Ceramic Wear Rings

UNIPRETEC manufactures & machines industrial ceramic parts and components for the aerospace, industrial, laser, and semiconductor industries. Materials include aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, zirconia, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, sapphire, cordierite, mullite and others.
 

Aluminum ceramics are the most widely used ceramics because they offer superior wear and corrosion resistance. Additionally, the raw materials are plentiful, so the powders are low-cost. Compared to other ceramics, aluminum oxide is the lowest cost with one of the highest hardness properties. Aluminum is gas-tight with no open porosity. It is diamond ground to achieve polished surface finishes. Common applications include:

- Sand Blast Nozzles

- Mechanical Seals

- Mud Pump Liners

- Microwave Components

- Grinding Media

- Textile and wire guides

- Oil and Gas choke beans

- Electrical Insulators
 

Zirconium Oxide (Zirconia) is the toughest ceramic commercially available. We actually have a hammer made out of this ceramic. This high-strength material exhibits excellent wear and corrosion properties. The material can also be HIP'd for added strength and edge retention. Zirconia exhibits a very low coefficient of friction and is available in MgO or Yttria stabilized grades. Common applications include:

- Ceramic razor blades

- Catalyst Extrusion Dies

- Sucker Rod Balls and Seats

- Wear Bushings

- Valve Trim

- Orifice plates

- Guide Rollers and sleeves in metal

- Computer drive components
 

Sintered Alpha silicon carbide is one of the hardest, most corrosion resistant ceramics commercially available. With no free silicon, this material resists even the strongest acids. Silicon carbide also exhibits excellent thermal conductivity making it a good material for mechanical seals. SIC offers exceptional hardness, heat resistance and thermal shock resistance. Applications:

- Mechanical Seals

- Bushings

- Heat Exchanger tubes

- Spray Nozzles

- Faucet Washers

- Automatic water pump seals

- Valve Trim
 

Silicon nitride offers one of the best combinations of toughness and hardness of commercially available ceramics. In addition, its low thermal expansion coefficient offers superb thermal shock resistant compared with most other ceramics. Complex geometries can be made with sintered material. The material also exhibits low density, high temperature strength, excellent wear resistance and good facture toughness. Common applications include:

- Diesel engine glow plugs

- Rocker arm pad

- Ceramic ball bearings

- Check Valves for Oil Well Applications

- Resistance Welding Fixtures

- Sand blasting nozzles

- MWD wear parts in Oil Well Drilling

- Poppet valves

- Guide rollers for steel rods and cable

- Molten Aluminum Nozzles and trim

- Valve Trim
 

Boron Nitride is a high temperature, lubricious ceramic. It offers excellent electrical resistance, chemical stability and wet ability. Common applications include:

- Electric insulators in PVD and CVD Vacuum Coating chambers

- Break Rings for Horizontal Steel Casting

- Evaporator Boats for Aluminum metallization

- Components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment

- Neutron absorbers

- Boron dopant for Silicon wafer

- Electronic component assembling jigs

- Spacers for glass melts and nonferrous

- Feedthroughs for high voltage equipment

- Nozzles for nonferroud metals

- Crucibles for crystal growth

- Diffusion source wafers