Patent ID: 7517490

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a ceramic green body comprising the steps of: molding a ceramic slurry in a mold to form a solid green body, the ceramic slurry containing a ceramic powder and a solvent, the solvent containing a dispersion medium comprising an organic compound selected from the group consisting of esters, polyhydric alcohols, polybasic acid, polybasic acid esters and esters of polyhydric alcohol, a catalyst for a gelation reaction, and a gelling agent comprising an organic compound comprising at least one of an isocyanate group and an isothiocyanate group; and releasing the solid green body from the mold, wherein the step of releasing the solid green body from the mold includes heating the solid green body in the mold so that the solvent of the ceramic slurry that is still contained within the solid green body moves toward an exterior portion of the solid green body, and subsequently the solid green body is released from the mold.