At ceramitec 2015, which will be held October 20-23 in Munich, Germany, material solutions in the field of technical ceramics will be presented under the umbrella of “Ceramic Applications” in around 400 sq m of space. Companies such as Rauschert, FCT Ingenieurkeramik, Lapp Insulators Alumina, DoCeram, Fraunhofer IKTS+HTL, Innovnano, 3DCeram and Formatec have already signed up to take part. They are joined by suppliers of process technology.

Technical ceramics is the most complex field in the ceramics sector, both in terms of the technical processes involved and the materials used (e.g., oxides, carbides, nitrides and compounds). The raw materials used range from micron to submicron and nano sizes, which has to be taken into account in all the stages of the technical processes. In many formulations, purity is of the utmost importance. This often has to be secured through low-contamination manufacturing processes and clean-room technology. The properties of ceramic components are influenced by these factors and can therefore be controlled and optimized in a targeted way with regard to the specific applications for which the components are used.

Improved material properties and new materials keep emerging through applied research and practically oriented development work. One example is transparent ceramics, a new development that went into industrial production within the last two years. This type of ceramics is extremely resistant to mechanical and chemical attack, and it has high strength and good visual qualities.

Technical ceramics can be the right answer in ceramic process technology, where high-temperature performance or resistance to abrasion and corrosion is a factor. It also serves in many other applications, such as medicine, electronics, energy, automotive, aerospace and many more. In each case, it is able to deliver custom solutions where components are subjected to exceptional stresses.

With the advent of additive manufacturing technologies in ceramics, further design options are opening up regarding the complexity of components. Initially, there were only additive manufacturing processes for small components of oxide ceramics. Now, however, large components in silicon carbide are also being produced. Much development work still needs to be done in order to offer an even wider spectrum of materials. But reliable solutions suitable for industrial applications are already available on the market for certain materials and applications.

Additive manufacturing is one of the processing options in this area. It offers entirely new levels of freedom in terms of component design and can be implemented without the need for expensive tools for shaping. The exhibitors at ceramitec 2015 will also be showcasing their innovations in this area.

For more information, visit www.ceramitec.de/en.