Generally use wire cutting or CNC machine tools.
Silicon nitride ceramic is a kind of inorganic material ceramic which does not shrink during sintering. Silicon nitride is very strong, especially hot-pressed silicon nitride, and is one of the hardest substances in the world. It has the properties of high strength, low density and high temperature resistance.
Market application of silicon nitride ceramics
Automotive Industry: Sintered silicon nitride is mainly used in the automotive industry as a material for engine parts. In spark ignition engines, silicon nitride is used for rocker arm pads with lower wear, turbochargers with lower inertia and less engine lag, and exhaust gas control valves for increased acceleration.
Bearings: Compared with other ceramics, silicon nitride ceramics have good impact resistance. Therefore, ball bearings made of silicon nitride ceramics are used in performance bearings. A representative example is the use of silicon nitride bearings in the main engines of the NASA space shuttle. Since silicon nitride ball bearings are harder than metal, this reduces contact with the bearing track. Silicon nitride ball bearings can be found in high-end automotive bearings, industrial bearings, wind turbines, motorsports, bicycles, skates and skateboards.
Silicon nitride bearings
High temperature materials: Silicon nitride has long been used in high temperature applications. In particular, it was identified as one of the few monolithic ceramic materials capable of surviving the severe thermal shock and thermal gradients produced in hydrogen\/oxygen rocket engines.
Silicon nitride thrusters. Left: Mounted on the test rack. Right: Testing with H2O2 propellant
Medical: Silicon nitride has many orthopedic applications. The material is also an alternative to PEEK (polyether ether ketone) and titanium used in spinal fusion devices. Compared to PEEK and titanium, the hydrophilic, microstructure surface of silicon nitride contributes to the strength, durability and reliability of the material.
spinal fusion
Metal cutting tools: Due to its hardness, thermal stability and wear resistance, monolithic silicon nitride in bulk is used as a material for cutting tools. Especially recommended for high-speed machining of cast iron. Thermal hardness, fracture toughness and heat shock resistance mean sintered silicon nitride can cut cast iron, hard steel and nickel-based alloys.
ceramic cutting tool
Electronics: Commonly used as insulators and chemical barriers in manufacturing integrated circuits to electrically isolate different structures or as etching masks in bulk micromachining. As a passivation layer for microchips, it is superior to silica because it is a significantly better diffusion barrier against water molecules and sodium ions, two major corrosion sources and instability in microelectronics.