Miami University Mechanical Engineering alumnus launches ceramics company
Chris Pratt ’13 founded Pratt Ceramics
Miami University Mechanical Engineering alumnus launches ceramics company
Chris Pratt ’13 founded Pratt Ceramics
Fans of coffee, mechanics, and pottery have flocked to Pratt Ceramics, a business founded by Miami University alumnus, Chris Pratt '13. Making products with a mechanical eye, Pratt works to combine both engineering and ceramics to create innovative pieces.
After beginning his business making and patenting a water-filtering dog bowl, he created a new, flourishing product: a double-walled insulated mug. With the specialized mechanics of this mug, the outer surface stays cool enough to be comfortably held with a hot drink, while the inside is left warm. This eliminates the need for a handle while still allowing the mug to be microwave and dishwasher safe.
Engineering something new
Creating plaster molds, programming in Fusion 360, and building a PrintNC CNC Router, a machine used to control manufacturing tools, Pratt applied his previous mechanical engineering and software experience to design his mugs from scratch. Pratt has openly shown this developmental process on his Instagram account, @prattceramics, and website, prattceramics.com. This has drawn out not only fans with a background in ceramics, but also fans of Pratt’s engineering.
His entire process creating the product stemmed from trial and error, beginning as an attempt to make the best version of a double-walled mug because he had never seen it done before.
“You're trying something over and over without knowing it's possible, but you kind of have to believe in it,” Pratt said.
Pratt's journey
Pratt’s journey with ceramics started at a young age, with high school ceramic classes and wood and metal shop. Throughout college he was able to gain more hands-on experience through the mechanical engineering degree he received at Miami University.
“I always liked the hands-on projects. I remember doing the Arduino projects at Miami,” he said, referencing a project that involved the creation of an electronic program. “I'm basically doing the exact same thing with the machines that I'm building. They're all controlled by the same Arduino, and it's just making a more complicated machine behind it.”
Having this educational background, along with experience working at Tectonic Industries, Wayne Dalton, and a design firm in Columbus, Ohio, Pratt learned the skills necessary to automate parts of the ceramics process.
“My mechanical background allows me to make things that other people can't or couldn't even think of making because they don't even know where to start,” he said, due to how mechanically advanced his mug is.
Pratt plans on continuing this production, scaling the manufacturing of his mugs and continuing to make different types of double-walled products. Through his ability to add an engineering perspective to ceramics, his business demonstrates the abundance of careers available for engineering students.