Drying of Clay Based Ceramics

INTRODUCTION
Ceramics are a valuable and important engineering material in today’s world and
have been with us for thousands of years. Ancient peoples knew of the useful properties
of ceramics and utilized them in the fabrication of pottery, statuary and building
materials. In the modern world, ceramics are all around us. Like the ancients we use them
for pottery, statuary and building materials, but also for a host of other products such as
electrical insulators, heat shields, medical applications and dental implants to name a few.
Though new uses and formulations have been discovered for ceramics, two factors have
remained constant. Those two factors are the necessity to thoroughly dry the ceramic
before its final firing and the use of clay as an important raw material in ceramics.