Chinese
1、 Panoramic Insight into Ceramic Roller Rod Technology Innovation
1.1 Material Innovation: Building the Foundation for Excellent Performance
1.1.1 The sudden rise of silicon carbide materials
Silicon carbide has emerged in the field of ceramic rollers due to its unique crystal structure. Its hardness is second only to diamond, with a Mohs hardness of up to 9.2-9.5, giving the roller excellent wear resistance, with a wear rate of only 1/20 of high chromium cast iron. Under high temperature conditions, silicon carbide ceramic rollers exhibit excellent stability. For example, in a high-temperature furnace at 1600 degrees, it can still maintain good physical properties, has a high high-temperature bearing capacity, does not bend or deform after long-term use, and has a service life more than 10 times that of traditional alumina ceramic rods. This characteristic makes it an indispensable core component in processes that require high temperature and stability, such as the firing of lithium battery positive and negative electrode materials. Yamada New Materials Group has achieved precise control over the arrangement of silicon carbide atoms through its independently developed intelligent ultra large vacuum sintering furnace equipment. The produced silicon carbide ceramic rollers support 40% of the country's new energy material production lines.
1.1.2 Optimization and upgrading of alumina materials
Although traditional alumina ceramics have certain applications, they have problems such as poor thermal shock resistance. In recent years, the performance of alumina ceramics has been significantly improved by introducing fiber reinforcement technology. Mullite fiber toughened alumina ceramics have high elastic modulus, high temperature stability, and thermal expansion coefficient similar to alumina ceramics, which can effectively disperse stress and prevent crack propagation. By specific processes, mullite fibers are generated in situ in the alumina ceramic matrix, forming a uniformly distributed network structure, which can significantly improve the strength and thermal shock resistance of the roller bar. There are studies that induce the formation of mullite fibers that bond well with the alumina matrix by controlling the composite of silica fibers and aluminum sol, thereby extending the service life of roller bars in high-temperature kilns.
1.1.3 Synergistic Enhancement of Multi element Composite Materials
In addition to the improvement of single materials, multi-component composite materials have also become a research and development hotspot. By combining materials with different characteristics, complementary performance can be achieved. For example, the surface layer uses nano SiC to improve hardness, the core introduces a metal based composite layer to enhance toughness, and the gradient structure design achieves a good balance between strength and impact resistance of the roller bar. This composite material can better adapt to various challenges such as temperature changes and mechanical stresses under complex working conditions, expanding the application boundaries of ceramic rollers.
1.2 Manufacturing Process Innovation: Improving Quality and Efficiency
1.2.1 Breakthrough in Advanced Sintering Technology
Reaction sintering (RBSC) technology fills pores through silicon infiltration, achieving a ceramic roller density of over 99% and reducing costs by 40% compared to hot isostatic pressing (HIP). In practical production, this technology can effectively improve the strength and wear resistance of roller bars. Taking a certain enterprise as an example, the ceramic roller produced by reaction sintering technology has significantly extended its service life under high load and high temperature environments. In addition, the gradient sintering process controls the fluctuation of sintering shrinkage rate within a very small range through precise temperature control. For example, a precision ceramic factory uses this process combined with AI algorithm to optimize sintering parameters, resulting in an increase in product yield from 75% to 98% and a 30% reduction in single piece processing cost, greatly improving production efficiency.
1.2.2 Optimization of Forming Process
The mud squeezing tube forming process is widely adopted by most roll bar production enterprises due to its continuous production and high degree of mechanization, which not only reduces labor intensity but also greatly improves the appearance quality and strength of products. On this basis, some enterprises further innovate by adopting multi-layer temperature control technology to make the temperature inside the kiln more uniform and better control the product firing process. Rushan Donghuaao Ceramic Technology Co., Ltd. uses high-quality foreign raw materials and special ball mills, combined with multi-layer temperature controlled kilns, to produce roller products with a larger proportion than similar products, better high-temperature bending strength, and significantly improved length, index density, water absorption rate, and rapid cooling and heating performance indicators.
