The drying and sintering processes require large quantities of energy. If this energy could be used more efficiently, less would be consumed. In this research, the effect of the microwave on the manufacturing process of ceramics where heat was needed was examined. We obtained the following results when oxide ceramics were dried and sintered by microwave technique: In drying process, slip cast bodies were dried rapidly by microwave drying and compared with those dried by conventional drying techniques. In sintering process, power consumption and efficiency were lower with the time-control method than with the power-control method. The power-control method gave more precise temperature control under our experimental conditions.

No abstract