heat radiates to the interior and exterior of the building (depending on the climate), once again helping to maintain a stable thermal environment within. This reduction in a reliance on mechanical heating and cooling systems saves energ y throug hout the life of the building. Tests conducted

special section | brick & clay record

“Net Zero in Baltimore,” winner of the Integrated Building Design category.

“BRICK BRICK BRICK BRICK” earned an honorable mention in the Integrated Building Design category.

“EcoCeramic Masonry System,” winner in the Technical Design category.

by the Oak Ridge National Laborator y have shown energy savings as high as 13%. Next, this durable material can last hundreds or even thousands of years. Other than stone, no other construction product lasts as long as brick. This construction durability adds value to

any property when considering lifecycle costs. Masonry durability reduces both the monetary and environmental costs of maintenance, as fewer new resources are needed to repair the structure over long periods of time. In addition, the durability of homes and buildings built with brick adds a gen-

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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“Climate Camouflage” earned an honorable mention in the Technical Design category.

erational sense of community to towns, cities, villages, and neighborhoods all over the world. Finally, brick can be used to achieve sustainability goals in every type of building—from single-family homes and highrise condominiums to office buildings and public institutions. Within a location, brick can be used as an interior wall, floor, ceiling, fireplace and as a passive solar energy collector. In addition, brick is used around the world in every economic region. The abundance of clay—the natural, predominant material in brick—contributes to its universal manufacturing and application.

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In BrickStainable, jurors looked for evidence of the project’s performance and the use of building information modeling (BIM), as well as energy, solar, and daylight modeling software. This year, Jamillah Muhammad and her team at Perkowitz & Ruth (Ronald Moore, Dindo Mabana, Tou Boran Pek, Kathleen Stover and Boryana Fileva) won the Integrated Building Design category with “Net Zero in Baltimore.” Muhammad described her entry as “sited to maintain the urban fabric of the streets and sidewalks to the north and east, maintaining pedestrian connections to the boardwalk and water taxi to the northwest. The hardscape is made from recycled brick and is 100% permeable, with pathways that display some of the indigenous bio-fuels that Mass Energy is developing.” In the Technical Design category, Kelly Winn and his team, including Associate Professor Jason Vollen and other members

at the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE) in New York, won with “EcoCeramic Masonry System.” Winn noted his entry “uses composite fibers and resins as an integral tensile layer replacing steel and mortar, increasing tensile strength and flexural ability.” Three honorable mention winners in the Integrated Building Design category also presented valuable ideas. Cal Poly Pomona students Heather Midori Santos and Jillian Christina Schroettinger’s “Mass Energy Science Center” nests an office campus into the landscape and has building occupants and visitors wandering up a series of ramps exploring bio-fuels and water-absorbing design features. The project features water capture strategies, energy solutions and trombe walls.

Brick should be considered an essential building material to effectively achieve today’s sustainability goals. University of Texas, San Antonio student Shane Valentine’s “Texas Cultivating Energy” contains a compelling and poetic reference to the notion of agricultural links between the outdoor landscape solutions and the building rhythms, with expressive views of vistas beyond the city. San Casciano, Italy, student Robert Kane’s “BRICK BRICK BRICK BRICK” engages brick as a structural material, not just a veneer. The structural elements have thermal characteristics, as well as geothermal heat exchange and rooftop solar thermal. This brick structure is integrated with novel thermal systems. A series of marching facades, the building orientation, a highly crafted process of laying brick, and the

expressive design are all exemplary facets of this entry. The two honorable mentions in the Technical Design category focused their efforts on specific aspects of the material. Kelly Winn, Jason Vollen and Ted Ngai of CASE submitted “Climate Camouflage.” This entry demonstrates an advanced use of geometr y and material science, illustrating much potential for the further development of energy savings. The concepts behind these units involve a great deal of science. Rizal Muslimin, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a 2009 winner, returned this year with “BrickBead.” His interesting analysis of porous walls in urban conditions responding to change in microclimates in and around buildings results in a joyful expression using ceramic materials. It gives craftsmen the ability to

modulate environmental factors such as sunshine, wind, thermal mass and evaporative cooling.