1.2.3 Integration of Intelligent Production
With the advancement of Industry 4.0, intelligent production has been widely applied in the manufacturing of ceramic rollers and bars. Enterprises achieve full process automation by purchasing automated and intelligent software systems. For example, Shandong Huaao Ceramic Technology Co., Ltd. has built an intelligent digital production workshop, and the semi-finished product process is operated by robots, which greatly improves output and efficiency and saves 50% of labor costs. The fully automatic CNC finished product processing line realizes automatic product loading and unloading, with more accurate product processing data. The entire production process is coordinated and efficient, achieving intelligent integrated production and effectively improving the stability of product quality.
1.3 Structural Design Innovation: Adapting to Complex Working Condition Requirements
1.3.1 Thermal shock resistant structural design
Grain boundary engineering has become an important solution to the thermal shock problem faced by ceramic rollers during use. By adding B ₄ C or Al ₂ O3 to regulate grain boundary phases, the critical temperature difference for thermal shock (Δ Tc) can be increased from 300 ℃ to 450 ℃. In the steel continuous casting process, the guide roller needs to undergo frequent cold and hot cycles of high-temperature steel billet contact and cooling water cooling. The silicon carbide ceramic guide roller designed with this grain boundary control can effectively suppress crack propagation along the grain, improve the thermal shock resistance of the roller bar, and extend its service life. In addition, the prestressed assembly design reserves a thermal expansion gap between the metal shaft and the ceramic roller body to eliminate interface stress concentration during cold and hot cycles, further enhancing the thermal shock resistance of the roller rod.
1.3.2 Efficient heat dissipation structure design
In the rapid cooling area of the kiln, the rollers need to have the ability to dissipate heat quickly to reduce bending caused by uneven heating. The anti bending ceramic roller rod of the rapid cooling belt adopts a unique external gear shaped appearance structure, which increases the specific surface area of the roller rod and thus increases the heat dissipation speed. In practical applications, this structural design can ensure the safe and smooth passage of fired products through the rapid cooling area, effectively avoiding product quality problems caused by roller bending, and improving production stability and product qualification rate.
2、 In depth analysis of the diverse application fields of ceramic rollers and bars
2.1 In the field of new energy: helping the industry take off
2.1.1 Lithium battery positive and negative electrode material firing
In the production of lithium battery positive and negative electrode materials in roller kilns, silicon carbide ceramic rollers play a key role in supporting and transporting positive and negative electrode materials. Its high temperature bearing capacity is strong and its deformation resistance is superior. It can ensure stable transportation of raw materials during the high-temperature firing process, which is beneficial for energy saving, shortening the firing cycle, and automated operation of the roller kiln. With the explosive growth of the new energy industry, the demand for lithium-ion positive and negative electrode materials continues to rise. As the core component, the performance of ceramic rollers directly affects the production efficiency and quality of lithium-ion materials. Taking Yamada New Materials Group as an example, its production of silicon carbide ceramic rollers ranks first in the country in terms of market share due to excellent performance, which strongly supports the development of the domestic lithium battery industry.
2.1.2 Application of Photovoltaic Industry
In the production process of silicon wafers in the photovoltaic industry, ceramic rollers are used for the transportation and heat treatment of silicon wafers. Its high-precision surface quality and stable high-temperature performance can ensure the flatness and quality consistency of silicon wafers during processing. For example, in high-temperature diffusion processes, ceramic rollers need to precisely control the position and transport speed of silicon wafers to ensure diffusion uniformity. With the development of the photovoltaic industry towards high efficiency and low cost, the performance requirements for ceramic rollers are constantly increasing, prompting enterprises to increase investment in technological innovation and develop roller products that are more suitable for photovoltaic production processes.
2.2 Building and Sanitary Ceramics Field: Promoting Industry Upgrading
2.2.1 Production and Application of Ceramic Tiles
In the production of building tiles, different types of ceramic rollers play their respective roles. Medium temperature ceramic rollers are suitable for use below 1200 ℃ and have excellent thermal stability, meeting the requirements for roller strength and frequent cleaning in glazed tile production, and have been widely used. Medium high temperature and high-temperature ceramic rollers are used in the production of ordinary ceramic tiles and high-temperature ceramic tiles, ensuring stable operation under high load and high temperature environments with higher strength. Jingang Group provides a variety of ceramic roller products for the ceramic industry, covering different firing temperature zones of kilns, providing professional solutions for ceramic tile production enterprises and promoting technological upgrades in the ceramic industry.
