Refractory Ceramics

Refractory ceramics are extremely heat-resistant engineered materials designed to withstand extreme temperatures required by manufacturing and other industrial processes. Refractory ceramics include technical ceramics, thermal ceramics, high temperature ceramics (HTCs), and ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs), the latter of which can withstand temperatures in excess of 2000 °C. Beyond temperature resistance, refractory ceramic materials have numerous other assets such as excellent resistance to oxidation and corrosion, high thermal conductivity and mechanical strength, low thermal expansion, and outstanding abrasion resistance. Applications for refractory ceramics include crystal growth of semiconductors, metallurgy and steel production, glass manufacturing, solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), nuclear reactors, aerospace and automobile components, protective ceramic coatings, and industrial tooling.

American Elements offers a comprehensive catalog of refractory ceramic products from raw and ready-to-form powders to semi-finished and finished components such as plates, discs, rings, bars, rods, tubes, crucibles, vibratable and pumpable castables, crushable forms, metalized components, and customized shapes and parts. Materials are produced at our state-of-the-art facilities using injection and low-pressure injection molding, dry pressing, isostatic pressing, extrusion, slip casting, and sintering. Processing and machining capabilities include polishing, grinding, drilling, and precision milling via ball mills, bead mills, vertical spray dryers and horizontal spray dryers. Total process control allows us to manufacture materials in different temperature grades from 560 °C to 1800 °C and customize grain size, dimensional tolerance, porosity, and surface roughness with the highest dimensional accuracy of 0.0005 mm and surface roughness up to a mirror-polished effect.

American Elements materials engineers have extensive experience tailoring materials to customer needs and can provide guidance on materials selection, optimal processing techniques, and end-use applications.

• Alumina and single crystal sapphire products
• Silica and quartz forms
• Stabilized zirconia forms
such as YSZ and CSZ
• Borides, Nitrides, and Carbides
• Silicates and Aluminosilicates such as Mullite
• Composite materials like Tungsten Carbide/Cobalt and Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs)
• Piezoelectric ceramics such as Lead Zirconate Titanate and Lead Magnesium Niobate/Lead Titanate (PMN-PT)
• High density ceramic foams

Below is a sampling of our refractory ceramics catalog. For more information on American Elements' refractory ceramics or to request a quote, email ceramics@americanelements.com or customerservice@americanelements.com for more general inquiries.