Several steps in the fabrication process of ceramic materials are discussed and the importance to understand the effects of processing variables on the evolution of microstructural parameters is emphasized. Basic processes are treated like powder preparation, powder treatments (milling and mixing), forming into a green shape and sintering. Basic phenomena are e.g.: particle size, interaction between particles, nucleation/crystallization, solid state reactions and transport phenomena in solid state systems.

The objective in materials process engineering is to find relations between (desired) materials properties and relevant microstructural parameters on one side and to understand which process parameter changes a certain microstructural parameter on the other hand.

The basic processes and phenomena, as indicated above, will be treated in lecture notes and tutorials. An important aspect of the course is the in-depth treatment by the student of a specific part of a ceramic fabrication process. This project will be presented by means of a literature and a presentation essay.