2. Manufacturing and sintering technology

2.1 What are ceramics?

The term "ceramic" does not refer to a particular chemical composition, but to an object that has been manufactured using a technology known as ceramic technology. This manufacturing process consists in shaping an object made of mineral powders, most often covalent materials, to the desired shape, then, by firing (or sintering) at high temperature, consolidating this object whose shape is retained. It enables either the characteristics inherent in the material itself to be achieved on a solid material of a given geometry, or the creation of properties that cannot be those of a homogeneous material. It also enables the production of composite objects, formed from several distinct materials