2.2.2 Sanitary ware firing
The firing of sanitary ware requires high temperature uniformity of the kiln and the load-bearing capacity of the rollers. During the firing process of sanitary ware, ceramic rollers not only have to bear a large weight of the body, but also ensure that they do not deform during long-term high-temperature firing to ensure the dimensional accuracy and appearance quality of the product. By adopting advanced materials and manufacturing processes, such as high-precision molding and high-quality materials such as silicon carbide and alumina, ceramic rollers can meet the strict requirements of sanitary ware firing, helping enterprises produce high-quality sanitary ware products.
2.3 Electronic Ceramics and Magnetic Materials Field: Ensuring Precision Manufacturing
2.3.1 Manufacturing of Electronic Ceramics
In the production of electronic ceramics, ceramic rollers are used for the firing and transportation of electronic ceramic components. Electronic ceramics have extremely high requirements for product accuracy and performance. The high-precision and stable transmission of ceramic rollers can ensure the positional accuracy of electronic ceramic components during the firing process, avoiding product quality problems caused by transmission deviations. For example, in the production of multi-layer ceramic capacitors, the ceramic roller rod needs to accurately control the position of the components during the high-temperature sintering process to ensure the alignment accuracy between each layer, thereby ensuring the electrical performance of the capacitor.
2.3.2 Production of magnetic materials
The application of ceramic rollers is also indispensable in the production process of magnetic materials. Ceramic rollers are used to support and transport magnetic material bodies during the pressing, sintering, and other process steps of magnetic materials. Its excellent high temperature resistance and chemical stability can avoid chemical reactions with magnetic materials during high-temperature sintering, which can affect the performance of magnetic materials. At the same time, high-precision ceramic rollers can ensure the dimensional accuracy of magnetic materials during processing, meeting the demand for high-precision products in the fields of electronics, power, and other applications.
2.4 Glass Heat Treatment Field: Improving Glass Quality
2.4.1 Glass Annealing Process
During the glass annealing process, ceramic rollers are used to support and transport glass products, eliminating internal stress during slow cooling and improving the strength and stability of the glass. The high flatness and low friction coefficient of ceramic rollers can ensure that glass products are not scratched or deformed during transportation, ensuring the appearance quality of the glass. For example, in the annealing process of automotive glass, ceramic rollers need to precisely control the transmission speed and temperature distribution of the glass to ensure that the optical and mechanical properties of the glass meet the standards.
2.4.2 Glass hot bending processing
Glass hot bending processing requires shaping the glass at high temperatures, and ceramic rollers play a role in supporting and guiding the deformation of the glass. Its high temperature stability and precise size control can ensure that the glass is formed in the predetermined shape during the hot bending process, improving the accuracy and yield of glass hot bending products. The performance of ceramic rollers plays a crucial role in the production of hot bent glass products such as architectural decorative glass and electronic product glass shells, affecting product quality and production efficiency.
2.5 Other fields: Expanding application boundaries
2.5.1 Production of refractory materials
In the production process of refractory materials, ceramic rollers are used for the firing and transportation of refractory bodies. The production of refractory materials is usually carried out in high-temperature environments, and the high temperature resistance and high strength performance of ceramic rollers can meet the needs of refractory material production. For example, in the production of corundum refractory materials, ceramic rollers need to operate stably in high-temperature kilns above 1800 ℃ to ensure the firing quality of the refractory body.
2.5.2 Manufacturing of Wear resistant Devices
Ceramic rollers are also used in the manufacturing process of wear-resistant devices due to their high hardness and wear resistance. For example, in the production of wear-resistant lining plates for some mining machinery, ceramic rollers can be used as processing aids to improve the processing accuracy and surface quality of the lining plates. At the same time, the wear-resistant characteristics of ceramic rollers themselves also give them a longer service life in such high wear environments, reducing equipment maintenance costs.