Bulletin Features
The nonferrous metals market: Supply and regulatory pressures inspire strategies for a resilient future
Nonferrous metals serve foundational roles in the electrification, renewable energy, and digital transformation. Nonferrous metals are metals that do not contain iron in significant amounts. These metals typically are nonmagnetic, corrosion resistant, electrically and thermally conductive, and lightweight, making them ideal for applications in the emerging markets mentioned above. Even…
Market Insights
Industrial digitalization: ‘Smart’ operations can improve worker safety and well-being in high-temperature environments
Heavy industry is the backbone of economies around the world, critical to automotive production, construction, the energy sector, and everything in between. But many heavy industries are facing worker shortages. There are more than 400,000 open manufacturing jobs in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1 With…
Market Insights
‘Fail fast’ manufacturing: How disciplined experimentation strengthens, not threatens, quality
In manufacturing, few phrases raise eyebrows faster than “fail fast.” In the startup world, this business strategy is celebrated as a sign of agility. On a ceramic manufacturing floor, it can sound careless or even dangerous. In manufacturing, few phrases raise eyebrows faster than “fail fast.” In the startup world,…
Bulletin Features
Zirconia crucibles: Enabling reliable melting of platinum group metals
Crucibles are a key piece of equipment in the world of high-temperature processing, serving as containers for molten materials while they are refined and cast. Ceramics are the main material used for creating crucibles, but the specific type of ceramic used depends on the material being melted. In the case…
Market Insights
Global market for thermal management technologies
The global market for thermal management technologies was valued at $18.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6% to reach $30 billion by the end of 2030. Thermal management technologies are designed to control, dissipate, and optimize heat in various…
Research Insights
The dual challenge facing refractories: Chemical dissolution and mechanical failure
Inside a glass-melting furnace, refractories operate under continuous chemical and mechanical pressures. When failure occurs, it is rarely the result of a single weakness. More often, it reflects the combined effects of chemical corrosion and mechanical stress—the two processes that mainly govern how refractories age in service. The effects of…
Bulletin Features
Corrosion of zirconium-based refractories by molten glass
Zirconium is a crucial component of refractories used in the glass industry because it enables the design of materials with high strength at elevated temperatures, low thermal conductivity, high resistance against thermal shock, and minimal reaction with molten glass. Despite their good behavior, zirconium-based refractories still must be replaced periodically…
Research Insights
Advances in refractory ceramics for nonferrous applications
Refractory ceramics are the backbone of the steel industry, serving as the protective lining on vessels used to contain the corrosive molten metal. But refractories support many other high-temperature processes and applications as well, ranging from glass and cement production to nuclear energy generation and space travel. This column explores…
