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Overview: Refractories
Refractories are insulating materials with excellent abilities to withstand high temperatures without degrading. They are essential for various industrial applications up to 2,000 °C.
They are known for their excellent thermal insulation, their ability to absorb heat without redistributing it, as well as their high mechanical, chemical and radiation resistance.
Final Advanced Materials, expert in high-temperature materials, offers a wide range of refractories tailored to your specific needs.
Machining of refractories by Final Advanced Materials
Final Advanced Materials has a machining workshop equipped to machine a wide range of refractory materials. We produce custom parts, whether for prototypes or series. Our machining processes allow for the production of complex parts with high tolerances.
Applications of refractories
There are numerous fields of application for these materials: they are extensively employed in the electrical, chemical, nuclear, glass-making and aluminium industries, in mechanical construction, furnace construction and steel making.
Thermally-insulating mechanical components
Standard panels provide the option for the off-plan machining of complex components.
The choice of composite material is dependent upon the thermal and mechanical loads involved.
These constraints will dictate the type of composite, its thermal insulation capabilities and mechanical resistance, in the interests of perfect adaptation to its final application.
Thermal insulation panels
Thermal insulation panels produced from technical composites provide the ideal physical and chemical compromise for thermal insulation.
Thermal insulation panels act as insulating barriers for the effective protection of sensitive components, particularly hydraulic, electrical and electronic circuits.
This type of product is very closely tailored to the requirements of manufacturers of injection-moulding presses.
Thermal insulation panels also permit the even distribution of heat and the effective control of thermal masses.
They thus permit the achievement of substantial energy savings and the execution of rational production.
Furnace claddings and components
Mineral-based technical composites provide an effective solution for the insulation of industrial furnaces, where they are incorporated in a mechanical assembly.
They are advocated by health and safety standards for refractory fibre-based flexible insulating materials.
Technical composite panels are available in large dimensions and are simple to deploy, using techniques which are closely akin to traditional joinery.
After installation, their properties remain consistent, even in response to substantial thermal loading, and with no release of harmful dusts.
Available products
Our refractory materials have specific properties suitable for various applications.
Our experts are at your disposal to help you choose the refractory that best suits your needs.
- Calcium silicate – up to 1,000 °C
- Silica nanoporous – up to 1,050 °C
- SIZAL®Cell - up to 1,650 °C
- SIZAL®Board - up to 1,800 °C
- ZYC and ZYZ zirconium oxide – up to 1,700 °C
- FBD zirconium oxide – up to 2,000 °C
- ZYBF zirconium oxide – up to 1,650 °C
FAQs that can help you in this category
Final Advanced Materials' microporous insulators have sub-micron pores, limiting thermal conduction. Nanoporous insulators have even smaller pores (<100 nm), reducing thermal transfers still further. Final Advanced Materials' nanoporous materials offer extremely low thermal conductivity levels (~0.015–0.025 W/m·K to 200°C), although they are more effective than those of microporous materials. However, nanoporous materials are more sensitive to moisture and mechanically much more fragile: they cannot be subjected to mechanical stresses during operation.
The nanoporous panels distributed by Final Advanced Materials have very a low thermal conductivity, with values ranging from 0.015 to 0.025 W/m·K at moderate temperature (200–400°C). At high temperature (>800°C) these values are higher but are still lower than those of more traditional insulators. By comparison, fibrous insulators are generally around 0.1–0.3 W/m·K. The choice of insulator will also depend on its mechanical strength and on the environment.
Yes, the microporous boards offered by Final Advanced Materials can be machined with CNC (milling or cutting). Their low mechanical resistance (often <4 MPa when compressed) requires low speeds and special tools. They cause fine dust, requiring a dust extraction system. Although these composites are not hard, they pose a high risk of scaling and crumbling: loads must therefore be minimised, and stripping of material must be avoided. The resulting powder is very abrasive, and it is therefore essential that a dust extraction system is installed on your machinery. We can machine these materials in our production shop.
Microporous and nanoporous insulators are hygroscopic due to their high specific surface area. Exposure to moisture can increase thermal conductivity and even destroy the structure of the material. Final Advanced Materials therefore recommends encapsulation (aluminium foil) or a hydrophobic coating. Pre-drying (100–200°C) is often required before use to restore performance.
We require a complete description of the application and of the stresses before we can recommend the most suitable product.