What is a refractory?
Refractory materials are special products that retain their strength at high temperatures. They are used to make crucibles and to make refractory linings, which line furnaces, kilns and incinerators. The refractory material is the surface in the vessel or furnace that comes in direct contact with the extremely hot metal, glass or other material being processed. Thus, refractory materials must be strong at high temperatures, resistant to thermal shock, chemically inert, and have low thermal conductivities and coefficients of expansion. Refractories must be chosen according to the conditions they will face in service. Alumina, the oxide of aluminum, is an important refractory material used globally in a wide variety of industries, including steel production, cement production, petrochemicals, non-ferrous metal production, and glass production. Alumina-based refractories are valued, particularly by the world's steelmakers, for their superior mechanical strength and thermal shock resistance at the extreme temperatures used in materials production.
What is a ceramic?
Ceramics are inorganic non-metallic materials whose formation is due to the action of heat. Up until the 1950s the most important ceramics were the traditional clays—made into pottery, bricks, tiles—along with cements and glass.
Technical ceramics have long been an important feature in our lives. Many household appliances would not be able to function without ceramic insulating elements. Insulators, fuses and circuit-breaker components made of technical ceramics are essential to a safe and reliable power supply. Ceramic substrates and components form the basis for a broad range of devices and subassemblies in all fields of electronics, while ceramic seals and regulator discs ensure a wear-free operation and proper sealing in many valves and household water taps. These few examples illustrate the important role played by technical ceramics in the world today. Since these ceramic components are parts of larger functional units in plant and equipment, machinery and motor vehicles, they are not usually highly visible. As a result, we rely on technical ceramics in our everyday life but are rarely aware of their presence.
What is polishing?
Polishing is the process of creating a smooth surface. Often the objective is to create a shiny surface that looks very appealing, as in the metal polishing of a motorbike or a cooking pot. For metallic medical instruments the polished surface removes any minute grooves or surface imperfections where bacteria could easily grow. Household cleaners are formulated to remove stains from porcelain or other materials, while automotive polishes return a finish to its original luster. Stones are polished to enhance their natural beauty, while our teeth are polished to give them a whiter appearance. And for all these needs, Polishing Aluminas are widely utilized and valued. Alumina, with a Mohs' hardness of 9, is second only to diamond on the hardness scale, and is able to polish many softer materials.
What is a flame retardant polymer?
Flame retardants are materials that inhibit or resist the spread of fire.
Flame retardant chemicals are added to polymer materials to reduce the
flammability of items widely used in industry, offices, homes and transportation
systems. To improve the safety of polymer products the flame retardant
chemical is mixed into the polymer compound during its manufacture. The
flame retarded polymer is then processed into an industrial or consumer
product, such as the wiring system for an automobile, a conveyor belt
for material transfer or the carpeting for your workplace. Aluminum trihydroxide, or
Al(OH)3, is an effective flame retardant and also a smoke suppressant
because it is composed of 34% water, which releases when heated. This
endothermic reaction cools the polymer material to reduce flame spread
and smoke generation.
What is a solid surface & a cast polymer?
Solid surface is a very durable, cast sheet material used for kitchen
and bath countertops and for tub and shower surrounds. Made of acrylic
or polyester polymer mixes, it is cast into typically a ½ inch
sheet that can be machined with standard woodworking tools. Solid surface
sheets can be solid color or composed of chips of material in varied colors
to give a mottled, multi-colored design. It is non-porous, providing stain
and chemical-resistance as well as prohibiting bacterial growth. Aluminum
trihydroxide or comprises near 65% of the solid surface and provides both
aesthetics and functionality, adding an opaqueness and fire-resistance
to the product.
Cast polymers include solid surface as well as cultured marble, cultured
granite and cultured onyx. The "cultured" family of products
has the look of genuine marble, granite or onyx, and is usually manufactured
with a high-gloss coating, called a "gel coat", applied during
the manufacturing process to become an integral part of the cultured product.
Cultured consumer products include integral vanities, bathtubs, and whirlpool
baths. Alumina trihydroxide is utilized to provide a translucency to the
finished products, enriching their natural-like appearance.
What is paper filling & coating?
To produce paper wood chips are pressure-cooked with a mixture of water and chemicals in a digester. The pulp is washed, refined, cleaned and sometimes bleached, then turned to slush in the beater. Color dyes, coatings and other additives are mixed in and the pulp slush is pumped onto a moving wire screen. It is at this step that aluminum trihydroxide may be added as a filler to provide improved paper brightness, greater opacity and a smoother, glossier paper surface. As the pulp travels down the screen, water is drained away and recycled. The resulting crude paper sheet, or web, is squeezed between large rollers to remove most of the remaining water and ensure smoothness and uniform thickness. The semidry web is then run through heated dryer rollers to remove even more water. The dried paper may then require a coating to improve the surface finish of the final product. Almatis' Hydral® Coat products are a paper coating additive specifically designed to improve the paper surface, particularly the rheology and optical properties.
What is paint?
Paint consists of pigments suspended in a liquid medium, for use as decorative or protective coatings. Today, contemporary paints and coatings consist of countless compounds uniquely formulated to fulfill the varied requirements of hundreds of thousands of applications. "Paint" ranges from the broad group of environmentally-sound latex paints that many consumers use to decorate and protect their homes and the translucent coatings that line the interior of food containers, to the chemically-complex, multi-component finishes that automobile manufacturers apply on the assembly line. Aluminum trihydroxide is a spacer and extender for a broad range of paint or coating types, including solvent-based, water-based, powder coatings, inks and UV curable coatings. In spacing or extending the titanium dioxide pigment content of the paint or coating, aluminum hydroxide reduces the cost without impacting color or gloss.