Zirconium Crucibles

Product Description

Overview 

Zirconium crucibles are high-quality high-temperature containers made of high-purity zirconium. They possess excellent corrosion resistance, good thermal shock stability, and a long service life, making them the preferred crucibles for high-purity processes such as precious metal smelting, single crystal growth (e.g., sapphire, YAG), vacuum high-temperature metallurgy, powder sintering, and semiconductor material preparation. They are often used to replace easily contaminated graphite crucibles and expensive platinum crucibles. Our company can provide customers with cost-effective pricing and high-quality customised production services. For more information on ordering details, please contact us via email and WhatsApp.

Zirconium Features

• With excellent high-temperature resistance and a melting point of 1852℃, far exceeding those of common metals such as copper and aluminium, it can withstand the high temperatures of high-temperature smelting, sintering, and purification processes without deforming or melting.
• It exhibits extremely strong chemical stability. At room temperature, a dense zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) protective film forms on the surface of zirconium, preventing further oxidation of the internal metal and remaining unreacted in corrosive media such as strong acids and alkalis.
• Zirconium's density (6.51 g/cm³) is lower than steel's (7.85 g/cm³), resulting in lighter crucibles for the same volume. This reduces the workload for operators and facilitates handling and equipment assembly during production.
• Its good strength and toughness allow it to be easily processed into various shapes and sizes. Under harsh working conditions, its service life is 3-5 times that of ordinary metal crucibles, making it particularly suitable for mass production.
• The purity can reach over 99.5%, and the purity of high-end products even exceeds 99.97%, with extremely low impurity content, which can meet the extremely high purity requirements of electronic materials, aerospace materials, the nuclear industry, and other scenarios.

Zirconium Crucible Specification

Application

1. Precious Metal Smelting and Purification

Used for smelting and purifying platinum group metals and their alloys, maintaining melt purity at over 99.9%. Effectively prevents contamination and metal loss during smelting.

Suitable for melting high-purity metals (e.g., titanium, zirconium alloys) and impurity-sensitive specialty materials, ensuring material purity.

2. Metallurgical Processing

Used for electrolytic refining of non-ferrous metals like high-purity aluminum and copper; composition adjustment and melting of specialty alloys (e.g., high-temperature alloys, corrosion-resistant alloys); vacuum sintering of non-ferrous metal powders (e.g., titanium powder, zirconium powder).

3. Electronics and Semiconductor Materials

Used for melting and crystal growth of compound semiconductor materials like silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge); melt-forming of optical glass and laser crystals (e.g., YAG crystals). High purity prevents impurities from affecting semiconductor device electrical performance, ensuring uniform crystal growth and optical material transparency.

4. Chemical Synthesis Field

Frequently used as high-temperature reaction vessels for highly corrosive chemical reagents; sintering and forming of high-performance ceramics and composite materials. Meets the high-temperature demands of chemical reactions and material sintering, ensuring process stability.

5. Aerospace and Nuclear Industries

Aeroengine components: Serves as an additive in high-temperature alloys to enhance thermal resistance and strength, used in rocket nozzles and protective layers for re-entry vehicles.

Nuclear reactor materials: Pre-treatment of zirconium alloy components for nuclear reactors; sintering and purification of nuclear fuel; separation and preparation of radioactive isotopes.

Processing

① Select sponge zirconium or zirconium ingots with a purity ≥99.5%, and strictly test for impurities such as Fe, Si, C, and N to avoid impurities affecting the crucible's high-temperature resistance and chemical inertness.

② Melt the purified zirconium raw material using vacuum arc melting or electron beam melting to cast it into zirconium rods, zirconium plates, etc., eliminating internal defects such as porosity and looseness, and improving the density of the blanks.

③ Stamping: Cut the zirconium plate blanks into circular plates of suitable size → preheat to 300-400℃ (to improve plasticity and avoid cold working cracking) → place in a stamping die → stamp in one go using a hydraulic press to form the crucible prototype (curved bottom, cylindrical sidewalls).

④ Perform turning and grinding on the formed crucible, focusing on key areas such as the rim, inner wall, and bottom to ensure surface smoothness and flatness.

⑤ Place the finished crucible in a vacuum annealing furnace to eliminate internal stress generated during processing, preventing deformation or cracking due to temperature changes during subsequent use.

⑥ Surface cleaning and polishing remove surface oxide film and processing residue, forming a uniform passivation film and improving corrosion resistance.

⑦ Comprehensive quality control throughout the entire process, including high-temperature pressure testing, mechanical property testing, dimensional accuracy and appearance inspection, etc., to ensure qualified products leave the factory.

Zirconium Crucibles Pictures

Packing

It adopts moisture-proof and oxidation-proof packaging (inner layer is a vacuum plastic bag, outer layer is a wooden packaging box), and has built-in cushioning materials (such as foam and pearl cotton) to avoid collision and deformation during transportation.

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