# US 8,782,921 B2 · Methods of making a honeycomb structure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,782,921 B2 - Document ID: US8782921B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/535,748 - Filed: 2012-06-28 - Published: 2014-01-02 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2012-06-28 - Assignees: Corning Incorporated - Applicants: Jesus Humberto Armenta-Pitsakis; Valerie Jean Clark; James Anthony Feldman; Jacob George; Amit Halder; Brett Alan Terwilliger - Inventors: Jesus Humberto Armenta-Pitsakis; Valerie Jean Clark; James Anthony Feldman; Jacob George; Amit Halder; Brett Alan Terwilliger - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8782921B2 ## CPC - F26B 3/347: Electromagnetic heating, e.g. induction heating or heating using microwave energy - F26B 2210/02: Ceramic articles or ceramic semi-finished articles - F26B: DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM (drying devices for combines A01D41/133; racks for drying fruit or vegetables A01F25/12; drying foodstuffs A23; drying hair A45D20/00; body-drying implements A47K10/00; drying household articles A47L; drying gases or vapours B01D; chemical or physical processes for dewatering or like separating liquids from solids B01D43/00; centrifugal apparatus B04; drying ceramics C04B33/30; drying yarns or fabrics in association with some other form of treatment D06C; drying frames for laundry without heating or positive air circulation, domestic laundry-or spin-driers, wringing or hot pressing laundry D06F; furnaces, kilns, ovens F27) ## Abstract A method of making a honeycomb structure comprises the step of providing a honeycomb body including a first end face and a second end face, wherein the honeycomb body includes a ceramic and/or a ceramic-forming material. The method further includes the step of providing a first non-metallic extension and a second non-metallic extension along a longitudinal axis of the honeycomb body. The first non-metallic extension is positioned with respect to the first end face and the second non-metallic extension is positioned with respect to the second end face. The method further includes the step of exposing the honeycomb body and the non-metallic extensions to microwaves to dry the honeycomb body. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of making a honeycomb structure comprising steps of: providing a honeycomb body including a first end face and a second end face, wherein the honeycomb body includes a ceramic and/or a ceramic-forming material; providing a first non-metallic extension and a second non-metallic extension along a longitudinal axis of the honeycomb body, wherein the first non-metallic extension is positioned with respect to the first end face and the second non-metallic extension is positioned with respect to the second end face; and exposing the honeycomb body and the non-metallic extensions to microwaves to dry the honeycomb body. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first non-metallic extension and the second non-metallic extension is spaced apart a distance from a respective one of the first end face and the second end face of the honeycomb body. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the distance is less than a quarter of the wavelength of the microwaves in air. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the distance is less than one-tenth of the wavelength of the microwaves in air. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first non-metallic extension includes a first outer periphery defining a first area facing the first end face and the second non-metallic extension includes a second outer periphery defining a second area facing the second end face, and wherein at least one of the first area and the second area is at least as large as an area of a respective one of the first end face and the second end face of the honeycomb body. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first non-metallic extension includes a first thickness and the second non-metallic extension includes a second thickness, wherein each of the first thickness and the second thickness is more than one-tenth of the wavelength of the microwaves in air. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the non-metallic extensions include a ceramic and/or a ceramic-forming material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the step of exposing the honeycomb body and the non-metallic extensions to microwaves further dries the non-metallic extensions. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the honeycomb body contains less than about 30% graphite. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the honeycomb body contains less than about 10% graphite. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the honeycomb body includes a cell wall thickness of less than about 500 μm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the cell wall thickness is less than about 250 μm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the cell wall thickness is about 100 μm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the microwaves have a frequency of about 300 MHz to about 300 GHz. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of firing the dried honeycomb body into a honeycomb ceramic structure. ### Claim 16 A method of making a honeycomb structure comprising the steps of: providing a honeycomb body including a first end face and a second end face, the honeycomb body comprising a material having a first effective dielectric constant ∈h expressed with a first real part R1 and a first imaginary part I1; providing a first extension and a second extension along a longitudinal axis of the honeycomb body, wherein the first extension is positioned with respect to the first end face and the second extension is positioned with respect to the second end face, wherein the first and second extensions each include a second dielectric constant ∈e expressed with a second real part R2 and a second imaginary part I2; and exposing the honeycomb body and the extensions to microwaves to dry the honeycomb body, wherein a real ratio R is defined as R1 divided by R2 prior to the step of drying, an imaginary ratio I is defined as I1 divided by I2 prior to the step of drying, and 3.7≦R1≦30.2, 0.15≦I1≦3.6, 0.16≦R≦6 and 0.1≦I≦10000. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the extensions include a ceramic and/or a ceramic-forming material. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the step of exposing the honeycomb body and the extensions to microwaves further dries the extensions. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the extensions each include a casing in which powder having the second dielectric constant ∈e is placed. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of firing the dried honeycomb body into a honeycomb ceramic structure. ### Claim 21 A method of making a honeycomb structure comprising the steps of: providing honeycomb body including a first end portion including a first end face and a second end portion including a second end face, wherein the honeycomb body includes a ceramic and/or ceramic-forming material having a material composition configured such that, when the honeycomb body is heated in an isolated manner through exposure to microwaves, drying efficiency is below a predetermined value at the first end portion and the second end portion of the honeycomb body; providing a first extension and a second extension along a longitudinal axis of the honeycomb body, wherein the first extension is positioned with respect to the first end face and the second extension is positioned with respect to the second end face; and exposing the honeycomb body and the extensions to microwaves to dry the honeycomb body, wherein drying efficiency that is below the predetermined value is confined to the first extension and the second extension.