Blog
An Early History of IPS Ceramics USA
Posted by Tom Evans on 24-11-2021
The modern history of the UK ceramic industry is rarely told outside of Staffordshire and is mostly comprised of anecdotes from people who were there. One of these people is Bob Kelly, the man who set up the first US branch of a UK kiln furniture manufacturer, a branch which would eventually become IPS Ceramics USA. Sitting down with him at the IPS office, we asked him how he set the branch up and what it was like to run.…
Five Tips for Assembling Your Kiln Car Structure
Posted by Tom Evans on 30-09-2021
The centrepiece of any kiln firing setup is your kiln car – the strong combination of kiln furniture pieces which securely holds your ware as it gets fired. Depending on the complexity of your setup or the amount of ware you have to fire, assembling your kiln car can feel like a logic puzzle and maintaining it can be hard work. To help, we’ve collated our top five tips to ensure your kiln car gets assembled correctly and remains dependable…
What are Alumina Tubes Used For?
Posted by Callum on 11-08-2021
Alumina Tubes, as their name implies, are tubes made out of alumina. They are used for a wide range of industrial applications due to their diverse properties. What are these properties, which industries use them, and how are they used? Let’s find out: What is Alumina? The term ‘Alumina’ is just a short way of saying ‘Aluminium Oxide’. Making up around 15% of the chemical composition of the Earth’s crust, Aluminium Oxide is a very common material that can be…
The Art of the Office: Redesigning the IPS Conference Room
Posted by Tom Evans on 27-07-2021
Covid has moved people away from face-to-face meetings and towards the conference call. As such, we have decided that our conference room needs jazzing up with a new feature wall. It is a fine art, redesigning an office or conference room. You have to strike the right balance between professionalism and approachability, but we think we have done just that. Here is the story of how IPS Ceramics performed the perfect office redesign. Origins of the Idea IPS offers conference…
IPS Ceramics Awarded ISO 9001 Re-Certification
Posted by Tom Evans on 20-07-2021
After a recent audit by Lucideon CICS Ltd, IPS Ceramics have passed re-certification against the ISO 9001 standard. ISO 9001 is a recognised national and international quality standard which guarantees a certified company's ability to meet or exceed their customer expectations. 2020 was a challenging year in which to maintain our business processes, yet IPS Ceramics passed their recent audit with flying colours. [gallery columns="2" link="none" size="medium" ids="5352,5353"] Brian Wycherley (our Technical Manager, pictured above) said that “this external validation…
Furnace Equipment for the Efficient Creation of EV Batteries
Posted by Callum on 07-04-2021
The race is on to reduce the price of electric vehicles (EVs). In November 2020, the UK Government announced its plans to accelerate a greener transport future through a two-step phase-out of petrol and diesel cars to be enacted by 2035. Joe Biden’s presidency – still only a few months old – has also announced a range of green policies including the replacement of the 645K federal vehicle fleet with electric cars and an increased level of funding for green…