1. Introduction
Ceramic products play an important role in human civilization. As a cultural carrier that integrates art, practicality and technology, ceramics carry a long history and rich cultural connotation. From ancient pottery to exquisite porcelain, every technological advancement is inseparable from the innovation and optimization of raw materials. As an indispensable raw material in ceramic industry, kaolin plays an important role in manufacturing process of ceramics with its unique physical and chemical properties, and it is known as “the soul of ceramics”. There are many advantages of kaolin when used in ceramic industry.
2. Characteristics of kaolin
Kaolin is one kind of clay mineral with kaolinite as the main component. It is named after Gaoling Mountain near Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China, where it was first discovered. It is white or off-white in color, as fine as powder, and it has good plasticity, adhesion and fire resistance. These characteristics make kaolin an ideal raw material for making high-quality ceramics. The chemical composition of kaolin is mainly aluminosilicate, containing high levels of alumina and silicon dioxide, as well as small amounts of iron, titanium, calcium and magnesium. The proportion of these components directly affects the color, hardness and transparency of ceramic products.
3. Advantages of kaolin in ceramic industry
3.1. Improve the whiteness and transparency of ceramics
The high purity and fine particle structure of kaolin enable it to significantly improve the whiteness and transparency of ceramic products, this endows ceramic products delicate texture.
3.2. Enhance the mechanical strength of ceramics
Kaolin can form a stable mullite phase at high temperatures. This property greatly enhances the high temperature resistance and mechanical strength of ceramics, and it makes ceramic products more durable and not easy to break.
3.3. Optimize the forming of ceramics
The good plasticity of kaolin makes it easy to mold into various shapes. At the same time, its good adhesion helps the green body maintain structural stability during drying and firing process. This can reduce the risk of deformation and cracking, and improve the yield of ceramic products.
3.4. Adjust the sintering temperature of ceramics
By adjusting the content of kaolin and its ratio with other raw materials, temperature range of ceramics during sintering can be effectively controlled, so that the ceramic products can reach an ideal sintering state at lower temperature, saving energy and reducing costs.
3.5. Enrich the colors and decoration of ceramics
Kaolin, as basic raw material, can combine with other colorant and glaze to create varieties of ceramic decorative effects. This enriches the color and decoration of ceramics. Moreover, colorful decoration makes ceramic products adapt to the needs of modern society, and become important cultural and art forms.
4. Conclusion
During actual production, a 250 mesh sieve (aperture 0.061mm) is often used to detect the fineness of kaolin. Fineness is an important indicator for measuring the plasticity, adhesive property and dry strength of kaolin. By using powder processing machinery, such as ball mill and air classifier, kaolin can be ground and graded/classified to required fineness and purity, and then improve the quality and performance of ceramic products.
Qingdao Epic Powder Machinery Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer specializing in the production of powder processing equipment. The ball mill and air classifier from Qingdao Epic are suitable for deep-processing of kaolin.
The main products include:
– Mill: ball mill, pabrik rol, jet mill, air classifier mill, vibration mill and impact mill etc.
– Penggolong: four series of air classifiers: HTS, ITC, MBS and CTC.
– Modifier: pin-mill modifier, turbo-mill modifier and three-roller modifier etc.
– Auxiliary equipment: control cabinet, dust collector and bucket elevator etc.
– Customers can also customize equipment according to their needs, one customer one design.
If you have relevant needs or questions, please feel free to contact staff from Qingdao Epic directly, they are always at your service.
Below are photos from Qingdao Epic for your reference.
