Sapphire

Synthetic industrial sapphire is a form of aluminum oxide in a single crystal structure.
While typically thought of as a precious gemstone, sapphire is manufactured using a number of different methods into a highly useful material for specific industrial applications that benefit from the material’s unique properties.

Many customers turn to sapphire for components due to a requirement that cannot be easily achieved with other industrial ceramics. The key characteristics of sapphire – extreme hardness in a single crystal form without impurities that is transparent to light over a wide range of waveforms – make it ideal as a window or display material that needs to be shatter-proof.

Sapphire is also very durable and wear resistant, and can be used in high temperature environments, making it useful for everything from surgical instruments to industrial cleaning equipment.

Working with an experienced industrial sapphire supplier is important as the material’s unique geometric crystalline structure must be taken into consideration when cutting and grinding to meet specifications. The engineers at Applied Ceramics can walk you through the different considerations to have in mind when designing sapphire components as the orientation of the crystal can affect hardness and thermal expansion, as well as its refractive capabilities for optical applications.

Contact an experienced Applied Ceramics professional for more information on our sapphire machining capabilities or for raw sapphire, and to start a quote for your unique industrial sapphire project.