Outlining Diamond Grinding of Ceramics

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Advanced ceramics manufacturing comprises three essential stages: raw powder processing; forming; and sintering. This generally describes the process of consolidating a powder-based feedstock and firing the green body to achieve a fully-densified technical ceramic. Net shapes with comparatively loose dimensional tolerances (~1-3%) can typically be produced ‘as-sintered’; requiring no machining or finishing prior to quality assurance inspections. Components with tight tolerances cannot be produced ‘as-sintered’ and may require diamond grinding to ensure that the net shape is usable according to the design intent.Continue reading→

Syalon 101 Extrusion Dies for Copper, Brass, and Nimonic Alloys

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Extrusion describes the process where a metal such as copper or brass is forced through an extrusion die with a smaller cross-section. This deforms the material, causing a lengthening of its granular structure and forcing it to adopt a new cross-section uniformly across the entire manufactured workpiece. It is an extremely common metal forming process used to convert cylindrical billets into hollow tubes, or more complex profiles and sections.Continue reading→

Ceramic Materials in Defence Applications

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The 20th Century was an era of rapid innovation in ballistics technology, and subsequently in how conflicts were conducted. Military organisations worldwide opted to improve the manouverability of troops and vehicles without compromising the performance of protective equipment in response to high velocity impacts. This led to the gradual adoption of novel ceramic materials in defence applications.Continue reading→

Benefits of Silicon Nitride Milling Media

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Grinding of industrial intermediates and various analytical samples is carried out by applying continuous abrasive force to reduce the size of particles, or to blend heterogeneous materials together. This can be carried out with hydraulic and pneumatic systems, but one of the oldest methods of grinding involves the use of milling media to repeatedly impact material and cause particles to decompose through mechanical attrition.Continue reading→

Molten Aluminium Degassing using Sialon

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Aluminium (Al) and its alloys are susceptible to a unique form of chemical corrosion known as hydrogen-induced cracking, which is caused by gradual diffusion of hydrogen (H) molecules through the metal’s crystal lattice. This creates a localised flaw within the alloy that can significantly impair both its tensile strength and ductility, thus increasing the risk of surface fracture. While solid, the hydrogen solubility of aluminium is negligible. Molten aluminium, however, is an incredibly reactive substance that actively decomposes moisture to produce hydrogen (H).Continue reading→

The Story of Ceramics in the UK

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Ceramics are still widely associated with the elegant yet brittle shapes of traditional manufacturing, despite the astronomic strides that materials scientists and engineers have made over the last two and a half centuries. This is primarily due to the schism between commercial and technical ceramic materials. Retail ceramics retain a flair for aesthetics over functionality, which has roots in Romantic-era pottery and ancient porcelain. These products retain that traditional sense of style and continue to dominate the general public’s perception of what ceramics are capable of.Continue reading→

Advanced Engineering: Syalon 050 vs Tungsten Carbide Blast Nozzles

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A car engine block can weigh anything from 90 kilograms (kg) to over half a tonne without its associated parts, such as the power train or other directly connected components. The weight of the vehicle is one of the defining factors in its overall performance and efficiency, and reducing the weight profiles of integral components has been an ongoing challenge for advanced engineering of modern vehicles.Continue reading→