RUSSELL FINIX

Like oxides and nitrides, Silicon Carbide (SiC) is a very hard-wearing material, again requiring diamond-grinding methods to process once fired. Although not exclusively, carbides are used mainly for applications in which physical wear is a major consideration. They are amongst the hardest materials available.

Dubbed ‘ceramic steel’ Zirconia (ZrO2) ceramic materials offer a combination of high hardness, wear and corrosion resistance while still maintaining one of the highest figures for fracture toughness amongst ceramic materials. CeramaZirc Ultra Tough is an advanced zirconia-based ceramic composite material based on partially stabilised zirconia and alumina platelets and is the latest and toughest composite to be introduced by Precision Ceramics.

Silicon Nitride (Si3N4), just like its close family relation silicon carbide, is one of the toughest technical ceramics available. Over the years it has been successfully used in a wide and interesting field of applications ranging from automotive engine components to roller bearings for the most exclusive skateboards (right).

Precision Ceramics has introduced a new and exciting range of advanced ceramic tubes and insulators ideally suitable for thermocouple protection in high temperature measurement applications. The alumina-based tubes are used throughout many industries to aid monitoring the stability and performance of production processes especially those within hostile and aggressive chemical environments at temperatures up to 1,700°C. They are manufactured to DIN V ENV 12212 and are very strong, organically inert and well proven in a wide field of applications.