Cordierite is commonly used to make kiln furniture for refractory applications, in part due to its good thermal shock properties, low thermal expansion and thermal conductivity. A relatively cost-effective material, cordierite kiln furniture is commonly used to hold and support products during heat-treatment processes (such as firing or sintering) at temperatures up to 1300 ºC (2372 ºF).
At IPS Ceramics, we have a long-standing reputation for supplying cordierite kiln furniture to international ceramics industries. This extensive experience, spanning over a collective 250+ years, means that we understand the production challenges of manufacturing products such as tableware, sanitaryware and heavy clay products. In turn, we also know how the strengths of cordierite can be used to meet said challenges.
Some of the benefits of cordierite kiln furniture are:
1. Very Low Creep Rates
“Creep rate” refers to how quickly a material deforms when subjected to stress at a constant temperature. It is important that kiln furniture has a low creep rate as they are going to be the main thing keeping your ware secure – if they start warping, your kiln build will become increasingly unstable and your ware will become increasingly misshapen. Luckily, our cordierite kiln furniture has extremely low creep rates. Our setters, cranks, batts and support systems can be used for a long-time in a wide range of heat treatment processes working at temperatures up to 1300ºC.
This ensures a continuously good quality firings, significant cost-effectiveness, and that your cordierite kiln furniture has a significantly longer life even when in continuous use.
2. Resistance to Thermal Shock Cracking
Thermal shock occurs when ceramics are subjected to a sudden change in temperature. The low thermal expansion properties of our cordierite kiln furniture mean that it is extremely resistant to thermal shock cracking, allowing it to be effectively used in applications where rapid heating and cooling is required.
3. Stability at High Temperatures
In choosing kiln furniture, we understand that manufacturers want to be sure that they can get the most out of the products they choose. This is why we create cordierite kiln furniture that is stable at high temperatures and can be thermally cycled hundreds of times without degradation. This makes our products extremely cost-effective and dramatically reduces how often you’d need to replace your kiln furniture stock.
4. Low Density
High-density kiln furniture has a high thermal mass, meaning that it consumes quite a bit of energy during each heat treatment cycle. Our cordierite kiln furniture is lightweight and low density, consuming far less energy in every firing and greatly increasing your kiln’s energy efficiency.
We have an extensive range of cordierite kiln furniture available in a variety of shapes and sizes. These include kiln shelves, batts, cover batts, tubes and beams, props and fittings, profile setters, saggars, stools, T-cranks, Y-cranks and pin-crank systems.
To find out more about our cordierite kiln furniture, or explore other materials such as mullite, silicon carbide and alumina (which can be used in specialist applications), please feel free to contact us today.