Zirconia Ceramics (ZrO₂) — Medical, Wear & Precision Parts

Precision machined zirconia ceramic components

Material Overview

The Toughest Technical Ceramic

Tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) transforms its crystal structure at a crack tip under load, absorbing energy in the same way toughened steels do. The result is a ceramic with flexural strength above 900 MPa — several times that of alumina — plus a surface so smooth and inert that human tissue accepts it.

Flexural strength 900–1200 MPa, fracture toughness KIC 8–10 MPa·m½
Hardness 1250–1350 HV with naturally low friction against steel
Excellent bio-compatibility — widely used for dental and implant devices
Good plasma and alkali resistance for equipment components
Available in white, black and zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) variants

Typical Properties

Zirconia Technical Data

Property (typical)	DA-ZY (Y-TZP)	DA-ZTA (ZTA)
Bulk density (g/cm³)	6.05	4.1–4.3
Flexural strength (MPa)	900–1200	600–800
Fracture toughness (MPa·m½)	8–10	5–7
Hardness (HV)	1250–1350	1450–1600
Thermal conductivity (W/m·K)	2–3	≈ 9
C.T.E. (10⁻⁶/K, 20–1000 °C)	10.5	8.5
Max. service temperature (°C)	≈ 1000	≈ 1400

Typical values for reference; custom specifications and full test reports available on request.

Product Series by Application

Zirconia Components by Industry

Medical & Dental

Implants & Instruments

Dental crowns, bridges and abutments, orthopedic joint interfaces, bone screws, surgical scissors, tweezers and Tweezer-style instruments with mirror-polished surfaces.

Cutting & Slitting

Blades & Knives

Slitter blades, cutting knives and edge tools that keep a razor edge without corrosion or metallic contamination — ideal for film, foil, paper and food processing.

Fluid Systems

Pump & Valve Components

Plungers, plungers sleeves, valve balls and seats, and metering-pump parts for high-pressure, abrasive and chemically aggressive media.

Precision Mechanics

Bearings, Balls & Ferrules

Fully dense precision balls (G5–G10), hybrid bearing rings and optical-fiber ferrules with roundness and surface finish measured to international standards.

Semiconductor & Equipment

Equipment Wear Parts

Plasma-resistant guide rollers, wafer-handling contact parts, insulating pins and low-particle wear components where metallic contamination is unacceptable.

Automotive & Sensors

Sensor & Engine Parts

Oxygen-sensor elements, knock-sensor substrates, fuel-pump parts and locking-system components exploiting zirconia's ionic and dielectric properties.

Real Product Photos

Zirconia Product Gallery

Actual production parts from our facility — send us your drawing or target application and we will quote the same.

Zirconia ceramic insulating tubes and sleeves — Insulating tubes & sleeves

Zirconia ceramic screws pins and needles — Screws, pins & guide needles

Zirconia ceramic threaded insulators and connectors — Threaded insulators & connectors

Fine ground zirconia micro components — Fine-ground micro components

Zirconia ceramic pump and fan impeller — Pump & fan impellers

Zirconia ceramic bushings nuts and threaded fittings — Bushings, nuts & threaded fittings

Y-TZP zirconia grinding beads and media — Y-TZP grinding beads & media

Zirconia ceramic rods tubes and shafts — Rods, tubes & shafts

Zirconia ceramic perforated discs and formers — Perforated discs & formers

Custom machined zirconia ceramic assemblies — Custom machined assemblies

Frequently Asked Questions

Zirconia Ceramic Questions, Answered

Why choose zirconia instead of alumina?

Toughness. Y-TZP zirconia reaches 8–10 MPa·m½ fracture toughness against roughly 3–4 for alumina, so it survives impact, bending and point loading that would chip or crack an alumina part. It also polishes to a smoother surface with lower friction, which is why it is chosen for cutting blades, slitters, pump plungers, valve seats and precision balls.

Is your zirconia suitable for medical and dental applications?

Yes. We machine bio-compatible yttria-stabilised zirconia components for dental and surgical use — crown and bridge frameworks, abutments, surgical scissors and bone-screw blanks — from medical-grade powder. Final medical-device qualification remains the device manufacturer's responsibility; we supply the ceramic component and its material documentation.

What about low-temperature degradation (ageing) of zirconia?

Zirconia can slowly lose toughness in warm, humid conditions through a tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation. We control it by using the correct yttria content, achieving a dense fine-grained microstructure and keeping grain size under control during sintering. Tell us the service environment and we will match the grade — for long-term hydrothermal duty we would normally recommend a different material altogether.

Can you make zirconia cutting blades and slitters?

Yes — ceramic slitting blades, film and foil knives and industrial blades ground to a sharp, burr-free edge. Zirconia blades outlast steel in abrasive or corrosive media and eliminate metal contamination, which matters for battery, film and food-contact production lines.

How does zirconia compare with tool steel and alumina in hardness?

Zirconia sits at roughly 1250–1350 HV; hardened tool steel is about 700–800 HV, and ZTA/alumina is higher at around 1450–1600 HV. Zirconia's advantage is not raw hardness but the combination of high hardness with high toughness and low friction, which is what stops a blade chipping.

Zirconia Ceramics (ZrO₂, Y-TZP)