Expanding Possibilities Humans have used clay brick’s assets to construct long-lasting livable, attractive structures since the ancient empires of Mesopotamia, Rome and China. As architects and contractors now look for ways to reduce energy consumption and construct long-lasting, low-maintenance structures, brick should be considered an essential building material to effectively achieve today’s sustainability goals, creating a stronger environment for tomorrow. The BrickStainable International Design Competition is an example of how much possibility exists. For additional information, email the authors at [email protected] and [email protected].

Hi-Vac Proud ®

Thhere’s There’s ’ a feeling feeling you get when whh n you ou be it’s own any Hi-Vac product. Maybe wing the confidence you gain knowing that your Hi-Vac product will ssly perform efficiently and flawlessly de every day. Maybe it’s your pride in knowing that your decision to buy Hi-Vac helps create a cleaner, safer, healthier, more ou productive environment. All you know is that when it comes to the highest quality, most respected industrial vacuum systems on the market, you are 100% Hi-Vac Proud. ®

Industrial Vacuum Systems

Want to feel that Hi-Vac Pride for yourself? Visit us online at

www.hi-vacproducts.com

800.752.2400

ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS FOR A CLEANER WORLD www.hi-vac.com

740.374.2306

[email protected] CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

35

³ BUYERS’

CONNECTION

³ WHAT’SNEW LAEIS

FURNACES AND KILNS

Presses for Sputtering Targets The Alpha 4200 has a maximum pressing force of 42,000 kN (4200 t). Large sputtering targets with dimensions up to about 1600 mm in length and 500 mm width with a thickness of only 8-14 mm, can be pressed with uniform density. The PH 6500, with a pressing force of 6500 t, can produce sputtering targets even larger, up to approximately 0.8 m². The Alpha 800, with a pressing force of 800 t, is used for the production of sputtering targets with smaller dimensions. Materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO), alumina-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and others, can be used. AZO powder for this application, as well as supports for the firing process, can be produced by the company’s subsidiary Alpha Ceramics. Visit www.sacmi.com.

ALFA AESAR

• High Temp Furnaces for ceramic ﬁring • Compact design, rapid heat • Uniform temperature and precision control • Front and bottom load models to 1700º

(800) 378-0095 www.luciferfurnaces.com

NETZSCH introduces the new LFA 457 MicroFlash® system to measure thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and specific heat of advanced materials, including advanced ceramics, metals, polymers, liquids and more. Using the laser flash principle, the instrument operates from -125 to +1100°C, in pure gas atmospheres or in vacuum, and includes an automatic sample changer for unattended overnight operation. For details please visit: http://netzsch-thermal-analysis.com Netzsch Instruments Burlington, MA 01803 Ph: 781-272-5353 • Fax: 781-272-5225 E-mail: [email protected]

36

Boronic Acids Catalog This company, a Johnson Matthey Co., has published a 188-page catalog and technical document that outlines the chemical properties and highlights the main synthetic uses of boronic acids and related chemicals. A major role in modern chemistry is played by organoboron compounds, from which boronic acids have emerged in a leading position. With the discovery of a wealth of new chemistry, in particular the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, together with their accessibility and ease of handling, boronic acids and boronates are now established as intermediates of value and versatility. Applications abound in synthesis, catalysis, analytical chemistry and biological systems. Call (800) 343-0660 or visit www.alfa.com.

QUANTACHROME INSTRUMENTS Gas Sorption Analyzer A new 0.1 torr transducer XR option is available for this company’s surface area and pore size analyzer for extended-range low-pressure capability and extra resolution. The Autosorb-iQ series of gas sorption analyzers has dual sample capability (e.g., the ability to analyze two microporous samples simultaneously), a coolant

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

dewar that can hold liquid nitrogen 90 or more hours, turbo-pumped sample preparation as standard on the MP version, software that can control up to four instruments, hybrid flow and static chemisorption on the C-TCD version, and many configurable options. The dualsample iQ2 model is offered with dual 0.1 torr transducers, one for each sample manifold, to maintain its simultaneous measurement capability across all pressure ranges. The 0.1 torr transducer is internally heated for improved stability and reproducibility. Visit www.quantachrome.com.

