Riedhammer GmbH secured orders from a leading manufacturer of green-energy products for a rotary calciner to produce the raw materials and a high-temperature batch kiln to sinter those materials into ceramic electrolytes. The equipment will be operational in the second quarter of 2011 and will be installed at an existing facility that is being repurposed to produce green-energy products. The batch kiln has an internal volume of 12 cubic meters (425 cubic feet) and fires to 1600°C (2900°F) using natural gas as a fuel. It includes the latest technologies for reduced emissions, energy recovery and high-volume production.

The rotary calciner, which is direct-fired using natural gas, can process more than 500 kg/hour (1,100 pounds/hour) of the raw material. The total value of the order is more than $5.3 million. Riedhammer, based in Nuremberg, Germany, has supplied hundreds of kilns for the manufacture of a diverse array of electronic ceramic components.