In the company ETI Elektroelement d.o.o. we produce a variety of ceramic products from various silicate ceramic materials such as porcelain, steatite and cordierite. These products are mainly used for insulation in electrical engineering. The so-called "ETI fuses" can be found everywhere, at home in a house or block of flats, in industrial plants, in cars, trains, trams, in power lines, transformers, in the field of photovoltaics and other renewable sources.
One of the key processes in the preparation of silicate technical ceramics is sintering. By sintering, ceramic products are hardened, they gain mechanical strength, resistance to temperature shocks, while developing a microstructure and other characteristic properties. The master's thesis was carried out in a development environment, based on the results of studies and published research, with the aim of optimizing the sintering of steatite ceramics. Based on the analysis of the research results, we decided to conduct laboratory experiments with the addition of boron oxide to steatite ceramics. Boron oxide was added in the form of boric acid, which acts as a melt in the mixture, as it has a lower melting point than the other components and thus enables sintering at a lower temperature. We wanted to check the final properties of such a ceramic material with the laboratory analyses. The results confirmed the technical quality of the ceramic material, but this confirmation does not yet allow the transition to the production phase. The biggest obstacle is the price of boric acid, which according to pre-calculations represents an excessive cost and would create an excessively high own price, as a result the sales price on the market for current products would not be competitive.
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