Advanced Ceramic Materials

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are industrial ceramics?

  Industrial ceramics are manufactured according to a variety of technical specifications that are required for specific industrial applications. Their thermal stability, wear-resistance and resistance to corrosion of ceramic components are tightly controlled, making them the ideal choice for many industrial engineers.

• What are the types of advanced ceramics?

  Known for delivering peak performance, advanced ceramics such as alumina, steatite, and zirconia are used to make industrial products for different industries and applications.

  Let’s look at a few types of industrial ceramics and their properties:

  Alumina Ceramics

  Alumina is one of the most widely used advanced ceramics, and is made from aluminum oxide. Alumina’s high ionic interatomic bond makes it chemically very stable, thereby making it a good electrical insulator. Further it is extremely resistant to wear and corrosion and has a high mechanical strength. Due to all these qualities, alumina ceramics are used to manufacture ceramic components used in a wide range of applications, such as electronics, semiconductor components, pump components, electrical insulators, and automotive sensors.

  Alumina ceramics can be manufactured through several different types of processes, including isotactic pressing, injection molding, or extrusion. Finishing can be accomplished by precision grinding and lapping, laser machining, or a variety of other processes.

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  Magnesium Aluminum Silicate Ceramics

  Magnesium aluminum silicates are a type of advanced silicate ceramic that are a popular choice for many applications, because silicates have unique properties and characteristics. Allowing for advanced engineering capabilities, magnesium aluminum silicates are often used for insulators for electrical components.

  There are two types of magnesium aluminum silicates that Elan Technology offers — steatite and cordierite.

  Steatite

  Steatite ceramic is a magnesium silicate material used in insulators/enclosures for electrical components, and in HVAC, appliance, aerospace, and automotive applications. Steatite offers excellent dielectric strength, low dissipation factor, and high mechanical strength. Further, due to its excellent insulating properties, steatite ceramic is used in thermostats and many other electrical household products.

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  Cordierite

  Cordierite has a very high thermal shock resistance and thus is widely used in high temperature industrial applications such as heat exchangers for gas turbines.

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  Zirconia Ceramics

  Made from zirconium oxide, this advanced ceramic has excellent strength and a high resistance to corrosion, wear, and abrasion. Since it has a high tolerance to degradation, zirconia is the material of choice in the manufacturing of bearings and grinding media. Further, due to its high resistance to developing cracks, commonly referred to as “fracture toughness,” zirconia is commonly used in structured ceramics, automotive oxygen sensors, and dental ceramics. Zirconia ceramics are also commonly used in applications such as valves, bearings, and filters.

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• What are technical ceramics made of?

  Technical ceramics are made to withstand conditions that degrade other materials such as metals, plastics, and polymers. These types of ceramics are composed of ceramic materials that can be divided into four groups — silicate ceramics, oxide ceramics, non-oxide ceramics, and piezo-ceramics — each of which have their own set of specific characteristics. Given their exceptional ceramic material properties, technical ceramics can help extend a product’s lifespan, lower maintenance costs, and improve long-term performance.

• How are industrial ceramics manufactured?

  The manufacturing process for industrial ceramics typically involves a number of stages that seeks to fabricate them into non-metal components. The process starts with milling when a manufacturer modifies industrial ceramic materials into a small, fixed shape, and is followed by additional stages that batch, mix, and prepare the material for fabrication. After slip casting, pressing, or molding, the new industrial ceramic will be dried and sintered into shape using a chemical process. Finally, the ceramic is finished via different forms of polishing and glazing.

• What are the properties of advanced ceramics?

  Advanced ceramics come in many varieties, and as such can vary greatly in physical and mechanical properties. Technical ceramics typically are characterized by specific levels of temperature resistance, mechanical strength, electrical insulation, dielectric constant, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and more. Design engineers will typically select a ceramic material based on the specific application a ceramic material is being used for and the qualities that are required for that particular application or environment. Ceramics may also be chosen in lieu of another component material that has shown failure or degradation in an existing application.

  View our material properties overview page to learn more about the physical and mechanical properties of Elan’s ceramic materials.

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• What industries or markets utilize advanced ceramics?

  Advanced ceramics are used in a wide variety of manufacturing industries and market segments, including automotive, medical, electronics, military, fuel resources, aerospace, and telecommunication.

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To view Elan Technology’s Ceramic Materials full technical details, click here.