Three methods of making ceramic reproductions are used in a manufacturing environment: slip casting, jiggering/jollying and hydraulic pressing. Some contract facilities specialize in all methods of manufacturing ceramic ware, while some just slip cast, hydraulic press or jigger. Some facilities use only one clay body, and others have several.
Most open forms without returns or undercuts can be made on the jigger/jolly machine or hydraulic press. Forms that are undercut or have multiple returns and changes in surface orientation are usually made by slip casting. A form made by the jigger/jolly must be symmetrical, while forms made by hydraulic pressing or slip casting does not have to be symmetrical. All three methods of manufacturing produce ware with uniform wall thickness, and all three require tooling.
