Wear in Industry: Advanced Ceramic Case Studies

Update: Originally posted in 2022, this blog was updated with new context on 27/03/2024.

Careful material selection is essential in sectors using heavy machinery or extreme processing temperatures. Advanced ceramic materials are instrumental in mitigating or diminishing wear in industrial environments. This blog will discuss a broad spectrum of wear mechanisms, highlighting how advanced ceramics outperform traditional ceramics in combating wear. Specific attention will be paid to the role of advanced ceramic materials in resisting abrasive wear, where hard particles remove material from the surface, and adhesive wear, characterized by strong adhesive forces between sliding surfaces. Additionally, we will address how these materials withstand corrosive wear, which involves chemical or electrochemical reactions at the surface.
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How Ceramic Welding Rollers Can Shorten Lead Times

Innovation is often the answer to process inefficiency. Manufacturers routinely look to develop new systems that address specific pain points in industrial manufacturing. Welding rollers, for example, unlocked greater levels of throughput and product quality in longitudinal seam welding and high-frequency electric resistance welding (HF-ERW). These relatively simple components allowed for accurate positioning and conveying of cylindrical workpieces throughout key processes. This enabled manufacturers to break new ground in operational efficiency. But conventional pipe rollers are not without issue.Continue reading

Robotic automotive assembly line

How Technical Ceramics Can Help Avoid Automated Assembly Downtime

Downtime in automated systems represents an immense challenge in today’s manufacturing world. In an era where efficiency and timely delivery are paramount, even slight halts in the production process can incur significant costs and delays. But what if there were advanced materials, specifically technical ceramics, poised to make a difference? As we venture deeper into the realms of advanced manufacturing processes, we’ll uncover how these ceramic materials can mitigate the daunting costs associated with downtime.Continue reading

Silicon nitride copper extrusion dies

How Does Microstructure Affect Ceramic Properties?

Understanding the relationship between microstructure and ceramic properties is essential for the development of high-performance, advanced ceramic materials. Ceramic materials, particularly silicon nitride ceramics, exhibit a variety of unique properties, such as high strength, thermal shock resistance, and oxidation resistance, making them ideal for demanding applications. However, these properties are highly dependent on the material’s microstructure, which is governed by parameters such as grain size, shape, and distribution.Continue reading

Syalon 050 alpha-beta Micrograph

What is Alpha-Sialon?

There are a plethora of applications worldwide that benefit from using technical ceramics because of their high strength, thermal stability, and other unique advanced properties, and industrial processing is no exception. Ceramics play an important role in cutting tools, high-temperature furnace components, and high-wear applications, as they can withstand harsh environments. One ceramic material with very interesting properties is alpha-sialon. Sialons were developed as a cost-effective alternative to silicon nitride and are more often found in three useable phases, one of them being alpha-sialon. This post will provide an overview of alpha-sialon’s structure, primary applications, and benefits.Continue reading

Syalon 101 - beta Micrograph

What is Beta-Sialon?

Sialons are at the forefront of technical ceramic capabilities and applications, partly due to their relative novelty. First formed in the 1980s, sialon ceramics are now a well-established innovation. Intensive research and development into formulation optimisation, better forming methods, and higher-performance applications has fostered an in-depth understanding of this complex family of materials. However, the excitement surrounding sialon materials is largely due to their versatility; there are three usable phases of sialon ceramics, each exhibiting advantageous properties.Continue reading