How does the dry-press process form bricks and tiles?

The dry-press process is a method used to form bricks and tiles, particularly when utilizing clays with very low plasticity.1

In this process, only a minimum amount of water is added to the clay, resulting in a moist, powdered consistency. This material is then placed into steel molds and subjected to high mechanical pressure, reaching up to 1,500 pounds per square inch (10,000 kilopascals). By compressing the clay within these metal dies, the material is shaped into the desired unit.12

This method differs from other forming techniques, such as the stiff-mud process, which uses extrusion, or the soft-mud process, which relies on higher water content and wooden molds.1