LUCIFER FURNACES Box Furnace This company recently built an HL7-A12 box furnace for SunCoast Automation 2000 Inc., which designs and builds automated systems for various industries. Part of the series 7000 line of box furnaces, the HL7 model has heating elements located on both side walls and reaches 2300°F. The heavy-gauge, low-watt density coiled elements are housed in easy-toreplace holders. The 6 x 6 x 12 in. chamber is insulated with 2.5 in. low-iron insulating brick, as well as 2.5 in. of mineral wool block for energy-efficient operation and low outside shell temperature. A 1-in.-thick hearth plates provides a solid, strong work surface for parts. The double pivot horizontal swing door keeps the hot surface away from the operator at all times and is designed with a safety microswitch to shut power to the heating elements when the door is opened. Visit www.luciferfurnaces.com.

Have Product News to Share with the Industry? E-mail news releases to Teresa McPherson at [email protected].

³ SERVICESMARKETPLACE ³CONSULTING & ENGINEERING SERVICES

³MAINTENANCE/SERVICES

Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Ceramics Maintenance Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Ceralink, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Ceramics Consulting Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

³PROCESSING SERVICES

Jonathan Kaplan Ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

AVEKA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Ragan Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

CCE Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Richard E. Mistler, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Powder Processing and Technology, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Ruark Engineering, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Powder Technology, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Semler Materials Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Union Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

³CONTRACT MANUFACTURING SERVICES

³RECYCLING SERVICES

Coalition Technology Co., Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

A-Ten-C, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

CoorsTek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Superior Technical Ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

³REFRACTORY SERVICES Fuse Tech/Hot Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

³FINISHING & MACHINING SERVICES Advanced Ceramic Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

³SPRAY DRYING

Bullen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

General Spray Drying Service, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

EBL Products, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Ferro-Ceramic Grinding, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

³CONSULTING & ENGINEERING SERVICES

Machined Ceramics, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 O’Keefe Ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 PremaTech Advanced Ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Sonic-Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

³FIRING & DRYING SERVICES Allied Kiln Service Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 American Isostatic Presses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Centorr/Vacuum Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Harrop Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Ipsen Ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Experts in Ceramic Engineering & Materials Science • Microwave & RF Process Development • Scale-up • Equipment Design

• Materials Engineering Ceramics, Glass, Composites

• Research and Innovation • Prototyping

518-283-7733 * Fax: 518-283-9134 * [email protected] * www.ceralink.com

I Squared R Element Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 SBL Kiln Services, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 TevTech, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

³GLASS SERVICES Ceradyne VIOX, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Fuse Tech/Hot Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Phone: 480-895-9830 FAX: 480-895-9831 e-Mail: [email protected]

Glass Inc. International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 SEM-COM Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Dr. Charles E. Semler

Specialty Glass, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

³INDEPENDENT AGENTS Tape Casting Warehouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Taylor Tunnicliff Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

President/Consultant SEMLER MATERIALS SERVICES 10153 E. Elmwood Dr. Chandler, AZ 85248

³LABORATORY & TESTING SERVICES Activation Laboratories Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Geller Microanalytical Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Harrop Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 JTF Microscopy Services, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Micron Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Netzsch Instruments NA LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 NSL Analytical Services Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Quantachrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 West Penn, Spectrochemical Labs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

37

³CONSULTING & ENGINEERING SERVICES / CONTRACT MANUFACTURING SERVICES ³CONTRACT MANUFACTURING SERVICES

High Shear Compaction— Superior Tape Forming Process • Full thickness single layer tapes: • HSC efficient high-volume 0.1 mm to greater than 13 mm process compatible with any powder: ceramic, glass, metal • Aqueous binder systems— extreme thickness control or plastic Ragan Technologies Inc. • Tape Development > Toll • Improvement over roll compac978-297-9805 Manufacturing > Turnkey tion —Isotropic tapes are [email protected] Installations never brittle & fire flat www.ragantech.com

