Custom Zirconia Ceramic Parts are made to your drawing rather than to a catalogue shape: complex outlines, intersecting bores, thin walls and asymmetrical features that no standard shape covers.
Custom zirconia parts are made where the component takes impact, side load or contact stress. The high toughness allows features such as thin walls and small radii that would be too fragile in other ceramics.
Yttria-stabilised zirconia is the toughest of the engineering oxides, with 8-10 MPa·m½ fracture toughness and flexural strength to 1200 MPa. It absorbs the impact and side loads that would crack alumina, and it carries the lowest thermal conductivity of the structural ceramics here.
Two limits apply. Continuous service above roughly 800-1000°C destabilises the metastable tetragonal phase, and moisture between 200 and 300°C can trigger low-temperature degradation, so stabiliser grade is matched to the duty.
Specifications
| Process route | pressing, CIP, injection moulding or extrusion |
| Finishing | diamond grinding, lapping, honing |
| Dimensional tolerance | ±0.01 mm, ±0.002 mm on ground features |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.4 µm ground, Ra 0.05 µm polished |
| Features | bores, slots, threads, tapers, pockets |
| Quantity | single prototypes to production volumes |
| Drawing formats | DXF, STEP, IGES, PDF |
Zirconia Properties
| Composition | Yttria-stabilised zirconia (Y-TZP) |
| Density | 6.00-6.05 g/cm³ |
| Vickers hardness | 1200-1350 HV |
| Flexural strength | 900-1200 MPa |
| Fracture toughness | 8-10 MPa·m½ |
| Max. service temperature | 800-1000°C |
| Thermal conductivity | 2-3 W/m·K |
| Thermal expansion (20-1000°C) | 10.0 ×10⁻⁶/K |
Machining and Tolerances
Complex parts are near-net shaped by pressing, injection moulding or isostatic pressing, then ground with diamond tooling to the finished features. Green machining before firing is used where it saves grinding time, and we always advise on which features are worth holding and which will drive cost without adding function.
Where It Is Used
- Semiconductor and vacuum equipment components
- Fixtures and nests for welding, brazing and assembly
- Analytical and medical instrument parts
- Wear components for packaging and converting machinery
- High-voltage and high-frequency insulators
Frequently Asked Questions
What tolerance should I put on the drawing?
Hold tolerance only on features that matter. A blanket ±0.01 mm across a complex part can double or treble the cost without improving function, so we mark the functional features and leave the rest open.
Can you help with the design before quoting?
Yes, and it usually saves money. We review draft geometry for wall thickness, sharp corners and features that will not grind cleanly, then suggest changes before the drawing is frozen.