Material Guide

Material Properties and Selection Guide

We have summarized the characteristics of ceramics, refractory metals, and other materials handled by Top Seiko, along with key points for material selection.
We hope this guide will support your development.

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Material Selection Proposal

There are many cases where changing the material from the current specification has led to improved product performance, longer service life, higher productivity, and better yield.

Properties	Operating Conditions / Issues	Current Material	Proposed Material
Heat Resistance (High Temperature)	Used in high-temperature environments, resulting in short service life and high cost with the current material Used in high-temperature environments, causing warping and distortion with the current material and leading to poor product accuracy	Heat-Resistant Resin Aluminum Alloys Steel Stainless Steel	Quartz Glass Heat-Resistant Glass Alumina Zirconia Silicon Nitride Molybdenum (Alloys) Tungsten (Alloys)
Low Thermal Expansion	The current material expands at high temperatures, making it difficult to maintain product accuracy Performance (precision) must be maintained even under temperature fluctuations during use	Aluminum Alloys Steel Stainless Steel	Alumina Aluminum Nitride SiC-Based Composites Molybdenum Tungsten
High Thermal Conductivity	The current material has poor thermal conductivity, resulting in long cooling times after high-temperature use The current material transfers heat inefficiently, leading to longer heating times and reduced productivity	Stainless Steel Heat-Resistant Alloys General Ceramics	Molybdenum Tungsten Aluminum Nitride Silicon Carbide MMC (SiC-Based Composites)
High Thermal Conductivity	No electrically insulating material currently used offers both high thermal conductivity and high-temperature capability		Aluminum Nitride
Thermal Shock Resistance (Rapid Heating and Cooling)	Increasing productivity through rapid heating and cooling is desired, but current components and molds warp or crack, making it difficult to improve productivity	Aluminum Alloys Steel Stainless Steel General Ceramics	Silicon Nitride Aluminum Nitride Molybdenum Tungsten
Thermal Insulation (Low Thermal Conductivity)	Used in high-temperature environments, but heat loss leads to variations in product quality	General Ceramics	Zirconia Machinable Ceramics Quartz Glass Heat-Resistant Glass
Wear Resistance (Hardness) / Scratch Resistance	Current components lose accuracy quickly due to wear Existing components have short service life and require frequent replacement Existing components are easily scratched	Hardened Steel General Metals	Alumina Zirconia Silicon Carbide Silicon Nitride Carbide
Wear Resistance (Hardness) / Scratch Resistance	Transparent components are required, but current materials become scratched and cloudy during use	Acrylic Glass	Quartz Glass Sapphire
Chipping and Cracking Resistance (High Toughness)	Ceramics are currently used, but chipping and cracking occur	Alumina	Zirconia Silicon Nitride（系）
Electrical Insulation (High-Temperature Applications)	Need to operate at higher temperatures than current insulating materials allow	Heat-Resistant Resin	Alumina Machinable Ceramics Boron Nitride
Electrical Conductivity (High-Temperature Applications)	Need to operate at higher temperatures than current conductive materials allow	Copper General Metals	Molybdenum Tungsten
High Density	Weight is required, and the goal is to reduce volume compared to current components Achieve greater weight within a smaller volume	General Metals	Tungsten
Lightweight	Large components need to be lightweight by incorporating hollow structures	General Components	Quartz Glass
Corrosion Resistance / Acid and Alkali Resistance	Current components are prone to rust Used in harsh environments, resulting in short service life	General Metals	Quartz Glass Alumina Zirconia
Cost Reduction	Ceramic components require fine machining, but further cost reduction is desired Due to cost constraints, achieving precise and complex geometries is difficult	Alumina Aluminum Nitride Silicon Nitride Silicon Carbide	Machinable Ceramics Machinable Ceramics (Alumina-Based) Machinable Ceramics (Aluminum Nitride-Based) Machinable Ceramics (Silicon Nitride-Based) Machinable Ceramics (Silicon Carbide-Based)

Successful Cases of Material Replacement

There are many cases where changing the material from the current specification has led to improved product performance, longer service life, higher productivity, and improved yield.

Customer	Previous Material	Application	Previous Issues	Our Proposal	Results
Company A (Plastic Parts Manufacturing)	Acrylic	Component for laser welding equipment	Poor heat resistance of acrylic caused burning, requiring polishing twice a week to remove damage	Fused Quartz Glass	Re-polishing is no longer required. In addition, no reduction in transmittance due to burning, allowing lower laser output and improved energy efficiency
Company B (Chemical Components Manufacturing)	Aluminum	Bonding fixture	Thermal deformation occurred at 250°C	Machinable Ceramics	Eliminated thermal distortion, improving bonding yield from 80% to 99%
Company C (Metal Machining)	SKD (Steel)	Cutting tool	Rapid wear due to heat exposure	Zirconia	Achieved longer service life
Company D (Special Camera Manufacturing)	Heavy Metal	Gamma-ray camera	Insufficient density for radiation shielding	Tungsten	Adopted for mass production due to improved shielding performance
Company E (Automotive Components Manufacturing)	Stainless Steel (SUS)	Fixtures and weights for automotive production	Required density ≥17.5 to reduce volume, along with corrosion resistance to chlorine and sulfur	Heavy Metal	Density of 18 achieved, with improved corrosion resistance
Company F (Water Purifier Manufacturing)	Heat-Resistant Resin	Mold for activated carbon forming	Insufficient heat resistance	Alumina 99.5%	Improved productivity after material change
Company G (Welding Equipment Manufacturing)	Copper	Soldering nozzle	Required material with higher heat resistance and thermal conductivity than copper	Composite Ceramics	High thermal conductivity and hardness made it suitable for nozzles
Company H (Touch Panel Manufacturing)	SUS303	Chemical dispensing nozzle	Distortion in slit caused uneven dispensing	Quartz Glass	Low thermal expansion prevented distortion, eliminating variation and extending service life
Company I (Electrical Manufacturer)	Alumina	Heat treatment process	Frequent cracking of alumina fixtures at high temperature	Tungsten	Improved productivity
Company J (Chemical Components Manufacturing)	Stainless Steel (SUS)	Crimping equipment base	Poor thermal conductivity prevented heat transfer to thermocouples, resulting in unstable temperature control and poor crimping performance	Molybdenum	Improved temperature control and crimping performance due to higher thermal conductivity
Company K (Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturer)	Silicon	Wafer heat treatment process	Warping occurred in thin silicon plates due to heat	MMC (SiC 50% + Si 50%)	Increased rigidity eliminated warping
Company L (Analytical Equipment Manufacturer)	Invar	Atmospheric measurement device	Thermal expansion caused unstable measurements at high temperature	Quartz Glass	Low thermal expansion of quartz improved measurement stability at high temperature