Advanced Ceramic Research at Industrial Research Limited

The Industrial Research Limited (IRL) ceramics research programme has activities in electroceramics, advanced refractories and engineering ceramics aimed both at the initiation and development of new manufacturing enterprises and the uptake by New Zealand industry of advanced ceramic technologies. The research team has considerable expertise and experience in sialon ceramics and composites that has underpinned the development of a new advanced refractory manufacturing capability in New Zealand. The team’s capability in engineering ceramics is based on considerable research into new forming techniques and encompasses new ceramic-metal composites. Increasingly the team is prototyping high value added, high performance ceramic bodies with industry partners. A rapidly growing capability in electroceramics has targeted the communications and electronics industry. Current research includes the prototyping of a new design broadband piezoelectric transducer, suitable for application in high definition sonar.