Renewable energy sources apply, in addition to higher energy efficiency, as the most important pillar of sustainable energy policy and the introduced energy transition. They include hydropower, wind power, solar radiation, geothermal and renewable resources.
Fuel Cells
We have many years of experience in the production of customer-specific components from high-performance ceramics. Components of the alumina quality A-997 has already been successfully used as electrical insulators (stack plates) in fuel cells for several years. They ensure uniform pressure transmission to the stack and are responsible for the gas tightness of the system. The material also withstands the requirements at temperatures of 1,800°C in a pure hydrogen atmosphere. The final shape of the 2,000 bar isostatically pressed green bodies is done using CAD-CAM and 5-axis machining according to your individual requirements. Abrasive post-processing also enables the tightest fits and tolerances.
Chemical industry
Applications in the chemical industry and in the field of process engineering usually require a good temperature resistance in addition with a correspondingly high corrosion resistance sometimes partially combined with good thermal shock resistance. Additionally in some applications the demand for abrasion resistance exists especially if solid particles are present in a fluid media, which can cause significant wear using metal or plastic valve seats and plugs. The typical materials of technical ceramics used in these scopes of application are pure Al2O3, ZrO2 and Si3N4.
Electrical Technology
Due to the high electrical resistance, the oxide ceramic materials are predominantly predestined as insulators for use in electrical engineering. The high temperature properties associated with its excellent resistance to a wide variety of chemical agents (eg, acids, bases, alcohols, etc.) opens with the high mechanical strength of the advanced ceramics a wide range of applications in practice. Through a selective choice of certain ceramic materials also the thermal conductivity could be affected within certain limits, depending on specific demands: a high heat flow for cooling (by a good heat conducting material) or a thermally insulating effect. By in-situ sintering of platinum wires or the metallization of the surface by means of silver-platinum pastes also electrically conductive structures are producible, as they are state of the art in the field of sensor components application.
Research and development
In the area of research and development in particular, small quantities or prototypes often play a major role. Thanks to the production chain implemented at XDL Ceramic, starting with the cold isostatically pressed blanks (green bodies) and the subsequent CNC green machining technology, it is possible to produce small quantities economically in a relatively short period of time without significant tooling costs. With the help of CAD/CAM technology, identical components can also be manufactured cost-effectively from different ceramic material qualities – the different sintering shrinkages of the individual materials can be adapted and modified directly on the 3D body (IGES or STEP file) by computer. Subsequent requests for changes to the component can also be processed directly in the CAD file – cost-intensive tool modification is not necessary in this case.
High temperature technology
Temperatures above 1.000 °C are difficult to endure for most metals for a long period. Here engineering ceramics play the important rule to withstand operating temperatures of 1.750 °C and more without any problems. A further advantage of the ceramic materials is the (ultra) high vacuum resistance even at the highest operating temperatures. In addition, high-performance ceramics show an excellent dimensional stability, a softening and/or material flow does not occur. Besides the shape stability of oxide ceramics they are also characterized by a high chemical resistance with a corresponding good oxidation resistance, making them ideal for use as crucibles in the field of high performance analytical devices.
Aerospace
The high demands of this industry request for reliable advanced ceramics in extreme environmental conditions. Here the precise production sequence at XDL company plays an important role and the cold-isostatic processing of high-quality ceramic powder is a key function in the processing chain. With the use of special inserts or cores during cold-isostatic pressing, it is also possible to implement complex internal structures without a green machining. These special components are often required only in the number of one unit and sometimes only for safety aspects (may be destroyed during installation) or reason of production time ordered by the number of 2 pieces. This is prototyping directly to the application. Through the support by CAD-CAM and 3D models, complex individual pieces can be finished, the untested must use most.
Mechanical and Plant Engineering
The engineering sector has different requirements for ceramic components. In addition to high mechanical strength, wear resistance, thermal and electrical insulation and thermal conductivity come into play. If required, simple components such as flanges, bolts and washers are manufactured and realized in technical ceramics. In other application areas a particular bearing problem has to be solved as a result of high temperatures, lack of lubrication or corrosive environments where standard bearings would fail immediately. The requirements are often very complex and the solutions varied, therefore, the approach should be closely examined and discussed. A drawing as basis for discussion helps to support you in implementing your problem in ceramic questions! Here, XDL is not simply a ceramic manufacturer, but also a source of ideas and consultants − with our customers we try to get the most benefit regarding functionality and economic gain. A one-to-one implementation of existing components in most cases made of metal or polymer materials is not purposeful or succeeds only uneconomical.
Medical Technology
Components for Medical Engineering place very high demands on the technical ceramics. In this case only excellent materials, optically perfect appearance and high reliable components are accepted. In addition, it is important to distinguish components for disposition (implants) or short-term use in body cavities (endoscopic components). Due to the spatial separation in the production, contamination of the materials can be avoided to 100%. The most common material is ZrO2, but also a ZTA material on the basis of a high purity Al2O3 + ZrO2 nano-scale batch.
