What Is Silicon Carbide?
Silicon carbide — also known as carborundum — is a hard chemical compound composed of silicon and carbon. Silicon carbide occurs in nature, very rarely, as moissanite. Since the late 19th century, though, silicon carbide has been mass-produced in both powder and crystal forms for use in abrasives. The first LED was produced using silicon carbide; in 1907, Henry Joseph Round applied voltage to a silicon carbide crystal and observed different colors at the cathode.
Because natural moissanite is extremely rare, most silicon carbide is synthetically produced. Its electrical properties make it ideal for use in different devices and applications.
What Is Silicon Carbide Used For?
Silicon carbide products are uniquely suited for a diverse array of industrial applications. Electronic uses for silicon carbide have increased with the advent of LEDs and powered devices. Silicon carbide is used as a semiconductor in electronic devices that operate at high temperatures, high voltages or both. The list of uses for silicon carbide powder and other derivatives has expanded to include:
- Automobile Parts
- Foundry Crucibles
- Abrasives
- Cutting Tools
- Structural Materials
- Electric Systems
- Astronomics
- Jewelry
- Heat Shielding
- Electronic Devices
So, Is Silicon Carbide a Ceramic or Not?
Yes — the properties of silicon carbide make it a nonoxide ceramic ideal for high-temperature applications. As the most corrosion-resistant ceramic, it is used in mechanical seals and pump parts as well as forging and other thermally conductive applications. Silicon carbide is capable of maintaining its strength in applications up to 1400°C. Parts and components made from silicon carbide have remarkable thermal resistance and hardness when sintered.
Carbide ceramics are used extensively in applications that demand high heat tolerance and strength. Brake pads for consumer automobiles are a great example of the kind of product that utilizes silicon carbide ceramics to their full potential.
The Properties of Silicon Carbide
Silicon carbide ceramic has a 9.5 grade on the Mohs scale, making it one of the hardest materials around. That hardness, combined with its ability to be extruded and injection moulded into nearly any desired shape, makes silicon carbide an infinitely useful industrial material.
Silicon carbide also has high compressive strength and a maximum surface temperature of 1600°C, making it well-suited for high-temperature environments. Combined with its electrical properties, silicon carbide's physical properties are advantageous for ceramics processing.
You can use several different sintering processes to create silicon carbide ceramics. Likewise, silicon carbide powder is used to make products such as crucibles, heat sinks and thermal tubes used during heat treatment and materials processing of metals and alloys.
Contact Sentro Tech For Silicon Carbide Products and Ovens
Sentro Tech offers silicon carbide tubes and piping with excellent surface finishing and thermal conductivity. Due to its fine grain size and remarkable density, silicon carbide tubes are great for surface finishings and offer tight dimensional control.
Sintering furnaces from Sentro Tech enable you to create products made from silicon carbide ceramics by introducing them to the sintering process for hardening. Sentro Tech is a leading manufacturer of industrial furnaces and custom solutions. With ceramics such as silicon carbide, you can use our sintering ovens to create new complex parts through heat treatment. Contact us to learn more about our silicon carbide products and solutions today.
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