Schott’s Zerodur and Corning’s ULE glass-ceramics were developed to achieve an almost unmeasurable change in dimension over large temperature change. Typical applications include space optics, instruments and laser gyroscopes.

Zerodur® (Schott Glass)
Zerodur® is a glass ceramic with an extremely low thermal expansion coefficient.
Zerodur is a glass ceramic made by Schott Glass that is designed and formulated to exhibit essentially zero thermal expansion over a wide temperature range. This remarkable property is useful where precision parts will face wide thermal conditions in application. An ideal application is as a mirror substrate for astronomical telescopes or ring laser gyroscopes, as well as spacers for some laser assemblies.

Zerodur is an inorganic, nonporous lithium aluminum silicon oxide glass ceramic. It is transparent, but with an amber color. Precision parts are machined using a diamond grinding process and parts can then be optically polished as necessary using chemo-mechanical methods.

Insaco has many years’ experience fabricating precision parts from this material to exacting customer requirements. The material is readily available in slab form, but can be specified from Schott in large sizes weighing many tons. Since Zerodur is a proprietary material, where absolute material properties are critical to the application, it is best to contact the producer’s website directly to understand availability.

Production is a complicated process requiring melting, casting, annealing, and controlled volume crystallization. For smaller precision parts, Insaco is able to source commercial material in its best form and then fabricate it to customer requirements. We are also willing and able to fabricate from customer supplied material if preferred.

Other Glass Ceramics :
Macor®
Corning ULE®

Insaco Designers Guide
select materials of interest based on what is most important to your application. Once you specify which properties are most important, the "guide" searches our database of materials and presents you with various materials listing the selected properties ranked as you specify and often includes some other materials provided as references.

Watch>>>Ceramic Manufacturing and Machining Process with Insaco, Inc.

Insaco
Insaco has been fabricating precision parts from all technical ceramics since 1947. Approximately a third of our machining involves sapphire, but our capabilities go way beyond that. Insaco engineers welcome inquiries from designers contemplating specifying technical ceramics for their applications, whether prototype or full production. We only ship parts that meet agreed-to requirements, but are often able to respond to challenges and achieve results others cannot.

Watch>>>Precision Fabrication by Design

High Precision Machining of Hard Materials
Since 1947 Insaco® has been a precision machining and polishing fabricator of parts from all technical ceramics, sapphire, glass and quartz. We machine these materials to very precise tolerances (many times measured in millionths of an inch) for dimension, flatness, wedge and roundness or cylindricity. Our customers typically have a critical application that requires extremely tight tolerances in ultra-hard materials. We also have the capability to grind and polish spherical radius parts in a variety of hard materials, both inside and outside diameters, to optical requirements.

features include:

• Extremely high accuracy and tight tolerance machining
• Lights-out manufacturing
• Machine automation including large capacity envelope
• Automated centerless grinding
• High efficiency/low cost volume production
• Low-volume prototype machining
• 5-axis machining capability
• ITAR compliant
• High-volume robotic machining
• Video inspection and a Class 100 Cleanroom
• Extensive Quality Control protocols
• Sapphire tubes and polishing

Insaco
Insaco has been fabricating precision parts from all technical ceramics since 1947. Approximately a third of our machining involves sapphire, but our capabilities go way beyond that. Insaco engineers welcome inquiries from designers contemplating specifying technical ceramics for their applications, whether prototype or full production. We only ship parts that meet agreed-to requirements, but are often able to respond to challenges and achieve results others cannot.

Insaco also has extensive inspection and documentation procedures so parts are always to print. With a seasoned team of engineers and machine operators we are available to discuss your application needs including alternative materials and cost drivers. please click here to send a request, or visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. Click here to find out more about our company and our people.

Insaco Brochure