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FROM CONCEPT TO PRODUCTION • • • •

Delivering solutions for diverse applications & industries Extrude, dry press, iso press, precision machine AS9100 & ISO9001:2008 Certiﬁed Plantwide Customer-Focused Culture

802-527-7726 • [email protected] • www.ceramics.net

Alumina • Zirconia • ZTA • Steatite • Cordierite • BN • Macor

Jeff Zamek Ceramics Consulting Services

6 Glendale Woods Drive Southampton, MA 01073

Precision Ceramic Components fj^X`"ijgc egdidine^c\

Telephone 413 527 7337 Fax 413 529 2674 [email protected] www.fixpots.com ]^\]"kdajbZ bVcj[VXijgZg

Ceramic Product Design and Development Whitewares and Tabletop Custom Molds and Models Veea^XVi^dc Zc\^cZZg^c\

3520 Brighton Blvd., Denver CO 80216 (303) 909-5488 www.plinthgallery.com [email protected]

Michael S. Gzybowski Intellectual Property Attorney 734.302.6046 [email protected]

Suite 200 | 524 South Main Street | Ann Arbor, MI 48104 usebrinks.com

Ruark Engineering, Inc. Customer Oriented Expert Kiln Assistance • • • •

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF KILN OPERATIONS KILN UPGRADE AND MODIFICATIONS NEW KILN PROCUREMENT SPECIALIZED TRAINING ON SITE

Ralph Ruark, PE 10506 Cypress Point Drive Bradenton, FL 34202

38

P: 941-730-2253 F: 941-360-3211 [email protected] http://www.ruarkengineering.com

August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

CoorsTek is the largest US-owned technical ceramics manufacturer in the world. Call 303-271-7006 or email [email protected] for expert assistance on your next project. Visit us on the web www.coorstek.com

³FINISHING & MACHINING SERVICES

WORLD LEADER IN PRECISION CERAMICS in nd

g

ri G & f C ion Machining era ials

Pre o cis

r mic s & Advanced Mate

PremaTech Advanced Ceramics is a highly respected, world leader in advanced custom machining and grinding for the Semiconductor, Aerospace & Defense, Research, Life Sciences and Commercial industries. For all your ceramic needs, please call 508.791.9549 NEW Lapping & Polishing Capabilities

Over a Quarter Century of Precision Ceramic Machining Process Development, has resulted in hundreds of satisﬁed customers. Put our experience and knowledge to work for you and become one of our satisﬁed customers.

Advanced Ceramic Machining & Components Engineering and Design Support Grinding of Hard and Ultrahard Materials: Alumina, Boron Nitride, Ferrite, Quartz, Silicon Carbide, Silicon Nitrides and Zirconia

ISO 9001-2008 Certiﬁed ITAR & CCR Registered WBENC Certiﬁed

www.prematechac.com

719-687-0888 • [email protected] • www.okeefeceramics.com

YOUR OU U ULTRASOURCE SOU C FOR MACHINING HARD & BRITTLE MATERIALS

www.bullentech.com 1301 Miller Williams Rd. Eaton, Ohio 54320 USA Phone: (937) 456-7133 • Fax: (937) 456-2779 Email: [email protected]

EBL PRODUCTS, INC.

