· #20260922
Fire-shrinkage compensation calculator and lot history tracker
Who it's for
I need to know exactly how much to oversize the green part so the fired alumina insulator lands in tolerance the first time.
The idea
A browser tool where the shop enters the target fired dimension, body (alumina 96%, zirconia YTZP, SiC, castable grade), forming method and press density, and gets a green die/mold dimension using the shop's own logged shrinkage factors. Every fired lot's measured shrinkage is recorded so the factor self-corrects by body and kiln, and warpage flags appear when sagger position or ramp correlate with out-of-flat parts. Delivered as web SaaS with CSV export to the shop's CAD or traveler.
At a glance
- Customer
- Process engineer or owner of a 10-60 person technical ceramics shop pressing or casting custom parts
- Shape
- vertical micro-SaaS, subscription
- Solves
- Shrinkage and warpage control from green part to fired dimension
- First customers
- SEO articles on 'alumina firing shrinkage percentage' and 'zirconia sintering shrinkage calculator', a free single-shot calculator as lead magnet, posts in the ACerS and Ceramic Industry LinkedIn groups, and a sponsored slot in the Ceramic Industry newsletter.
- Why one person
- Pure software with no support beyond email; a thousand shops add compute cost, not hours.
- Domain
- firedfit.com unregistered as of Sep 22, 2026
The customer
These shops press, cast and fire ceramic parts that have to survive extreme heat or electrical stress, such as furnace linings, crucibles, insulators and kiln furniture, then grind them to tight dimensions. They are typically run by an owner-engineer or plant manager with a handful of skilled operators, selling made-to-order parts to foundries, furnace builders, glass plants and electronics firms.
Technical Ceramics & Refractory Shapes Manufacturer, also called Advanced Ceramic Insulator Producer, Refractory Crucible Fabricator, Precast Refractory Shape Maker. Here is what they spend on and what goes wrong for them, which is where this idea came from.
What they spend on
- High-temperature kilns and sintering furnaces with element service
- Isostatic or dry pressing equipment and press tooling
- Alumina, zirconia, silicon carbide and castable refractory suppliers
- Ball mills, spray dryers and powder handling equipment
- Green machining and diamond grinding equipment
- Vibration casting tables and precast shape molds
- Dielectric strength, thermal shock and density test instruments
- Silica and ceramic dust control with respirator program
- Custom crating for fragile high-value shapes
What goes wrong for them
- Shrinkage and warpage control from green part to fired dimension
- Diamond grinding cost to hit final tolerances
- Furnace energy cost and long sintering cycles
- Respirable crystalline silica exposure compliance
- Small order quantities against expensive press tooling
Industry: Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing (NAICS 327120).