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.…

IPS Case Study: Korf Audio’s Unrivalled Ceramic Headshell

Posted by Tom Evans on 15-11-2021

IPS Ceramics and Korf Audio have worked together to make the HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell, a unique fully ceramic headshell for record players. [gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="5603,5604"] A high-end analogue audio set-up depends on having high-quality components which provide a sturdy platform, allowing for the accurate reproduction of a LP record’s tiny grooves without any distortion or loss. Take, for example, the headshell of a record player, the component that holds the pick-up cartridge and its stylus as it touches the…

IPS Ceramics are Proud to Support City Dogs Home

Posted by Tom Evans on 09-11-2021

IPS Ceramics have donated £100 to City Dogs Home, a charity dedicated to rehoming dogs-in-need throughout Staffordshire and the West Midlands. IPS fundraises for local charities through our weekly Dress Down Friday. All participating employees donate £1 a week which is collated and saved until we have a full £100; this money is then donated to a local charity and the saving starts again. This time, we donated to the City Dogs Home. The City Dogs Home was set up…

IPS Ceramics and the Red Street Condors: Looking Good!

Posted by Tom Evans on 04-11-2021

IPS Ceramics, sponsors of the Red Street Condors (a local under-13's football team), were presented with a framed copy of the team’s new shirt by team manager Nikki Rackham. [gallery columns="1" size="medium" ids="5537"] The Red Street Condors are a local under-13’s football team based in Chesterton, Staffordshire, who play in the North Staffs Junior Youth League. IPS’ sponsorship has allowed them to update the design of their kit and provide a full kit to all of their players. The kit,…

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…

Explaining Cordierite Kiln Furniture

Posted by Callum on 28-08-2021

The term “kiln furniture” describes a range of products used by many industries to support items during heat treatment processes. If you have a ceramic item that needs firing in a kiln or furnace, you will probably need kiln furniture to ensure it keeps its shape, doesn’t break during firing, and don’t stick to/damage your kiln. IPS offers an immensely popular range of kiln furniture products made from cordierite. What types of products are in the range, what do they…