Ceramic plates, like other clay ceramics, are produced from soft clay by shaping it and then heating it intensely.
The fundamental process for creating clay ceramics, including items like plates, involves two key stages, based on information about how clay ceramics are made:
- Shaping the Clay: Initially, soft clay from the ground is shaped. This is the stage where skilled artisans or machines mold the pliable clay into the desired form of a plate, whether it's a simple flat shape or has more complex edges and details.
- Heating (Firing): After shaping, the formed clay object is heated in a furnace. This heating process, often called firing, subjects the clay to high temperatures. The intense heat causes chemical and physical changes within the clay structure.
Heating is crucial because it means that the soft clay will harden into a clay ceramic. This transformation turns the fragile, shaped clay into a rigid, durable ceramic material suitable for use as a plate.
In summary, the production of a ceramic plate from clay follows the core principle of taking soft, malleable clay, forming it into the desired shape, and then firing it in a furnace to achieve a hard, stable ceramic state.
