Ceramics Technologist

Job overview
Ceramics technology covers the research, development and manufacturing of non-metallic, inorganic materials, as well as the industrial processes that convert raw materials into products with a higher economic value through physical, thermal and chemical changes.

What do people do in this job?
Ceramics technology covers:-

• The structural clay industry manufacturing bricks, roof and floor tiles, sewer-pipes etc.
• The refractories industry, an important strategic industry.
• The white ware industry that manufactures wall tiles, sanitary ware, tableware and technical porcelain.
• Oxide ceramics - one of the newer developments - in which components for electronics are made.
• Space research, where ceramics plays an important role.

Ceramics technologists are needed in all the fields listed above to do research, develop new products, act as production managers or technical advisors and develop new machinery to be used in the ceramics industry.
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In research and development they work with engineers and scientists to find new processing methods and develop them into practical schemes.

In design and construction they help with the building of new process plants and the modification of existing ones.

They use computers to calculate the quantities of raw material and energy needed to make the required amounts of final product, which in turn determines the capacity of equipment needed.

Those technologists responsible for process operation must ensure that all the temperatures, pressures and flows are correct and that plants are run as economically as possible.

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Prospective ceramics technologists must have an aptitude for making things work.

They must be interested in materials.

What qualifications are needed?
A BSc with majors in chemistry is a basic qualification, plus postgraduate studies in materials science.