UNIPRETEC manufactures & machines industrial ceramic parts and components for the aerospace, industrial, laser, and semiconductor industries. Materials include aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, zirconia, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, sapphire, cordierite, mullite and others.

Aluminum ceramics are the most widely used ceramics because they offer superior wear and corrosion resistance. Additionally, the raw materials are plentiful, so the powders are low-cost. Compared to other ceramics, aluminum oxide is the lowest cost with one of the highest hardness properties. Aluminum is gas-tight with no open porosity. It is diamond ground to achieve polished surface finishes. Common applications include:
- Sand Blast Nozzles
- Mechanical Seals
- Mud Pump Liners
- Microwave Components
- Grinding Media
- Textile and wire guides
- Oil and Gas choke beans
- Electrical Insulators

Zirconium Oxide (Zirconia) is the toughest ceramic commercially available. We actually have a hammer made out of this ceramic. This high-strength material exhibits excellent wear and corrosion properties. The material can also be HIP'd for added strength and edge retention. Zirconia exhibits a very low coefficient of friction and is available in MgO or Yttria stabilized grades. Common applications include:
- Ceramic razor blades
- Catalyst Extrusion Dies
- Sucker Rod Balls and Seats
- Wear Bushings
- Valve Trim
- Orifice plates
- Guide Rollers and sleeves in metal
- Computer drive components

Sintered Alpha silicon carbide is one of the hardest, most corrosion resistant ceramics commercially available. With no free silicon, this material resists even the strongest acids. Silicon carbide also exhibits excellent thermal conductivity making it a good material for mechanical seals. SIC offers exceptional hardness, heat resistance and thermal shock resistance. Applications:
- Mechanical Seals
- Bushings
- Heat Exchanger tubes
- Spray Nozzles
- Faucet Washers
- Automatic water pump seals
- Valve Trim

Silicon nitride offers one of the best combinations of toughness and hardness of commercially available ceramics. In addition, its low thermal expansion coefficient offers superb thermal shock resistant compared with most other ceramics. Complex geometries can be made with sintered material. The material also exhibits low density, high temperature strength, excellent wear resistance and good facture toughness. Common applications include:
- Diesel engine glow plugs
- Rocker arm pad
- Ceramic ball bearings
- Check Valves for Oil Well Applications
- Resistance Welding Fixtures
- Sand blasting nozzles
- MWD wear parts in Oil Well Drilling
- Poppet valves
- Guide rollers for steel rods and cable
- Molten Aluminum Nozzles and trim
- Valve Trim

Boron Nitride is a high temperature, lubricious ceramic. It offers excellent electrical resistance, chemical stability and wet ability. Common applications include:
- Electric insulators in PVD and CVD Vacuum Coating chambers
- Break Rings for Horizontal Steel Casting
- Evaporator Boats for Aluminum Metallization
- Components for semiconductor manufacturing equipment
- Neutron absorbers
- Boron dopant for Silicon wafer
- Electronic component assembling jigs
- Spacers for glass melts and nonferrous
- Feedthroughs for high voltage equipment
- Nozzles for nonferroud metals
- Crucibles for crystal growth
- Diffusion source wafers

Characteristics	Unit	95 Al2O3	99 Al2O3	ZrO2	SSiC	B4C	Si3N4
Color		white	ivory	white	black	black	gray
Density	g/cm3	3.65	3.88	6.05	3.12	2.51	3.25
Young's Modulus	Gpa	280	350	205	400	420	310
Vickers Hardness	Gpa	14	20	12	25	36	22
Flexural Strength	Mpa	280	300	900	400	370	850
Compressive Strength	Mpa	1700	2000	2500	2200	2900	2800
Thermal Conductivity	W/(m?K)	25	30	2.2	100	35-40	27
Thermal shock resistance	ΔT(C°)	220	180-200	400	350	130	450-650
Max. Working Temperature	C°	1500	1700	850	1500	1500	1200
Volume Resistivity ( 20 C° )	Ω?cm	>10^15	>10^14	>10^12	>10^6	_	>10^14