Abstract: A process of debinding a powder compact formed from a mixture of a sinterable powder and an organic binder utilizes a furnace for heating therein the powder compact at a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure in order to remove an excess amount of the organic binder. A control is made to vary the furnace pressure and/or a heating rate in accordance with a monitored parameter so as to effectively and successfully removed an excess amount of the organic binder which would cause an unacceptable defect in a finished product. The parameter is selected as indicative of a condition of the furnace or a cracked gas being generated by decomposition of the organic binder, and includes, for example, a furnace temperature, density, volume, or the other measurable characteristics of the cracked gas.

Abstract: A process of debinding a ceramic product utilizes a furnace for heating the ceramic product therein in the presence of a surrounding gas so as to remove an organic binder contained in the ceramic product. The ceramic product is continuously heated to an elevated temperature during which the organic binder is decomposed to generate a cracked gas. The process monitors the condition of the cracked gas and controls, depending upon the monitored condition, to vary a temperature gradient at which the ceramic product is heated and at the same time to vary an amount of the surrounding gas being supplied to the furnace in such a manner as to remove the organic binder successfully from within the ceramic product without leaving any unacceptable defect therein.

Abstract: A resin-impregnated sheet material is manufactured by passing a sheet material through a vacuum space of a reduced pressure sufficiently different from ambient atmospheric pressure for sufficiently deaerating the sheet material at the vacuum space, and impregnating the thus deaerated sheet material with a resin varnish while utilizing the pressure difference between the atmosphere and the vacuum space, the sufficiently deaerated sheet material being impregnated quickly and reliably with the resin varnish to provide the resin-impregnated sheet material of high quality.