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Besides the determination of strength, the determination of open porosity and bulk density is the most common analysis we perform in-house – and also one of the simplest. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important test methods for characterising a sample (sometimes even non-destructively). This is because conclusions about other physical properties can be drawn directly from the open porosity.

Anyone who visited us at the ” Keramik+” conference or at a later date will already have seen it: Our latest 3D printer. The CeraFab S65 from Lithoz uses the VPP process, in which a resin filled with particles is cured by light and which also enables the printing of very filigree structures. We have compiled more information on the VPP process here.

Hydrogen is the central puzzle piece for a successful zero-emissions society, but it is also expensive to produce. This problem is now being countered in the publicly funded project Redox3D. In this research project, WZR ceramic solutions GmbH and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) are working together to develop and manufacture an innovative receiver-reactor concept that will enable the regenerative production of hydrogen. The technology is based on solar thermochemical processes that run on and in complex ceramic structures made of cerium oxide.

For WZR, the ceramitec in Munich is the most important trade fair. There we meet almost all our customers and establish important contacts with new customers. This year it was finally time again: after 4 years we could present our topics to an international audience. We had chosen a joint booth with Rösler CeramInno and concr3de, an exhibitor team that fitted very well.

Ceramic membranes are gaining interest as they offer the fuel and chemical industries a way to use renewable resources (Power to X, chemical energy storage, CO2 conversion, Power to Chemicals). They are used in electric motors as fuel cells, electrolysis cells, but also in the production of basic chemicals with high value-added potential. These applications are highly complex systems in which chemical processes (molecular decomposition into ions and recombination of ions into molecules) take place at the ceramic membrane and are catalytically controlled.

Everyone has already come across supposedly expensive ceramics in everyday life: Be it the Sunday dinnerware, the ceramic knife or the bathroom sink. If you compare these prices with those of everyday plastic objects – garden chairs, mugs or toilet seats – you will quickly get the impression that ceramic objects are always more expensive than those made of plastic. Is this justified and is it true at all? To get to the bottom of this question, we first need to take a closer look at the two groups of materials.

When describing the properties of technical ceramics, we primarily talk about strength, or more precisely, flexural strength. Ceramics generally have a so-called “catastrophic failure behavior”, which means that ceramics break suddenly and without “warning” when subjected to mechanical stress. This behavior can be well illustrated by determining the flexural strength in a bending test, as Anika Braun has described thoroughly on our homepage.

Why combine the advantages of two materials, such as metal and technical ceramics, in one component, and how is it possible?

The coating of ceramic powder particles has recently gained importance and is therefore used more frequently.