Essential materials across diverse industries
Ceramics are present in fields as diverse as the mining industry, aerospace, medicine, the food and chemical industries, semiconductors, nuclear, electricity transmission and electromagnetic waveguides. Regardless of the application, raw materials for ceramics are always in powder form.
Variety of Properties :
Ceramics often provide an ideal alternative to traditional materials like metals or plastics, offering cost-effective, high-performance solutions. The specific properties sought in Technical Ceramics can be mechanical, electrical, magnetic, thermal, optical, chemical, or aesthetic, enabling them to meet diverse requirements. These properties are directly linked to the characteristics of the powders used.
Variety of Materials :
Technical Ceramics represent a variety of materials with numerous and varied properties and applications. These include alumina, boron carbide, silicon carbide, alumina-zirconia composites (ZTA/ATZ), cordierite, glass-ceramics, aluminium nitride, silicon nitride, porcelain, glass/quartz, zirconia, hydroxyapatite (HAP), and tricalcium phosphate (TCP)—all derived from powdered raw materials.
Variety of Processing Techniques
In processes involving ceramics, the raw materials are always in powder form, whether the ceramics are produced from a powder by sintering, pressing, or with a polymer binder by extrusion, additive manufacturing, injection moulding or with a liquid binder by casting, by coating.
The functional properties of ceramics depend on the characteristics of powders : particle size and shape, size distribution, flowability, specific surface area, purity and more. Achieving consistent product quality relies on a deep understanding of powder production processes (crushing, grinding, milling, micronisation, separation, atomisation, fluidised air bed, etc.) and precise control of physical characterisation techniques.
The demands placed on technical ceramics are constantly increasing. POUDRES DURABLES supports you at every stage of your development.
Based on your unique needs, we can support you in a wide range of areas across your organization :
Production
Produce more, produce cheaper
- Optimise production capacity
- Increase production throughput
- Optimise energy efficiency
- Calculate Opex and Capex for plant optimisation
- Optimise process diagrams by integrating unit operations
- Control installations with online particle size measurement to optimise production
- Compensate for energy input from grinders, dryers, fluidized beds
- Optimise separation and sorting of components by nature, composition or colour
- Minimise waste and scrap
- Incorporate recycled material
Revamp
- Customise existing installations : modernise, instrument, etc
- Upgrade or Revamp installations
- Transition towards Industry 4.0
Instrument, Automate, Control
- Instrument the powder installations
- Monitor particle size in real-time (Insitec, Parsum, etc.)
- Control production through online measurement
Scale-up, Industrialise and Transfer
- Choose the best crusher, grinder, microniser, sieve, mixer, granulator, dryer, etc.
- Calculate OPEX and CAPEX for future facilities to optimise equipment choices
- Optimisie the purchase of laboratory, pilot or industrial equipment
Produce more consistently, without variation
- Manage analysis and control for optimised plant operation
- Optimise sampling techniques
- Control raw materials (Analytics method)
- Minimise drift
- Optimise cleaning and maintenance cycles
- Optimise the selection of raw materials
- Control equipments using online granulometry to stabilise production
Preserve product quality
- Reduce waste and scrap
- Ensure batch homogeneity (raw materials, finished products)
Ensure safe operations
- Improve installations safety : adapt strategy to product-specific risks (Atex compliance)
- Control dust and pulverulent powders emissions
- Ensure proper inerting of equipment
- Handle micro and nano powders safely
Support the client
- Commission powder production facilities
- Train teams on powder-specific challenges
- Provide training for operating : grinding, micronisation, sieving, drying, mixing, etc.
- Assist with project management and owner support
Innovation, Strategy, R&D
Innovation
- Sort and Separate components
- Innovate in powders, processes and technologies
- Particle design
- Grow your business by expanding your product range
- Identify new opportunities and solutions through innovation
- Recycle powders
- Incorporate recycled materials
Scale-up and Development : From R&D to Industrial production
- Scale-up from R&D laboratories to pilot and industrial production
- Design and Size installations
- Calculate OPEX and CAPEX for future installations to optimise equipment selection
- Optimise energy consumption for a production line or the entire plant
Research : Powders strategy
- Optimise the procurement of laboratory equipment
- Choose equipment such as grinders or any powder-related machinery tailored to the product and specifications
- Grow your business by diversifying your product portfolio
Analysis, Control and Characterisation
- Control particle size analysis in the laboratory
- Characterise powders (particle size, rheology, specific surface area, porosity, morphology, etc.)
- Ensure batch homogeneity (raw materials, finished products)
- Determine the state of the blend
- Control the properties of use or the end-use properties of powders
- Optimise sampling techniques
- Control the granulometry directly on the production line
QHSE : Quality, Health, Safety and Environment
Quality
- Control product purity
- Improve production quality
- Reduce non-conformities through on-line particle size control
- Protect products from oxidation (quality inerting)
- Correct deviations through on-line particle size control
Safety
- Ensure installations safety : adapt strategy to product-specific risks (Atex compliance)
- Control the handling of micro and nano powders
- Take the “Process” into account in the Atex strategy
- Use industrial gases as a preventive barrier against explosions (safety inerting)
- Control dust and pulverulent powders emissions
- Control the inerting processes for installations
Environment
- Recycle materials
- Reduce energy consumption of production lines or the whole plant
- Sort, separate, reuse materials (recycling and circular economy)
- Control dust and pulverulent powders emissions
Hygiene
- Optimise the cleanability of equipments and premises
- Control dust and pulverulent powders emissions
Our Missions
Audit of « powder » process
Based on its experience in the field of divided solids, POUDRES DURABLES offers its expertise in the implementation of specific solutions. Below are some examples of projects carried ou in the technical ceramics industry :
- Liquid milling and nano-milling : controlling suspensions
- From synthesis to fine powder : optimisation of the process diagram
- From synthesis to suspension preparation : optimisation of the whole process
- Formulation and blending of dry powders : improving flow properties
- Optimisation and control of product particle size
- Qualification of Raw materials : sourcing and homogeneity
- Selection of the grinder and other production equipment to improve purity
- Revamping/refurbishment of a grinder installation
- How to control the powdering of the products
- Energy audit : recovering process heat to optimise plant efficiency
- Granulation and real-time granulometric measurement
- Moving towards Industry 4.0
Wherever granules, powders, or colloids are involved, we can assist with the characterisation of divided solids (either in your laboratory or online) and with the processes for powder production and shaping (such as atomisers, grinders, micronisers, granulators, fluidised bed dryers, nano-mills, dispersers, etc.).
On-Line Sampling and Measurement, using an Insitec
Our Trainings
POUDRES DURABLES can provide you and your team with unique training courses, designed to address your specific needs within the Ceramics industry.
Find out more on our training courses in the field of divided solids :
Process and Production
Innovation, strategy and R&D
Powder analysis, control and characterization
Quality Hygiene Safety and the environment of powders
Overview of the world of powders
