Brief Introduction to Machinable Ceramics

The ceramics are non-metallic, inorganic materials made up of either metallic or non-metal compounds. These are shaped and hardened by heating at very high temperature.

Traditional Ceramics

Traditionally, Ceramics are referred as objects, made of firing materials extracted from earth. China clay, Dolomite, Feldspar, Silica, and Calcite are the most common ceramic products. The most well known ceramic materials are glass, brick, porcelain, and cement.

Different types of Advanced Ceramic Materials?

Advanced ceramics are not usually clay-based materials, however, these are either oxides or non-oxides materials.

There are two general types of advanced ceramics:

1. Oxide Ceramic: Alumina (Al2O3) and Zirconia (ZrO2).

2. Non-oxides Ceramics: Boron carbide (B4C), silicon carbide (SiC) and molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2).

Production and Machining Ceramic involve blending & amalgamation of constituent material powders. Afterwards, these are shaped into green bodies to be fired at a temperature ranging between 1,600–1,800°C. This step is often carried out in an oxygen-free atmosphere.

The final step is called Sintering where the ceramic components are fused together to form a very hard and tough final product.

Application of Advanced Ceramics:

Advanced ceramic materials are well-known for various everyday applications. You will find ceramic material use from simple fridge magnets to increasing wide range of industrial application, such as electronics, automotive, personal protection and aerospace.

Advanced ceramics are also known as Bio-ceramics. Examples of advanced ceramic are alumina and Zirconia. These are very hard and chemically inert materials. They are used as dental implants and as bone substitutes in orthopedics operations such as hip and knee.