Production of Powders

Abstract

In Chapter 4 we described the physical aspects of powders and, from the examples that were shown, it was clear that a wide variety of shapes and agglomeration states was possible. Much of the powder’s physical characteristics are determined by the way it is prepared. The preparation method will then have profound consequences for the fabricability of the ceramic or metal part from powder compacts. Often the variations in powder properties from batch to batch, prepared by the same method in the same factory, are sufficient to cause unacceptable variations in product properties. This susceptibility of fine powders to seemingly minor, and often unrecorded or undetected processing variations, is a major difficulty in the production of reliable and reproducible ceramic products.