Advanced Ceramics

Technology / Expertise

ATI has extensive experience of advanced ceramics not only in manufacturing, but also in the finish machining process. We are able to finish to the precise tolerances of advanced ceramic components. Our machining experience is in each type of advanced ceramic material currently available in the market, such as high purity alumina, yttria stabilized zirconia, silicon carbide, steatite, cordierite, mullite ceramics, etc. Our Advanced Ceramic Machining Site has surface grinders, ID grinder, OD grinder, machining center, and various lapping and polishing machines. We provide the precision tolerances needed, upon customer’s request.

Our manufacturing processes are dry pressing, extrusion, injection molding, iso-static pressing system, ceramic metallization and glazing, high temperature sintering, grinding and lapping. We have the finest equipment, enabling us to produce high quality ceramic products at competitive prices. We offer our engineering abilities to help you with your design and material selection for your custom application.

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Dry Pressing

Dry pressing is generally used for high volume production at low unit cost. Fully automated presses (ranging from 10 to 250 ton capacity) used in conjunction with tungsten carbide tooling and controlled firings, ensure the highest quality and uniformity. Pressings can be produced in a variety of shapes and sizes, based on customer’s requirements.

Injection molding

Complex components manufactured with conventional and laborious production methods often consist of several parts. Using CIM/MIM technology, geometrically sophisticated components are made in a single molding step. The dimensionally accurate production of small-sized components and fine structures, such as undercuts, cross-drilling, gear-profiles and internal/external threads, is the unbeatable advantage of powder injection molding.

Isostatic Pressing

This process is used if the product size, shape or batch size of components makes dry pressing impracticable or uneconomical. We have a wide range of isostatic mandrels available, offering customers’ economic manufacturing of standard tubular forms.

Machining Before Firing

Parts formed by isostatic and die pressing can be readily machined in the green (unfired) prior to firing. Machining operations (includes sawing, conventional CNC milling machines, etc) are used to carry out complex finishing operations using diamond tools. Other forms of manufacturing include slip casting & extrusion.

Post Firing Processes

Grinding, lapping, polishing & honing are carried out using diamond abrasives. These techniques are used to obtain tight control of dimensions and surface finishes.

Metallization/ Plating (DBC, DCM & DPC)

We produce ceramic components that are metallized to suit customer requirements. ATI have process capabilities for Direct Bond Copper, Direct Coating Metal and Direct Plating Copper. Various options are available including Tungsten, Moly-Manganese + Silver, Cu+Ni+Pd+Au, etc. Upon customer’s request, our qualified material scientists are able to offer advice regarding the metallizing of customer’s product.

Sintering

In ceramics sintering (firing), Tunnel kilns and Periodic kilns are commonly used. In periodic kilns, heating and cooling sintering stages are conducted according to a prescribed procedure. In tunnel kilns, the sintered parts are conveyed through different temperature zones. Typical tunnel kiln has three zones:

Preheat zone for removing lubricant and other organic materials
Sintering zone where the diffusion occurs
Cooling zone where the sintered parts cool down.

Our sintering process may be conducted in different atmospheres: air, inert atmosphere. Sintering occurs simultaneously with pressing in the hot pressing processes (hot die pressing, hot isostatic pressing).

Advanced Ceramics