Cutting Ceramic Material?

[Rob B]

I have a part I'm quoting. The material is "Ceramica Alumina" made by Saint Gobain CB96E. The number behind the name should be a reference number, not for sure. The print is from Brazil, and they told me to use a Portuguese translation. I did a search on the net but didn't come up with anything. I can order other material, but it needs to be similar.

 

Also, what tools will cut ceramic?

 

All or any help would be great!!

 

Thanks

[Tony35]

quote:

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what tools will cut ceramic?

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diamond

[Watcher]

Hey Rob,

 

If you wish, I can help you translating some portions of the document... If you bump into any critical issue, I can do that for sure.

 

Daniel,

[Graham Beard]

If it is similar to Macor, carbide tooling will cut fine. Steady and slow as she goes is a good rule of thumb. Be careful how you hold the ceramic as too much vice pressure will crack it. Use of a jewelers wax (must be heated) fixed to a fixture plate, works well to hold Macor during machining.

 

Good luck!

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Alumina is Aluminum Oxide = Sapphire. Unless it's in a "green" unsintered state you won't cut it, you'll have to grind it with diamond. If it's "green" you can cut it with just about anything, but diamond coated carbide will last the longest.

[Rob B]

Matt,

Are you this is not ceramic, but is sapphire. And if so were might I find some?

[Mic6]

I did a sheet of insulators out of white macor before. 10 in square. Drilled a bunch of 4-40 clearance holes in it, screwed it down and let the 3/32 carbide 3 fl endmill cut for about 90mins. The pieces were about 1 inch by .75 inch, with 2 .12 holes in them The coolant was a lovely slurry after that week. Almost oatmeal-ish

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Sapphire IS a kind of ceramic. As for sources, it depends on the form. If you want powder, check an old aluminum snow shovel or trailer.

 

Edmund Optics offers solid sapphire windows and sphere lenses. When called "alumina" it's generally a porous form made by sintering powder. I'm not sure about sources for that but I'm sure a Google would turn some up.