Technical Ceramics

Ceramic Materials

In an age where technology places ever-increasing demands on ceramic materials, traditional materials—such as many metals and plastics—are reaching their limits. The properties of engineering ceramics are increasingly coming into focus when applications require the highest standards. The chemical resistance, temperature resistance, and many other properties of technical ceramics make certain applications possible in the first place or ensure a longer service life in others. In such cases, any initially higher procurement costs are typically recouped many times over through extended service life (Total Cost of Ownership).

Due to its excellent tribological properties, zirconia is particularly well-suited for use in applications involving rolling motion, such as linear guides or rolling bearings. This material is characterized by high fracture toughness, thermal expansion similar to that of steel, exceptional flexural strength, and excellent wear and corrosion resistance, combined with low thermal conductivity. Zirconia is also particularly suitable as a material for plain bearings.

We prefer to use silicon nitride as rolling elements. It has been used in rolling bearings for decades and has proven its worth in this context. Its extremely high mechanical strength, as well as its excellent thermal, corrosion, and abrasion resistance, make it ideal for use in a wide range of high-load applications.

Alumina is the best-known and most widely used ceramic material. It is characterized by high strength and hardness, thermal stability, and corrosion resistance, as well as high wear resistance in plain bearing applications. We do not recommend this material for rolling motion applications, such as linear guides and roller bearings, because it has unfavorable tribological properties.