How are Alumina Ceramics Made and Utilised?
07 March 2023
Manufacturers often produce parts and products out of dependable and durable materials. Without using the right materials, they might only end up getting item returns, which may hurt their respective businesses in terms of their revenues and reputation.
One material that they often pick to prevent the previously stated consequences is ceramic. Ceramics are hard, brittle, corrosion-resistant, and heat-resistant materials that can be modified freely based on one’s requirements. They can often be processed with heat by forming or densifying their properties to match the preferred qualities of the industries or users.
Many types of ceramics are available today to ensure that industries and users can obtain their exact needs. One prominent type of ceramic that many utilise is alumina ceramics.
Alumina Ceramics Properties
One of the most widely utilised advanced ceramic materials today is alumina ceramics. They are composed of bauxite, a naturally occurring ore comprised of oxygen and aluminium elements. The elements needed for these ceramics can be extracted with the help of the Bayer extraction process.
This process is done by mixing bauxite with caustic soda or sodium hydroxide and heating them under pressure. As the aluminium oxide dissolves, the solution will now be integrated with sodium aluminate. Other caustic insoluble impurities, alternatively, will remain in suspension before they are split by decantation and filtration.
Producing Alumina Ceramics
Different manufacturing processes can be used to process alumina ceramics. These processes are isostatic pressing, extraction, and injection moulding.
Injection moulding is by far the most suitable process for producing alumina ceramics as it can cater to the overall requirements of the industries. Some processes involved in injection moulding are tool designing and manufacturing, injection moulding, sintering/de-binding, and post-sintering. The finishing touches of alumina ceramics, alternatively, are done through laser machining, precision grinding, and others.
Alumina Ceramics Key Benefits
One key benefit of alumina ceramics that makes them one of the most utilised materials today is they are strong. Their hardness comes second after diamond, making them more durable and more robust compared to steel and stainless steel. Another benefit of these materials is they have excellent wear resistance. They are rated to be at least 266 times more wear-resistant to manganese steel and 171.5 times that of high chromium cast iron.
Alumina ceramics also have decent density, allowing them to reduce any load on various applications. They are even resistant to high temperatures. So, even if they are exposed to temperatures of 1,600°C, they will remain intact and solid. Alumina ceramics likewise have good electrical insulation performance, allowing them to withstand more than 8,000 voltages.
Alumina Ceramics Applications
Many products can be generated out of alumina ceramics. These products include artificial joints, bone spacers, teeth implants, seal rings, and pump components.
Of course, these products can only maximise the full benefits of alumina ceramics if they are made by reliable manufacturers. If you want to gain access to alumina ceramics products, you can contact us at Amon Engineering.
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