28 Years of Precision Ceramic Grinding

PIEZOCERAMICS

• Custom forming of technical ceramics * Built to customer print * • Prototype, short run and high volume production quantities • Multiple C.N.C. Capabilities

Serving our customers for over 50 years PRECISION CUSTOM DESIGN for:

• • • •

piezoceramic tubes piezo composites lead zirconate titanates matching layers & wearplates

EBL Products, Inc. 22 Prestige Park Circle, E Hartford CT 06108 Phone: 860-291-2537 • Fax: 860-291-2533 www.eblproducts.com [email protected]

Phone: 714-538-2524 Fax: 714-538-2589 Email: [email protected] Website: www.advancedceramictech.com

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

39

³FINISHING & MACHINING SERVICES / FIRING & DRYING SERVICES

ISOSTATIC PRESSING Specializing in

Contract Machining Company and Ceramic Component Supplier

HIP, CIP, Service and Equipment

• ISO 9001:2000 & AS9100B • CAD/CAM CNC Machining • Extensive Material Inventory • Material/Technical Support • Over 40 Years of Service

Visit us on the Web: www.aiphip.com Call toll free: 800-375-7108

Specializing in BN, SiC, Macor, Si N , Al O , ZrO , Quartz, Ferrites and other related materials 3

4

2

3

2

American Isostatic Presses 1205 S. Columbus Airport Rd. Columbus, Ohio 43207 Phone (614) 497-3148 Fax (614) 497-3407

TEVTECH, LLC MATERIALS PROCESSING SOLUTIONS Custom Vacuum Furnaces & Hot Zone Refurbishment for Sintering • CVD • Purification • Brazing 100 Billerica Ave., N. Billerica MA 01862 Tel. (978) 667-4557 • Fax. (978) 667-4554 www.tevtechllc.com

³FIRING & DRYING SERVICES

TOLL FIRING SERVICES

• Sintering, calcining, heat treating to 1700°C • Bulk materials and shapes • R&D, pilot production • One-time or ongoing

TOLL FIRING and CERAMIC REFRACTORIES

• Multiple kilns and furnaces for optimal firing options • Screening, surface area, and bulk density testing available • Custom and standard ceramic refractories • Alumina and Fused Silica formulas • Shapes include saggers, tiles, crucibles, kiln furniture [email protected] • (815)239-2385 ext. 105 www.ipsenceramics.com

I SQUARED R ELEMENT CO., INC. AKRON, NY USA

EQUIPMENT

• Atmosphere electric batch kilns to 27 cu. ft. • Gas batch kilns to Columbus, Ohio • 614-231-3621 57 cu. ft. www.harropusa.com e-mail: [email protected]

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August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

• Custom Designed Silicon Carbide & Molybdenum Disilicide Heating Elements for Your Application • Engineering Assistance & Trouble Shooting • Customized Accessories

Visit our Web Site: www.isquaredrelement.com Phone: (716) 542-5511 • Fax: (716) 542-2100

BUS.: (608) 783-4455 ALLIED FAX: (608) 783-4420 KILN EMAIL: [email protected] SERVICE INC. TIMOTHY J. TOBIN

SERVICESMARKETPLACE

³FIRING & DRYING SERVICES / GLASS SERVICES / INDEPENDENT AGENTS

Electronic and Specialty Glass Frits & Powders • • • • • • • • • •

New Kiln Design and Manufacturing Roller Hearth - Shuttle - Car Bottom - Tunnel • Installations • Combustion

• Refractory/Fiber • Electrical

• Instrumentation • Profile/Balancing

www.alliedkilnservice.com 1349 Moorings Dr. • La Crosse, WI 54603

Standard compositions Custom melt capacity Glass development Calcinations Toll processing Test sample availability Production volumes Tailored particle sizes Press-ready granulation ISO 9001:2000 registered

³GLASS SERVICES

ALBERT LEWIS PRESIDENT

GLASS

INCORPORATED INTERNATIONAL 14055 LAURELWOOD PL • CHINO, CA 91710 email: [email protected] website: www.glassint.com Phone 909-628-4212

SEM•COM

Fax 909-628-2771

GLASS TECHNOLOGY Design • Development • Manufacturing

6701 Sixth Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98108 (206) 763-2170 E-mail: [email protected] www.viox.com

³ INDEPENDENT AGENTS

COMPANY, INC.

