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Zirconia is one of the toughest of ceramics, mechanically strong and resistant to fracture. It is not purely its strength however that makes it a popular material, the fact that it can be precision shaped to a sharp edge, thanks to a fine particle structure, makes it ideal for many tooling and cutting applications.

There are two predominant types of Zirconia used by Morgan Technical Ceramics. The first is magnesia partially stabilised Zirconia (Z500), which has magnesium oxide added to its composition, the second is Yttria partially stabilised Zirconia (Z900), which has calcium oxide or Yttria added to the composition. These stabilisers are added in order to induce what is called “transformation toughening” a process which changes the tetragonal structure of the Zirconia to give it the desired properties.

Magnesia Partially Stabilised Zirconia Z500

This tetragonal structure of this material can be controlled by altering the amount of stabiliser. For example, the addition of around 3.5% Magnesium Oxide into the Zirconia composition creates an end material that exhibits significantly improved strength and toughness, even at elevated temperatures. Magnesia partially stabilised Zirconia is also a cheaper option, although the grain size is larger making it less suitable for blade and cutting applications.

Magnesia partially stabilised Zirconia (Z500) contains 96.5% combined ZrO2 & HfO2 and an additional 3.5% of MgO.

Yttria Partially Stabilised Zirconia Z900

Yttria partially stabilised Zirconia, also named Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal (TZP) in contrast to Z500 has an extremely fine grain structure. This, combined with its near 100% tetragonal structure gives it properties such as exceptional crack and fracture resistance and high toughness at room temperature. This fine grain structure also makes Z900 suitable for use as cutting blades although the material can degrade in temperatures between 200⁰C-500⁰C.

Yttria partially stabilised Zirconia is made up of 94% combined ZrO2 & HfO2 and5.4% Y2O3 and O.25 Al2O3.

Morgan Technical Ceramics is able to produce bespoke components using Zirconia. Working with clients, prototype components can be designed to ensure they meet the application demands. These prototypes can then be manufactured in batch or high volumes depending upon clients needs. Components are manufactured using pressing or machining processes for precision products, but grinding and polishing processes are also used.

If you are interested in how the properties of Magnesia or Yttria partially stabilised Zirconia could be used in your industry or have a specific application where either material could be used, please contact us today.