Projeto e construção de molde poroso em epóxi para colagem sob pressão de peças cerâmicas

Abstract

The ceramic industry represents a large portion of the production in Brazil but has been losing space as more and more ceramic tableware products are imported from other countries. Therefore, the sector notices the need to reinvent itself. The reason is mainly because the Brazilian production still relies heavily on the traditional process of conventional slip casting, which has been long surpassed by the productivity and automation offered by the pressure slip casting process. As an alternative to the big amount of plaster molds required to the conventional process, a porous epoxy resin mold has been projected and constructed for the pressure slip casting method. The developed mold was then tested in a prototype pressure slip casting machine with the intent to analyze the results provided by the applied concepts. These include the use of a new porous epoxy composition in junction with a multileveled mold built with the aid of a methodology to form internal canals for the flow of water. The final prototype still needs improvements but has shown promising characteristics. The idea was to provide a national alternative to the pressure slip casting mold manufacturing method with a focus on tableware products and micro or small producers.