Low density, high strength and high hardness are characteristics shared with many other ceramics. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
LSP Industrial Ceramics, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC | 609-397-8330, 609-397-8341As a manufacturer and stocking distributor of industrial and technical ceramics, LSP carries the most diversified inventory of ceramic tubes, spacers, bushings, etc. in the industry.
C-Mac International, LLC
Pittsburgh, PA | 412-406-7171C-Mac International, LLC is a custom ceramics supplier. We provide advanced ceramic component parts manufacturing for a variety of industries and provide solutions to many ceramic needs.
Insaco Inc.
Quakertown, PA | 215-536-3500Insaco provides custom grinding and machining services to fabricate precision parts from sapphire, quartz, and most technical ceramics including alumina, zirconia, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, and others.
Applied Ceramics
Fremont, CA | 510-249-9700Years of experience have created unique specializations and expertise of our engineering and product consultation team. Applied Ceramics has a proven track record in creating the highest quality products for semiconductor processing equipment, automotive ceramics, cutting tools and many other industrial ceramics. We’ve machined products for industries such as aerospace/aviation, medical, nuclear, and more, but can produce products from high-end materials for all relevant enterprises.
Du-Co Ceramics Company
Saxonburg, PA | 724-352-1511Du-Co Ceramics is a worldwide source for technical, precision ceramics since 1949, using extrusion, dry pressing and secondary machining processes. Standard products include thermocouple ceramic tubes, ball and socket beads, steatite washers, cup and shoulder bushings, ribbed and grooved bushings. Materials used are Steatite, Cordierite, Mullite, Alumina, Forsterite and MgO.
PremaTech Advanced Ceramics
Worcester, MA | 508-791-9549PremaTech Advanced Ceramics fabricates basic and complex components made of technical ceramics and other ultra-hard materials. For over 30 years, PremaTech has been an industry leader in ceramic machining and polishing, with special expertise in silicon carbide. We have in-house engineering and are ISO 9001 certified. Let us develop a solution for your most challenging application.
Silicon Carbide - C-Mac International, LLCSilicon carbide offers low thermal expansion, high thermal conductivity, strong thermal shock resistance and elevated chemical intertness as it is not attacked by acids, alkalis or molten salts. A modern ceramic material, silicon carbide is classified as an advanced, technical, or engineering ceramic due to its superior attributes. Silicon carbide components are common to industrial environments as they are particularly well suited to the high stress needs of these settings.
Electrical conduction, semiconductors, automotive, structural and abrasion industries are just a few of the many sectors in which silicon carbide is utilized. Grinding machines, brake discs, seals, bearings and heat exchangers are all commonly made of this material, maximizing its heat resistance and conductivity. Silicon carbide grit can also be used to create ground glass for use in photographic equipment and in the creation of decorative glassware.
Although natural occurrence of silicon carbide is rare, several processes allow for large production of man-made replicas of this substance. The Ascheson furnace and Lely are commonly used methods. The Ascheon technique involves heating silica, carbon and other additives that increase porosity to maximum temperatures and then gradually lowering them. The Lely process sublimates the particles in an argon atmosphere by heating them in a fashion similar to the Ascheson furnace. Chemical vapor deposition is sometimes used to produce cubic silicon carbide, though it is a very expensive option.
Thermal decomposition of polymethylsilyne also yields pure silicon carbide when it occurs in an inert atmosphere with low temperatures. This process has the added advantage of pre-forming the polymer before it is transformed into a ceramic. When silicon carbide is formed, no matter the process, the color of the crystals helps to determine the purity of a given sample. Colorless, pale yellow and green crystals are the purest. Brown, blue or black crystals indicate some degree of contamination and are less pure.
Common imputiries include nitrogen, aluminum and iron, all of which affect the electrical conductivity of the final product. The crystals or grains produced by any of these methods are then bonded together by manufacturing techniques such as sintering, firing, hot pressing, hipping, extrusion, fusing, slip or pressure casting, injection molding and deposition.