Innovacera offer some of the world’s largest alumina ceramic components for Industrial,LCD and Semiconductor manufacturing equipment, helping manufacturers achieve greater precision for today’s applications.
Alumina Ceramic Properties
High hardness
Wear resistant
Elextrical insulation
Chemical resistant
Tight tolerance
Temperature resistant
Food compatibility
Oxide ceramic materials we offer: 92%, 96%, 99.3% Alumina and Zirconia.
the-largest-alumina-ceramic-components
Specimen holders made from silicon nitride ceramics
CeramTec is producing ceramic components for Astrium GmbH’s experimental unit, which will be integrated in the International Space Station (ISS) in July 2014. The sophisticated, complex silicon nitride components are required for specimen holders. This equipment will be used to analyze material science experiments under zero-gravity conditions in space. The parts will be used in the “Materials Science Lab – Electromagnetic Levitator” (MSL-EML) experimental unit, which will be integrated in the European science lab, called Columbus, on the ISS in July 2014.
Materials Science Lab Trial at Astrium
The unit can perform precision measurements that are not yet possible on earth in a temperature range from +400°C to +2,000°C for specific thermophysical properties of chemically aggressive molten metals. This enables scientists to analyze the early phases of development of a material’s microstructure. The objective of these types of studies is to deepen our understanding of transfer processes, atomic structures and material properties, which in turn will allow manufacturers to refine, improve and re-invent their production methods, materials and products.
A variety of cylindrical and cage specimen holders made of silicon nitride are used here. The specimen holders enter a coil that contains metal alloy specimens that remain suspended by electromagnetic fields without any contact whatsoever with their surroundings. The specimens are melted, cooled in their liquid state and then re-solidified for the experiments.
The electrical conductivity of materials used for the specimen holders must not interfere with the coil’s electromagnetic fields. Moreover, the specimen holders must exhibit extreme resistance to heat. The advanced silicon nitride ceramics used here offer all of the material properties required to meet these specifications. All of the ceramic parts on the specimen holders are manufactured by Baden-Württemburg-based CeramTec.
The MSL-EML is an experimental unit developed by Astrium by order of ESA (European Space Agency) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It is used by groups of scientists from Europe, North America and Japan. It is the only unit of its kind in the world and has already been used in three Spacelab missions in cooperation with NASA. Astrium GmbH is a company of Airbus Space and Defense Group, the leading aerospace company in Europe.
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) defines a ceramic as “an article having a glazed or unglazed body of crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or of glass, which body is produced from essentially inorganic, non-metallic substances and either is formed from a molten mass which solidifies on cooling, or is formed and simultaneously or subsequently matured by the action of the heat.”
The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos), meaning inorganic, non-metallic materials formed by the action of heat. Until the middle of the last century the most commonly known ceramics were traditional clays, bricks, tiles, cements and glass. Many ceramic materials are hard, porous and brittle. The study and development of advanced ceramics over recent decades has involved ways to alleviate problems that rise from these characteristics. Morgan Technical Ceramics has played an important role in this development and today has a portfolio of Oxide, Nitride and Carbide ceramics which, using applications engineering, promotes their key properties enabling these materials to be used in a broad range of applications involving:
High Temperature Environments
Extreme Cold (Cryogenic) Environments
Highly Corrosive Environments
High Pressure Environments
High Vacuum Environments
High Frequency Applications
Hermetic sealing Applications
Advanced Ceramic raw materials as below
Alumina (Al2O3)
Aluminium Nitride (AlN)
Aluminium Silicate
Boron Carbide (B4C)
Boron Nitride (BN)
CVD Silicon Carbide
Fused Silica
Machineable Glass Ceramic
Magnesium Oxide (MgO)
Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN)
Silicon Carbide (SiC)
Silicon Nitride (Si3N4)
Steatite
Zirconia (TZP)
Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA)
Advanced technical ceramics are generally produced on a relatively small scale. Expensive raw materials are used but these are compensated for with the resultant improved properties and consistency.
The important processing of advanced ceramic components are produced by sintering (firing) compacted ceramic powder(raw material) forming. The form components are usually referred to as ‘green-state’ and numerous powder-forming processes have been developed including dry pressing,hot pressing,isostatic pressing(CIP and HIP),injection,slip casting and extrusion. However, the powder consists of solid, hard, brittle particulates, so it is difficult to consolidate in a die by pressure alone. A binder is usually added to enhance the flow properties of the powder, leading to higher density in the final component. The binders used vary according to the process to be used and the desired properties of the final product.
Once the ceramic powders have been compacted to produce the green-state component, they are approximately 50-70% dense. They are also relatively weak, but with care can be machined to quite complex geometries. To impart strength, the green state components are usually sintered.
Initial heating (up to 250°C) volatilises any organic processing additives (binders) and decomposable constituents. As the temperature increases to the firing temperature, consolidation, or sintering of the ceramic powders (solid state sintering) begins and is usually accompanied by shrinkage. This shrinkage must be accounted (designed) for when machining in the green-state.
Sintering can be assisted (decreasing temperature or time requirements) by the deliberate addition of additives which will react to produce lower melting point secondary phases (liquid phase sintering). These secondary phases can be envisaged as ‘glueing’ the ceramic particles together. This is the case for ceramics such as alumina. Sometimes, sintering aids are added to enhance diffusion (which aids sintering), this is the case when additions of boron or aluminium are added to hot pressed silicon carbide.
A general flow diagram for ceramic processing is shown as the linked.
CoorsTek & Ceramatec Develop Silicon Carbide Joints for Thermo-Mechanically Stable Assemblies
All-new proprietary material and process exceeds performance of traditional brazes, adhesives, and bolt-together joining assemblies and rivals the strength of monolithic components
ASPE Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, October 22, 2012–CoorsTek, Inc., a large technical ceramics manufacturer, and Ceramatec, Inc. a technical ceramics research and development company and subsidiary of CoorsTek, today introduced a new silicon carbide joining technology for improved strength and thermal stability for assemblies of ceramic components – this technology enables solutions when monolithic ceramic are impossible to produce because of size or complexity.
This new joining technology enables the manufacture of multi-component ceramic arrays into reliable, high-strength systems. Testing has shown these joints retain strength and hermeticity even when exposed to high temperatures, thermal cycling, and various chemical environments. Metrology, precision optics, focal plane arrays, and wafer handling industries are among the current applications.
“Some designs are simply too large, complex, or expensive to produce a monolithic silicon carbide component,” states Merrill Wilson, Senior Engineer at Ceramatec, Inc.“This new joining technology essentially overcomes this barrier and enables manufacturing of critical-duty components,” he continues.
The 9th China(Jingdezhen)International Ceramic Fair on 18th-22th Oct,2012,
The principal exhibitions of the Fair include:
1, Daily-use Ceramics
2, Creative Ceramics
3, Overseas Ceramics
4, Advanced Ceramics
5, Ceramic Packaging
6, Tea-sets & Tea-ceremonies
7, Art Ceramics
8, Contemporary International Ceramic Exhibition
9, Exhibition of Finest Ceramics from Ten Famous Kiln Sites
Some interesting products show as below;
Alumina Ceramic Pen
Alumina Ceramic Bend Tube
Alumina Ceramic Faucet with applique glaze
Alumina Ceramic Tube and Ring
Other Advanced Ceramic Components
Advanced Ceramic Components for daily-used
Ultra-thin Transparent Ceramic Lighting
Zirconia Ceramic Components
Zirconia Ceramic Roller