Ceramic Industry articles from June 2006

Ceramic Industry archives from June 2006

Ceramics & structural materials.(Density Solutions)(usage of Pycnometer to measure density)
June 1, 2006... True (skeletal) density is best determined by automatic gas expansion pycnometers; there are no solubility issues, solvent disposal problems, or density limitations as might be encountered with liquid pycnometers and/or flotation (buoyancy)...

Technically speaking.(INSIDE CI)(use of ceramics in alternative energy applications)
June 1, 2006... Many people equate the word "technical" with "boring." Not so in our industry. Technical ceramics and glasses are exciting, rapidly growing industry segments. From traditional and alternative energy sources to fibers and coatings to liquid...

International calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2006... JUNE 15-17 International Tile & Stone Show, RIOCENTRO Convention Center, Rio de Janeiro, www.itssexpos.com 18-21 PowderMet2006: 2006 International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials, San Diego, Calif., (609)...

CoorsTek adds [B.sub.4]C armor manufacturing capabilities.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... CoorsTek, Inc. has successfully scaled up production of its new boron carbide ([B.sub.4]C) ceramics for body armor applications. CoorsTek invested millions of dollars of capital in the manufacturing process over the past 18 months, including...

Ametek forms Materials Analysis Division.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... AMETEK Inc. recently announced the formation of its new Materials Analysis Division, which brings together the recently acquired SPECTRO Analytical Instruments Division and EDAX, formerly a business unit of AMETEK's Process & Analytical...

Ceradyne receives $8.8 million order for ceramic body armor.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Ceradyne, Inc. has received a sole-source contract, not to exceed $8.8 million, from the U.S. Special Operations Command for next-generation ceramic body armor components. These new components, developed by Ceradyne's research and development...

Cookson group complete sale of Ceramic Fiber business to Morgan Crucible.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Cookson Group plc has completed the sale of its Ceramic Fibers operations in Tennessee and Poland to The Morgan Crucible Co. plc for a cash consideration of $21 million (12 million [pounds sterling]). Additionally, Cookson's 50% shareholding in...

Breakthrough Technologies Institute releases report on States' Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Activity.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Breakthrough Technologies Institute (BTI), the parent organization of Fuel Cells 2000, has released State Activities that Promote Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Infrastructure Development, a comprehensive state-by-state analysis of activities that...

Sacmi equips Apadana Ceram plant.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Sacmi Group has played a key role in Apadana Ceram's new plant in Gazvin, Iran, as the principle supplier of cutting-edge solutions, technology and machines. Sacmi supplied eight MTC108 continuous classifying mills, seven spray driers and...

Thermal Ceramics acquires Vesuvius fiber insulation business.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
June 1, 2006... Thermal Ceramics has purchased the Vesuvius fiber insulation business located in Erwin, Tenn. The site manufactures a wide range of ceramic fiber and alkaline-earth-silicate composition materials, including CER-WOOL[R] bulks, blankets and...

AMR becomes Neo Material Technologies.(CERAMICS IN THE News)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... AMR Technologies Inc. recently announced that, after receiving the necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals, it has filed articles of amendment to change its name to Neo Material Technologies Inc. On April 28, the company's common shares...

NanoDynamics receives fuel cell patent.(CERAMICS IN THE News)
June 1, 2006... NanoDynamics[TM] Inc. has been granted a U.S. patent on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) structures. U.S. patent number 6,998,187, "Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Novel Internal Geometry," describes ways of manufacturing compact durable SOFCs with...

Exploring the petroleum frontier: exploration associated with ultradeep petroleum wells and deepwater fields is providing a number of exciting and high-value markets for ceramics.
June 1, 2006... As existing supplies of oil and gas are depleted, the petroleum industry is forced to explore in ever deeper and more challenging environments. Certain characteristics of ceramics, including their light weight, heat tolerance, and resistance to...

Polysilazane precursors: polysilazane offer a convenient route for preparing a variety of ceramic materials.
June 1, 2006... Polysilazanes are polymers consisting of silicon, nitrogen, hydrogen and, in the case of organopolysilazanes, carbon. Such polymers can be considered either inorganic (perhydropolysilazanes) or organic (organopolysilazanes or...

Opportunities in advanced glasses: demand for advanced glasses is expected to grew as new applications come on the market.
June 1, 2006... Advanced glasses and glass ceramics are used in a variety of high-tech and specialty applications. Compared to traditional glasses, these specialty glasses contain specific additions or are entirely different compositions, often based on novel...

Diamond wheel grinding 101: understanding and controlling the grinding parameters are essential prerequisites to machining advanced ceramics.(SPECIAL SECTION: MACHINING/FINISHING)
June 1, 2006... Most engineers and designers who work with advanced ceramic components know that producing a prototype or small lot production part usually requires some significant grinding to achieve the final shape. As the part is proven out in its intended...

Controlling bacteria in abrasive suspensions: a bacterial infestation can be difficult to eliminate, and the cost of cleaning and/or replacing hundreds of feet of tubing per machine can be monumental. A preventative strategy is always the best approach.
June 1, 2006... Many industrial finishing operations require the use of submicron abrasives in a suspension. In some cases, miles of tubing and pumps are used to deliver exact amounts of slurried suspensions to multiple production lines for applications such...

Monitoring flammability: the most reliable means of preventing a fire or explosion is to measure the amount of flammable vapors continously in a process and limit them to a safe level.(SPECIAL REPORT: THERMAL ANALYSIS)
June 1, 2006... Industrial fires and explosions happen more frequently than most people think. Solvents, chemicals and other sources of flammable vapors and gases are present in many manufacturing, production and curing processes, and they act as the fuel in...

Pressing with controlled combustion: a new high-pressure, combustion-driven compaction process is creating high-density ceramic parts with improved properties for applications in defense, energy and other commercial markets.(SPECIAL REPORT: CERAMIC DEFENSE)
June 1, 2006... Forming high-density ceramic parts has traditionally presented a number of challenges. Conventional powder pressing methods often include quite large pieces of equipment and have many moving mechanical parts and/or complex hydraulics that make...

Fused silica.(NEW Products)
June 1, 2006... Washington Mills This company offers fused silica grains and powders for use in investment casting and refractories, as well as many other applications. Produced to ISO-9002 specifications, the material is available in a range of standard...

Thermal analyzers.(NEW Products)
June 1, 2006... SETARAM Instrumentation The new SENSYS thermal analyzer offers improved performance over its predecessors while being more robust, easier to use, and fully compliant with current safety standards. Among its features, SENSYS includes an...

Optics cleaners.(product introduction of cleaning agents)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Technotrade International, Inc. Deconex[R] OP series optics cleaning agents are offered in 16 concentrated aqueous formulations for organic, mineral, bifocal and flat glasses, prisms, and other precision optics. Developed for removing...

SiC sintering systems.(silicon carbide product introduction)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... TevTech, LLC This company has delivered two horizontal silicon carbide (SiC) sintering systems--one with a 6-cubic-foot hot zone and the other with a 100-cubic-foot hot zone. The sintering systems incorporate a binder management system...

UV inks.(product information of printing inks)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... RUCO USA The 935-UV ink series for screen printing glass and ceramic is designed to eliminate the need for costly gas lehrs and batch ovens when curing glass and ceramic substrates. Offering in excess of 500 dishwasher cycles, superior...

Zirconia.(product introduction of zirconias)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Refractron Technologies Corp. ZrTRON[TM] proprietary transformation toughened zirconias (TTZs) are designed for use in dental restorations. Compositions include magnesia-partially stabilized zirconia (Mg-PSZ), HIPed yttria-tetragonal...