The Precision
Behind the Powder.

In ceramic forming, a few microns of density variance can scrap a finished part after kiln firing. Here is what it takes to hold green density across millions of parts, and the I-PRESS HYDRO control system built specifically for that work.

Most ceramic operations accept scrap as part of the job. A density variance, a delamination, a part that fails after kiln firing. The cost spreads across material, labor, finished part rejects, and customer friction that rarely shows up on a single line item.

Sutherland and KC Presses build servo hydraulic systems engineered specifically for dry pressing and powder compaction. Every press ships standard with the I-PRESS HYDRO Control System, delivering up to 60 percent energy savings versus conventional hydraulics, pressure accuracy within plus or minus 0.5 percent, and storage for over 200 part recipes. Ceramic manufacturers running advanced ceramics, electronic substrates, insulators, and ferrites trust the platform because it was built for powder from the cylinder up, not adapted from a stamping application.

Three Things That Define Ceramic Forming Precision

Inside the I-PRESS HYDRO.

Every Sutherland and KC servo hydraulic ceramic press runs I-PRESS HYDRO controls with real-time monitoring integrated into the master control. Every stroke, every pressure profile, every cycle parameter flows to a unified data stream. Operators see what is happening on every press before a process drift becomes a scrap part.

From Recipe to Real Time.

Traditional press controls execute a recipe and hope the powder behaves. I-PRESS HYDRO measures what is actually happening on every stroke and adjusts. Multi-stage compaction profiles for advanced powders. Closed-loop pressure feedback for density consistency. Real-time tonnage monitoring flags abnormal load conditions before they reach the tool.

The result is a forming process that holds density within spec across long production runs, protects tooling life, and reduces scrap rates measurably. On a high-volume ceramic line, that difference shows up in yield, throughput, and finished-part cost.

Built in California. Trusted Worldwide.

Sutherland and KC Presses have engineered forming systems for advanced materials applications across North America, Turkey, Vietnam, Taiwan, and China. The current ceramic forming lineup is designed in California and built to exceed the density, repeatability, and throughput benchmarks ceramic producers actually need on the floor.

From electronic substrate production to armor ceramics, cutting tool inserts, and structural components, our servo hydraulic presses run in the most demanding ceramic operations in the industry. Manufacturers do not choose them because of a spec sheet. They choose them because the presses hold density, hit cycle, and run shift after shift without drifting out of spec.

If your operation is measuring scrap in percent rather than parts per million, or if you are running ceramic powder through a press that was never built for it, talk to our team.