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Concept
Slip casting
Summary
Slip casting, or slipcasting, is a ceramic forming technique, and is widely used for shapes that can not easily be formed by other techniques. The technique involves a clay body slip, usually prepared in a blunger, being poured into plaster moulds and allowed to form a layer, the cast, on the internal walls of the mould.
It is suited for the consistent and precise shaping of complex shapes. It is the standard shaping technique for sanitaryware, such as toilets and basins, and is commonly used for smaller pieces like figurines and teapots.
The technique was first developed in China during the Tang dynasty (618–917), but was relatively little used in China until recent times. It seems to have been reinvented independently in England around 1745 "reputedly by Ralph Daniels of Corbridge", and before long was widely used by European porcelain manufacturers, and then becoming the main forming technique for sanitaryware by the end of the century.
Solid casting is used to produce solid articles, such as cup handles; for this the mould frequently includes a reservoir of excess slip. Hollow casting is used to produce articles such as teapots.
The properties of a casting slip depends on multiple factors, including:
The properties of each raw material in the slip.
The solids content of the slip.
The clay:non-plastic ratio in the slip.
The chemicals in the slip, either deliberately added or introduced from the raw materials and water.
The type and amount of deflocculant.
The ambient conditions, especially temperature and humidity.
The amount of energy involved in mixing the raw materials to prepare the slip.
Additionally, factors affecting the rate of formation of the cast piece include:
The viscosity and thixotropy of the slip, which are invariably modified immediately before casting.
Properties of the mould material, such as permeability.
Moisture content of the mould.
The casting slip is poured into a porous mould. Due to capillary pressure from the mould, a semi-solid particulate layer is formed on the mould through deposition of the solids in the slip.
Official source
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