SPECIALTY & ELECTRONIC GLASS MANUFACTURING We provide the following services:

Q GLASS MELTING Q GLASS FABRICATION Q COMPOSITION DEVELOPMENT Q CONSULTING Contact us for further information:

Ph: 419-537-8813 Fax: 419-537-7054 E-mail: [email protected] www.sem-com.com

Refractory Repair Specialists • Ceramic Welding & Periscope Surveys • Port & Checker Cleaning • Hot Refractory Sawing & Drilling • Furnace Overcoating • Hot & Cold Refractory Repair

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

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³INDEPENDENT AGENTS / LABORATORY & TESTING SERVICES G E L L E R M I C ROA NA LY T I C A L USA McCuen & Associates Ph: 330 482-1074 Fax: 330 482-4560 Email: [email protected] www.davemccuen.com

BULLERS RINGS • Improve Kiln Yields • Reduce Loss • Improve Production Proﬁts • Guarantee Consistent Firings

UK Taylor Tunnicliff Limited. Normacot Road Longton Stoke-on-Trent ST3 1PA

w w w.t ayl o r tunni clif f.co m

³LABORATORY & TESTING SERVICES

Your Partner in Ceramics Analysis Experiennced analysis of Adva Experienced Advanced anc n ed cceramic erramicc materials matterialss including inncluudi ding alumina, magnesia, zirconia, carbides, nitrides, and oxides. Specialized Testing Capabilities Compositional Analysis Elemental and Chemical Analysis Microscopy and SEM Thermal Analysis

LABORATORY Analytical Services & NIST Traceable Magnification Standards SEM/X-ray, Electron Mircoprobe, Surface Analysis (Auger), Metallography, Particle Size Counting, and Optical Microscopy for Ceramics and Composite Materials Specializing in quantitative analysis of boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc. in micrometer sized areas. Elemental mapping, diffusion studies, failure analysis, reverse engineering and phase area determinations. IS O 9 0 0 1 & 1 7 0 2 5 C ert i fi ed Put our years of experience to work on your specimens! 426 Boston St. Topsfield, MA 01983 Tel: 978-887-7000 Fax: 978-887-6671 www. gellermicro.com Email: [email protected]

Thermal Analysis Materials Testing • Dilatometry • ASTM Testing • Glass Testing

• Thermal Gradient • Custom Testing • Clay Testing

• Firing Facilities • Refractories Creep • DTA/TGA

Columbus, Ohio • 614-231-3621 www.harropusa.com e-mail: [email protected]

Analytical Expertise Trace Level Analysis Bulk Composition Thermal Conductivity Contaminants Inclusions Failure Analysis

www.nslanalytical.com

NSL Analytical Services, Inc. 4450 Cranwood Parkway, Cleveland, Ohio 44128 4OLL&REEsMRJS$RWPEREP]XMGEPGSQ

Trust

|

Technology

|

Turnaround

Powder and Porous Materials Characterization Laser diffraction particle size BET surface area Density DVS www.labqmc.quantachrome.com [email protected] 1-800-989-2476

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August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

LOWER COST MILLING SOLUTIONS

JTF Microscopy Services, LLC Microscopy, Petrographic Analysis, Training & Consulting • Glass defect analysis and source identiﬁcation • Furnace refractory failure investigations • Glass technology support services related to glass defect issues • Training seminars – on-site, on your own equipment

• Raw material contaminant identiﬁcation • Trouble-shooting and correction of microscope equipment problems • Consulting for equipment purchases: microscope, camera & sample preparation • Expert witness services in legal actions

phone: 607.292.6808 • mobile: 607.731.8863 email: [email protected] • website: www.jtfmicroscopy.com

Holding off on capital purchases? Union Process still has several low cost options for you to get the job done economically and efﬁciently using the ﬁnest size reduction equipment on the market.

TOLL MILLING Save on capital equipment, personnel and space. Let Union Process toll grind your product in our Pilot Plant. "EFORE

REBUILDING Got a used Attritor in need of an update? Talk to Union Process about our 8-step refurbishing process using all OEM parts.

