Reducing the drying time of ceramic production is something that many manufacturers aim. However, it is not easy as it requires optimizing the drying parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, and air movement. It involves many variables, but we can tell you some effective tips to acheive your objectives.
As we mentioned, to reduce the amount of time needed to dry a piece, the optimum thing to do would be to revise the specifics of your dryer and to test the best conditions specifically for your clay and production process. However, this takes a lot of testing and this is time consuming and costly.
Something else you could do would be to modify the ceramic body mix with the inclusion of non-plastics in order to open up the body to allow moisture to migrate to the surface. Clay formulation is key in the process and it can be a way of optimising your manufacturing. We have previously talked about how to improve your clay mix and you can read all about it in this interesting blog post.
Another way to reduce drying time is to decrease the amount of water used in the forming process. Find what is the exact amount you would need during your forming process and try not to exceed it. We have more information on manufacturing with less water involved here.
Using clay conditioners such as biopolymers can allow for less water to be used in the forming process and thereby reduce the amount of time required to remove the moisture. We have written about the benefits of using clay conditioners before and we have also written a blog post specifically about clay conditioners to optimise drying that we think you will like.
So there are several methods you can use to reduce drying times, but it is important to know well your manufacturing process and all of the possibilities you have in your hands. We have a team of technical experts that will be happy to help. So, if you have any specific question for us, click below and we will get in touch with you.
