Patent ID: 7537634

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a plugged honeycomb structure comprising the steps of: subjecting a ceramic forming raw material to extrusion forming to obtain a cylindrical unfired honeycomb structure having porous partition walls separating and forming a plurality of cells functioning as fluid passages, filling plugging slurry containing ceramic in one opening of each of predetermined cells of the unfired honeycomb structure or a fired honeycomb structure obtained by firing the unfired honeycomb structure and in the other opening of each of the remaining cells to obtain a plugged honeycomb structure precursor, and firing the plugged honeycomb structure precursor to obtain a plugged honeycomb structure; wherein a mask covering the opening of each of cells other than the predetermined cells is disposed on one end face of the unfired honeycomb structure or the fired honeycomb structure at least when the plugging slurry is filled in one opening of each of the predetermined cells of the unfired honeycomb structure or the fired honeycomb structure to obtain a masked honeycomb structure, a predetermined amount of the plugging slurry is applied on a face of an end face sealing member having a predetermined face size and limiting motion of the plugging slurry inside the predetermined cells by bringing the face into contact with the one end face of the masked honeycomb structure when the plugging slurry is filled in the opening of each of the predetermined cells, and the one end face of the masked honeycomb structure is pressed against the face to which the plugging slurry was applied of the end face sealing member to fill the plugging slurry in the predetermined cells on the one end face side, and at least the plugging slurry at a portion in contact with the face of the end face sealing member is dried in a state that the face of the end face sealing member is pressed against the one end face of the masked honeycomb structure to obtain the plugged honeycomb structure precursor.