³MAINTENANCE SERVICES

!FTER

• Mill Lining Installation • Ball & Pebble Mill Parts • Field Service & Installation

Ceram

ic Maintenance Services, In

MILL LINING INSTALLATION GRINDING MEDIA

• Thickness Testing • Mill Doors & Gaskets

c.

Providing Quality Service for Over 25 Years

• Grinding Media • Buy/Sell Used Process Equipment

PO Box 119 • Conneaut PA 16316 • Cell: 412-818-1379 Email: [email protected] • www.ceramicservicesonline.com

³PROCESSING SERVICES

ENGINEERED PARTICLES Custom Particle Processing featuring: • • • • •

Spray Drying Particle Coating & Surface Modiﬁcation Wet & Dry Ball Milling Bead Milling Research & Development

Our approach: • • • •

Innovation Collaboration Exceptional Customer Service Quality

[email protected] ISO 9001: 2008 Registered 2045 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125 For more information visit: www.aveka.com 651-730-1729 | FAX 651-730-1826 or Call Toll Free: 1-888-317-3700

SPARE PARTS Make sure your Attritor is performing at peak efﬁciency. Order critical OEM spare parts today. Union Process stocks many parts ready for immediate shipping.

Partner with Union Process.

0HONEsWWWUNIONPROCESSCOM

Expanding the Possibilities for Size Reduction

place you!r ad here

CONTACT GINNY REISINGER @ 614/760.4220 or reisingerg@ bnpmedia.com to place yours today. CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

43

SERVICESMARKETPLACE

³LABORATORY & TESTING SERVICES / MAINTENANCE SERVICES / PROCESSING SERVICES

³PROCESSING SERVICES / RECYCLING SERVICES

Your Source for Powder Processing We specialize in: • Spray Drying • Wet and Dry Milling • Calcining and Sintering Typical Applications: • Catalysts • Electronics • Ceramics • Fuel Cells For more information, please contact Alan Sukovich at 219-462-4141 x224 or [email protected] 5103 Evans Avenue | Valparaiso, IN 46383

www.pptechnology.com ³ RECYCLING SERVICES

RECYCLE! Eliminate Disposal

Wanted: ceramics, refractories, abrasives, kiln furniture, SiC and hi alumina ceramic scrap

A-TEN-C, INC. Call: 412-821-5566 • [email protected] • www.ceramicrecycling.com

³REFACTORY SERVICES

Refractory Repair Specialists • Ceramic Welding & Periscope Surveys • Port & Checker Cleaning • Hot Refractory Sawing & Drilling • Furnace Overcoating • Hot & Cold Refractory Repair

DON’T FORGET! To keep receiving FREE issues you must renew your subscription. Renew online at: www.RenewForFree.com

³SPRAY DRYING

TOLL DRYING SPRAY DRYING Moisture & Particle Size Control • Dry Blending • Powder Cooling • Wet Milling SPIN FLASH DRYING Press Cake or Paste • Continuous Drying • No Post Grinding

The Most Experienced Custom Dryer of Ceramics, Chemicals and Metals GENERAL SPRAY/CVP DRYING SERVICES INC. Ph: 908-353-2477 • Fax: 908-353-0060 E-mail: [email protected] www.generalspraydrying.com

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August 2011 ³ WWW.CERAMICINDUSTRY.COM

www.ceramicindustry.com

³BUY & SELL

Quality & Service First BUY & SELL MACHINERY 586-790-1717 • [email protected] WWW.AADVANCEDMACH.COM

BUY & SELL MACHINERY Detroit Process Machinery TOM SUHY: 586-469-0323 www.detroitprocessmachinery.com

SPECIALISTS IN HIGH VISCOSITY MIXING • Planetary & Planetary/Disperser Mixers • Capacities 1/2 pt. to 500 gal. • Viscosities up to 10 million cps • Controls & turnkey systems

1-800-243-ROSS www.HighViscosityMixers.com

³POSITIONS AVAILABLE

ENTERPRISE PERSONNEL www.enterprisepersonnel.com

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS: Purchasing Manager/ Ceramic Raw Materials . . . .Midwest Refractories Field Service Representative . . . . . Southern Ohio Senior Technical Ceramic Product Engineer . . . . . . . . .Midwest Refractory Sales Representative . . Northern Kentucky Sue Strange 864.246.4769 • [email protected]

place yroeu!r ad he

SERVICESMARKETPLACE

³BUY & SELL

CONTACT GINNY REISINGER @ 614/760.4220 or reisingerg@ bnpmedia.com to place yours today.

