Density in technical ceramics


Technical ceramics are versatile and have many positive properties, but their production is an energy-intensive process due to the firing of the components.

Source of error Human influence

Currently, a wide variety of manual procedures are used to examine the components with regard to their "density" parameter. However, these methods have process-critical deficiencies that mean costs for the companies. On the one hand, manual measurements have the human factor as a possible source of error.

Especially when dealing with green parts, this results in problems with the reproducibility of the results. Another problem arises with laboratory tests in connection with the time factor. In many companies, long distances, a lack of skilled workers and busy laboratories lead to machine downtimes, which can result in immense costs due to the high energy consumption of running furnaces.

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More process reliability  

The desire to detect and counteract undesirable developments at an early stage of a production process means enabling the density of green parts to be determined. However, these are usually water-absorbent or have water-soluble binders, which is difficult or impossible to reproduce with repeat accuracy for the Archimedean measuring principle with conventional variants. An absorption of liquid always means a deviation from the real density value. In practice, a coating of wax is used to weigh a component in a defined time. This process requires appropriate qualification and experience on the part of the tester. Here, too, the factors of lack of skilled workers and human influence play a decisive role.

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The density platform as a solution

With this in mind, Dimensionics Density has developed a highly accurate, automated density determination solution that works in production environments. The technology is non-destructive and can therefore be used to check parts that meet density requirements and those that do not, quickly, accurately and cost-effectively.