Background

Can forming, wire and tube drawing all benefit from advanced ceramic solutions throughout the production process.

Seaming rolls, wire dies, guides and forming tools in alumina, zirconia and silicon nitride have recorded performances in terms of many thousands of hours, and metres of metal.

By a careful manipulation of microstructure and material selection for metal/ceramic combinations, specific solutions are frequently derived for individual components and application areas.

Thanks to their hardness and surface quality, Technox® 500 ceramics achieve the highest ratings in tool life and tube quality when it comes to tube processing. Technox® 500 ceramics play a key role in trouble-free and cost-efficient production in the following tube processes:
Industrial Applications for Technox Zirconia Ceramics
Tube Industry Applications For Advanced Ceramics

Applications within the tube industry call for materials with both good wear resistance and good surface properties, such that the quality of the manufactured product is not compromised by contact with the tooling.

Thanks to their hardness and surface quality, Technox® 500 ceramics achieve the highest ratings in tool life and tube quality when it comes to tube processing. Technox® 500 ceramics play a key role in trouble-free and cost-efficient production in the following tube processes:

Bending and Expanding Aluminised Steel Tubes

Bending and expanding tools made from Technox® 500, are highly resistant to fracture and have a good resistance to cold welding. The extended tool life helps to reduce set up and maintenance costs during the shaping process.
Expanding Copper Tubes

Using Technox® 500 mandrels for expanding copper tubes significantly improves tool life and can lead to a reduction or even the elimination of lubricants.
Tube Welding

Technox® 500 welding rolls are unaffected by inductive or magnetic fields during longitudinal seam welding of tubes. The use of Technox® 500 significantly reduces customary excessive roll wear.
Metal Extrusion Dies

An increase in life of ten to fifteen times over steel, including reduced stress cracking is claimed for aluminium and copper/brass extrusion using Technox® dies.

The Technox® die insert can cost up to four times as much as steel. However considering such inserts often last up to 10 times more than conventional materials, the cost benefit can be shown to be in the favour of Technox® dies. Other advantages include faster production rates, better dimensional stability of the extruded product and better surface finish.
Beneficial Properties of Technox Zirconia Ceramics
Wear Behaviour

Comparative tests by wire manufacturers have shown that Technox® guides and rolls can outlast a conventional high speed steel by a factor of >20. Depending on the shape and complexity of the part the price penalty is rarely more than a factor of 4. Consequently the cost benefit analysis is very favourable, without taking account of the effect on machine downtime. Several customers have measured lifetimes in terms of years, not weeks.
Strength

Technox® ceramics are up to 5 times stronger than conventional alumina and zirconia grades. They display bending strengths similar to the yield strength of low alloy steels.
Surface Finish

With a sub micron grain size and near-zero porosity, Technox® materials can be finished to display the highest degrees of surface finish, polish and precision. Surface roughness value less than 0.05µm Ra are attainable.
Impact Resistance

Unlike the brittle behaviour displayed by conventional alumina materials, Technox® advanced ceramics can withstand severe impacts and mechanical shocks. Their “Transformation Toughening” ability means a Technox® nail can be hammered through a block of wood.
Corrosion Resistance

In acid or alkali mediums, Technox® ceramics display excellent resistance to the most hazardous of environments.
Advantages of Technox®

· Minimise possible damage to the wire surface during drawing

· Assurance of wire surface quality due to the improved sliding characteristics of ceramic materials

· Improved production reliability, especially for thin wires, due to the reduced adhesion between wire and pulley

· Reduced abrasion leading to improved product quality and increased tool and die life