J.L. Becker Company, a furnace division of Gasbarre Products Incorporated, is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of CONTROLS ENGINEER. This position will be based out of Plymouth, Michigan. Successful candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree in EE with 5+ years of experience. Individual will be responsible for both design and field installations of furnaces. Program design experience preferred. Position does require periodic traveling. Gasbarre Products Inc. offers a competitive benefits package that includes 401(k), profit sharing, vacation, health and dental insurance. Interested candidates should email resumes to [email protected] or mail them to: Gasbarre Products Inc. Attn: Human Resources 590 Division Street DuBois, PA 15801

PTX-Pentronix, a division of Gasbarre Products Incorporated, is seeking a candidate for the position of SERVICE TECHNICIAN for its Plymouth, Michigan facility. The applicant must have knowledge of powdered metal and/or powdered ceramics with a tool and die background. Individual must also have machining capabilities such as milling, lathe, surface grinding, welding and soldering, and carbide grinding. Successful candidate must have an engineering background with at least 5 years of experience. Individual must understand tool gages, small part manufacturing and part handling using automation. Ideal candidate should have good customer service skills with the ability to troubleshoot mechanical equipment. Must be willing to travel approximately 25% of the time to plant locations worldwide. Gasbarre Products Inc. offers a competitive benefits package that includes 401(k), profit sharing, vacation, health and dental insurance. Interested candidates should email resumes to [email protected] or mail them to: Gasbarre Products Inc. Attn: Human Resources 590 Division Street DuBois, PA 15801

For more information, please visit www.gasbarre.com

For more information, please visit www.gasbarre.com

Gasbarre Products, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Gasbarre Products, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

CERAMIC INDUSTRY ³ August 2011

45

³ ADVERTISERINDEX ADVERTISER

PAGE NO.

ADVERTISER

PAGE NO.

Assembly & Automation Technology Expo http://www.canontradeshows.com/expo/aatexpo11/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

* Lancaster Products www.lancasterproducts.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Automated Solutions Inc. www.asideas.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

* LignoTech USA Inc. www.lignotech.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

* FLSmidth Inc. www.flsmidth.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

* Midwestern Industries Inc. www.midwesternind.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Fuel Cell Seminar www.fuelcellseminar.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

* Prince Minerals, Inc. www.princeminerals.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Glass Build America www.GlassBuildAmerica.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

* Tokuyama America Inc. www.tokuyama-a.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

* Harrop Industries Inc. [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Tri-Mer www.tri-mer.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

* HI-VAC Corp. www.hi-vac.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

* Unimin Corp. [email protected]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC

* See our ad in the 2011-2012 Ceramic Industry Data Book & Buyers’ Guide. This index is a feature maintained for the convenience of the advertiser. It is not part of the advertiser’s contract, and Ceramic Industry assumes no responsibility for its accuracy.

With a MobileTag go from Print to Web

Simply snap a photo of the mobile tag with your Smartphone, and you can conveniently go from a page in our magazine to a webpage. 46

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Pick of the Pros

WHERE THE INDUSTRY MEETS

For FREE access to GlassBuild America’s 3-Day tradeshow, go to www.GlassBuildAmerica.com, click on RegsitraƟon, create your login and password and use

11GBA as your registraƟon code.

www.GlassBuildAmerica.com

Quality Ceramics Start Here

SM

Now, more than ever, quality ceramics start with strong technical partnerships. With experienced application engineers and dedicated materials research and testing facilities, count on us for innovative products and services and intelligent business solutions. For more information and availability: YOUR PARTNER IN QUALITY CERAMICS

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