Manufacturing method for monolithic ceramic electronic component

A manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a mother block including a plurality of ceramic green sheets that are stacked on each other, and an internal electrode pattern arranged along each of a plurality of interfaces between the ceramic green sheets;
• cutting the mother block along a first cutting line and a second cutting line extending in mutually perpendicular or substantially perpendicular directions to obtain a plurality of green chips, the green chips each having a laminated structure including a plurality of ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrodes that are in a raw state, the internal electrodes being exposed on a cut side surface that is produced by cutting along the first cutting line;
• applying a ceramic paste to the cut side surface to form a raw ceramic protective layer and obtain a raw component body that is a component body in a raw state;
• and
• firing the raw component body;
• wherein
• the applying step includes the steps of:
• preparing an application plate that holds the ceramic paste;
• bringing the ceramic paste held by the application plate into contact with the cut side surface of each of the green chips;
• and
• transferring the ceramic paste to the cut side surface of each of the green chips by moving each of the green chips and the application plate relative to each other in a direction in which the cut side surface extends while separating each of the green chips from the application plate in a state in which the ceramic paste is connected to both of each of the green chips and the application plate;
• and
• the direction in which the cut side surface extends is different from a direction in which each of the green chips is separated from the application plate.