Ceramic materials divide into three categories(Chapter 7): (1) traditional ceramics, (2) new ceramics, and(3) glasses. The processing of glass involves solidification primarily and is covered in Chapter 12. In this chapter, we consider the particulate processing methods used for traditional and new ceramics. We also consider the processing of certain composite materials that are combinations of ceramics and/or metals. Traditional ceramics are made from minerals occurring in nature and include pottery, porcelain, bricks, and cement. New ceramics are made from synthetically produced raw materials and cover a wide spectrum of products such as cutting tools, artificial bones, nuclear fuels, and substrates for electronic circuits. The starting material for all of these items is powder. In the case of the traditional ceramics, the powders are usually mixed with water to temporarily bind the particles together and achieve the proper consistency or shaping. For new ceramics, other substances are used as binders during shaping After shaping the green parts are sintered This is often called firing in ceramics, but the function is the same as in powder metallurgy to effect a solid-state reaction that bonds the material into a hard, solid mass.