Porcelain  Manufacturers, Traders, Suppliers

Porcelain is a fine ceramic product made from a mixture of kaolin (porcelain clay), feldspar and quartz in varying amounts and usually in two firing processes.Until the 15th century, Italians believed that the shells of the cowrie snail called "porcellana" would be used to produce porcelain objects. When Marco Polo first discovered objects for a table made of the above-mentioned mixture of materials during his travels in China, this name was given when Marco Polo brought back a porcelain service from his trip to China. Because the three main components can be mixed differently, there are almost infinitely many recipes for making porcelain objects. A general distinction is made between hard porcelain and soft porcelain. Soft porcelain is produced using a low proportion of kaolin and at relatively low firing temperatures. If the material composition consists of a high proportion of kaolin, hard porcelain is produced at slightly higher firing temperatures. For example, dental porcelain for the manufacture of dental crowns contains about 80% of kaolin, because the material has to withstand a great deal here.In Europe, porcelain was first produced in the first half of the 18th century. The trademark of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory is the first registered trademark in Europe. Today, modern industrial production makes it possible to produce objects in one firing process.