Date: Apr 15, 2013 Source: MDA (
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Today Japan is the primary manufacturer of silicon-carbide (SiC) fiber, which is not only very costly, but often of uneven quality. A domestic source of high-quality SiC would be highly desirable for the U.S. technical sector. MATECH (Westlake, CA), through its work in the MDA SBIR program, has found a way to produce ultra-high-temperature (UHT) ceramic-matrix composites, some of which benefit from the use of SiC and silicon carbide/silicon nitride (SiNC) ceramic fibers, using domestic raw materials and completing the manufacturing process "under one roof" in its California facility.
Silicon, one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and carbon, ranking fourth place in our galaxy, can combine to make a very strong and extremely heat-resistant material. Used in ceramic-matrix composites SiC fibers offer considerable advantages over metal alloys that are used in high-temperature environments such as jet turbines. The composites are less dense than structural metals, which in similar applications must often be alloyed with expensive rare-earth metals to provide comparable strength and heat resistance.
MATECH claims that its SiC lacks trace contaminants that plague currently available SiC fibers—and that it is also less costly to manufacture.
MATECH, founded in 1989, now has 16 full-time employees and annual revenue near $3 million. The company offers a range of solutions, from in-house synthesis of pre-ceramic polymers to fabrication of ceramic-matrix composite components. MATECH leaders continue to seek commercialization partnerships for the company's fiber and ceramic-matrix composite technologies.
