Investigating the ceramic processes by numerical approaches

The considerable increase in computers performance has led in recent decades to a growing diffusion of numerical modelling as a valuable tool to support the manufacturing industry. Among the industrial sectors that may take advantage of this methodology there is the ceramic one. In fact, the production of large format ceramic slabs have introduced new technological challenges in a sector already subject to complex productdevelopment procedures, often based on a trial and error approach. For this reason, numerical simulations have become an actual and attractive method to overcome practical limitations and give a deeper insight into each phase of the production process. In this paper, advanced application of numerical modelling applied to the ceramic industry are presented, with special consideration for the production of ceramic slabs. Advantages and limitations of the adopted numerical techniques are discussed.