Industrial Minerals


Filling the void

September 2011


Insulation aggregates have a multitude of applications, notably as infill in the ceramics industry. Paul Hipkiss discusses the market for the foamed clay aggregate, Ultralite, and why consumers are moving towards ceramic-based grades

Keywords: insulation, aggregate, clay, ceramics, refractories

 

Filling the void: clay aggregate Ultralite is used primarily as a refractory infill for kiln cars used in the ceramics industry
Ceramic Gas Products Ltd

Ultraliteª is a specialist foamed clay aggregate product that was formulated by ceramic experts in the UK and which has been manufactured in its various forms for a number of years at the Stoke-on-Trent, UK factory operated by Ceramic Gas Products (CGP), part of the Mantec Group’s Technical Ceramics Division.

The lightweight refractory aggregate, which combines high quality raw materials and a bespoke manufacturing process (unique in the ceramic field), is designed to be a modern substitute for more traditional insulation materials across a number of quite distinct applications.

The special refractory formulation that is used to produce Ultralite has given it an edge over, for instance, micaceous and siliceous minerals, and it offers a suite of benefits, such as:

Use of ceramic...