The World of High Tech Ceramics

Areas of application and markets for technical ceramics

As diverse as the advantages of advanced ceramic materials are, so are the applications of technical ceramics in Medical  Technology | Automotive, Mobility & E-Mobility | Electrical Engineering & Electronic Applications | Environmental Technology & Power Engineering | Mechanical & Plant Engineering

CeramTec ceramic materials

Advanced ceramic materials make applications possible today that were virtually inconceivable just yesterday. Due to their unique material properties, technical ceramics are considered to be one of the most efficient materials of our time.

Advanced ceramic materials make applications possible today that were virtually inconceivable just yesterday. Due to their unique material properties, technical ceramics are considered to be one of the most efficient materials of our time.

Advanced ceramics provide the basis for CeramTec products. This material is also referred to as technical ceramics, engineering ceramics or industrial ceramics. These terms cover many different and in part highly-specialized ceramic materials with unique mechanical, electrical, thermal and biochemical properties and property combinations.

These specific characteristics can be further developed, optimized and matched for use in technical applications. It is also possible to combine different properties. Materials like these can be used to design advanced components that perform the required tasks with optimum precision and can be light years ahead of competing materials such as metal or plastic in the respective field of application. Components made from ceramic materials are increasingly the only solution available for technical challenges that cannot be overcome with conventional materials.

Technical ceramics from CeramTec can be divided into four major groups of ceramic materials: Silicate ceramics, oxide ceramics, non-oxide ceramics and piezo-ceramics. Silicate ceramics are the oldest type of ceramic materials for technical applications and are made primarily from natural raw materials in conjunction with alumina (aluminum oxide, aluminum silicate). The oxide ceramics group contains materials that consist primarily of metal oxides such as aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum titanate or dispersion ceramics. Non-oxide ceramics represent a materials group comprised of ceramic materials based on carbon, nitrogen and silicon compounds such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride and aluminum nitride. Piezo-ceramics (also known as functional ceramics) represent a group of materials used to convert mechanical parameters into electrical parameters or, conversely, to convert electrical signals into mechanical movement or vibration.

These diverse properties make it possible to use technical ceramics in a variety of applications in the automotive industry, electronics, medical technology, energy and environment and in general equipment and mechanical engineering. CeramTec’s current product portfolio comprises well over 10,000 different products, components and parts, and a broad spectrum of advanced ceramic materials along with CeramTec’s own proprietary developments based on this fascinating material.