Novel generation of kiln furniture

The main requirement on kiln furniture is the save support or transport of ceramic products during the thermal processing. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems the principle of manufacturing of a novel generation of kiln furniture with advanced properties is investigated. The combination of different shaping technologies (tape casting, winding, extrusion) allow the manufacturing of kiln furniture with a low density and low heat capacity but also with a high stiffness and a good thermal shock behavior. Planar green tapes are laminated with a supporting structure, which has macroscopic cavities allowing passage of air or gas and which reduce the density of the structure. The paper presents the manufacturing and the advantages of the new kiln furniture. The simulation of different geometries for the supporting structure allows the maximization of the ratio between strength and mass of the kiln furniture. A creeping test with a load of 4 N at 1400 °C shows no significant deformation of the structure.