Working notes on manufacturing feasibility, alternative techniques, and open questions.
Performance benchmarks, test procedures, standards, and reference documents (including the Terreal PDF) have moved to the Testing & Benchmarking page.
For Keramos's use case (ornamental terracotta tiles, silicone molds, ~0.5m² scale):
1.
Agar gelcasting remains the recommended approach — fast gelation, excellent green strength, proven at large scale, zero-waste reclaimRecommended
2.
Starch consolidation is the zero-cost fallback — trivially simple, good green strength, silicone-compatibleRecommended
3.
Freeze-drying added as Process #6 for completeness but best suited for porous/lightweight specialty productsSpecialty
4.
No non-toxic, non-flammable freeze-casting solvent exists that sublimes at atmospheric pressure. Water + freeze dryer is the safest scale-up path; camphene requires proper ventilation infrastructureTrade-off
5.
Methylcellulose worth exploring as an alternative gel system — inverse thermal behavior could simplify workflowWorth testing
6.
High-temp molds are not feasible — focus energy on green body strengthening insteadNot feasible