Committed To Quality, Committed To You
In the realm of modern electronics, electro-ceramic substrates are the backbone powering everything from cell phones to electric vehicles. These are actually thin, highly precise layers of ceramics that serve as the basic structure of circuit boards, capacitors, and many advanced energy storage systems. However, there is multitasking complexity behind their mere face value: any microscopic defects can mean most devasting consequences.
The electronics industry’s relentless push toward miniaturization has created an unprecedented demand for substrate materials with exceptional purity, dimensional stability, and uniform particle distribution. One batch of contaminated or poorly screened ceramic powders will translate into countless million dollars of product failures. This brings particle size control and impurity removal beyond merely important manufacturing steps into the very factors of success, distinguishing the leaders in the industry from the followers.
Electro-ceramic substrate manufacturing comes with very peculiar screening challenges that push traditional filtration techniques to their limits. The industry demands ultra-fine particle specifications, often requiring uniform distribution below 20 microns a tolerance finer than human hair diameter. As mentioned previously, conventional screening filtration technology seems to function well for less demanding applications.
The ceramic slurries for making substrates normally have a solids content of more than 50%: their viscosity resembles a heavy paste, and such substances clog conventional filter media within minutes. These high-density slurries are essential for achieving the structural integrity required in finished substrates, but they create a screening nightmare for production teams.
Perhaps most critically, the formation of soft agglomerates and the presence of even trace amounts of oversize particles can wreak havoc downstream. Imagine a scenario in which the ceramic tape casting line is up and running at full speed when one barely visible particle scratches the doctor blade. Then, the next few hours, the batch is contaminated and streaking defects become evident. The entire batch will be scrapped and result in a shutdown of production. All the cost and quality implications of process failures must be acknowledged too. Screening failures may seem minimal events to production scheduling batch and customer relationship, but as much as product quality is important in this industry, delivery timelines are equally important.
Vibro Separators equipped with Ultrasonic technology have emerged as the solution to these persistent challenges. Unlike static filtration systems, in principle, these advanced separators utilize the ultrasonic energy of very high frequency to curb the mesh blinding that is the main drawback of conventional screening methods.
The ultrasonic sivtek generates microscopic vibrations directly on the screen mesh, creating a self-cleaning action that maintains consistent separation efficiency even with the most challenging ceramic slurries. This technology enables reliable screening down to 10-20 microns while handling the high solids content that would overwhelm conventional filters within the first hour of operation.
The real breakthrough lies in how ultrasonic energy addresses soft agglomerates, those loosely bound particle clusters that form naturally in ceramic powders during storage and transport. While traditional screens either pass these agglomerates through (contaminating the final product) or become blocked by them (stopping production), with combination of ultrasonic sivtek and vibro separators gently deblind the mesh and remove oversize particles as well.
This measure will result in slurries with superior flow properties and particle distribution ending up at downstream processes such as tape casting and slot-die coating. The outcome is less stressful processing, longer life of production equipment and above all substrates with the uniform microstructure that are prerequisite to reliable electronic performance.
In practice, Sivtek vibro separators with ultrasonic sivtek have revolutionized several critical stages of electro-ceramic manufacturing. They are best in the screening of alumina, zirconia, and titania powders in the initial powder-preparation phase; those powders are building blocks for most ceramic substrates. Their ability to handle dry powders without generating dust clouds while maintaining precise particle size control has made them indispensable in modern ceramic processing facilities.
The technology is just as useful in slurry check screening during which ceramic suspensions are checked for the final quality control prior to tape casting and precision coating. Here, the separator serves as the last line of defense against contamination, ensuring that only properly sized and dispersed particles reach the forming equipment.
Quality assurance teams have discovered another critical application: pre-sintering screening to eliminate defect-causing contaminants before the high-temperature firing process. As defects caused by sintering are irreversible and expensive to repair, such preventive screening step has become a common practice at major ceramic manufacturing installations.
The electro-ceramics industry stands at the threshold of unprecedented growth, with the applications offered by 5G communications, electric vehicle infrastructure, and renewable energy systems. To satisfy such demand, the good should not just perform adequately but be of high reliability and scalable.
An ultrasonic Sivtek together with Sivtek vibro separators is the new generation of process equipment designed to meet tomorrow’s process challenges while solving today’s production bottlenecks. They offer the precision, consistency, and operational efficiency that modern ceramic manufacturers need to stay competitive in an increasingly demanding marketplace.
Ready to eliminate screening bottlenecks and achieve consistent substrate quality?
Find out how Galaxy Sivtek’s Vibro Separators with Ultrasonic Sivtek technology can enhance your ceramic processing operation. We can provide the quality levels of consistency and reliability your processing and customers deserve as there will not be a single out of specification substrate produced.
