See Service Details

CERAM, the UK based parent company of The M&P Lab, is an international authority on refractory technology. With over 70 years' experience in this field, CERAM offers a full service of research and development, consultancy and testing services, on both the manufacture and the use of refractories to a wide range of industries, either directly or through its subsidiary companies. email us your inquiry...

Testing Scope

CERAM's services cover a broad spectrum of applications of both fired and unfired refractories and can satisfy the special requirements of industries including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, cement, petrochemical and glass. It has a well equipped laboratory dedicated to the testing and evaluation of refractories, used by refractory manufacturers to independently validate their products, furnace and plant designers and builders to test new materials and end users to satisfy themselves that products they may buy meet their quality requirements before taking delivery.

CERAM's capabilities include physical, chemical and mineralogical testing. As well as the wide range of BSEN, ISO and ASTM standard tests, such as Hot Modulus of Rupture, Thermal Conductivity and Expansion, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), we can devise custom tests to meet clients' needs. Combinations of thermal, stress and chemical corrosion can closely simulate service conditions, optimizing refractory selection. We are also able to perform non-standard tests such as Creep Testing, Vapour Attack Testing and specifically for the glass industry, Exudation and Stoning Potential testing and analysis. email us your inquiry...

Consultancy

CERAM provides refractory consultancy services to customers world-wide, ranging from manufacturers and users, OEM's and installers, insurers and loss adjusters, health and safety to commercial and legal enterprises. Consultancy services can include:

• Failure investigation and causal analysis
• Independent site inspection
• Post-mortem analysis
• Refractory improvement planning including evaluation of current refractory materials, components, installation, quality, performance and design
• Auditing of refractory use
• Materials development programs
• Independent validation of products and designs
• Process benchmarking and improvement
• Expert witness reports and investigations

Refractory Training

As part of an integrated consultancy service, we also offer refractory-related training courses. This can be on anything from raw material selection to the repair of furnaces. Courses can be designed with e-training elements, and we can design custom courses to meet clients' specific requirements. email us your inquiry...

Modelling

As part of the consultancy service, CERAM uses mathematical modelling to aid service behaviour, failure investigation, product design, mould design and fabrication. Through computer modelling, real-life conditions can be simulated to calculate and predict the strengths and behaviours of the materials, whether for causal analysis or for design development. email us your inquiry...