How Are Ceramic Knives Made?
Ceramic Knives: Quality Manufacturing Techniques
When we make use of great products, it can be more enriching if we know how they are manufactured. Interestingly, Wilson Cutlery is at the forefront of create wholesome Ceramic Knives. A general understanding would be given before we go into specifics on this subject.
A General Guide on the Manufacture of Ceramic Knives
The first question we need to address is - How are ceramic knives made? It’s no easy task, but with today’s technology, it seems easy. The process is a mixture of old school techniques combined with a bit of modern technology.
The raw materials (mostly water and ceramic powder), are mixed in a drum, not the musical instrument but something similar to a sealed cement mixer. This part of the process creates uniform particles. The more uniform in size, the harder the material can be pressed. The liquid mixture is then sprayed onto a flat surface and then dried. Once all the liquid is gone, only a fine powder remains. This is the base for the ceramic knife blade.
The fine powder is then poured into a knife shape mold. The mold is then pressed to over 10,000 psi. The pressure turns the powder into a solid piece which will eventually become the ceramic blade.
The blade is then removed from the mold and fired in a kiln at around 1400 degrees Celsius. This is a similar process to use to fire traditional ceramics except a more controlled temperature setting is used here. During this process the knife will shrink about 1/4 its original size. The material becomes very dense and super hard.
The edge is then sharpened using a diamond coated sharpening wheel, a handle is attached to the end and you have yourself a ceramic knife.
The differences you will find in the hardness of a ceramic knife is usually due to changes in 2 variables, the amount of pressure that is used and the amount of heat. More pressure and a more precise temperature will result in a higher quality material.
How sharp the knife is boils down to how much time and effort is put in during the sharpening process. If the ceramic material is of high quality, the manufacturer can sharpen the edge a lot finer without the risk of chipping. If the material is not hard enough, the manufacturer will usually refrain from sharpening it too much due to the risk of lowering its durability.
Although most ceramic knives look the same, they are not all created the same. There are many high quality ceramic knives on the market, but there are also a lot of low quality ceramic knives too.
The raw materials (mostly water and ceramic powder), are mixed in a drum, not the musical instrument but something similar to a sealed cement mixer. This part of the process creates uniform particles. The more uniform in size, the harder the material can be pressed. The liquid mixture is then sprayed onto a flat surface and then dried. Once all the liquid is gone, only a fine powder remains. This is the base for the ceramic knife blade.
The fine powder is then poured into a knife shape mold. The mold is then pressed to over 10,000 psi. The pressure turns the powder into a solid piece which will eventually become the ceramic blade.
The blade is then removed from the mold and fired in a kiln at around 1400 degrees Celsius. This is a similar process to use to fire traditional ceramics except a more controlled temperature setting is used here. During this process the knife will shrink about 1/4 its original size. The material becomes very dense and super hard.
The edge is then sharpened using a diamond coated sharpening wheel, a handle is attached to the end and you have yourself a ceramic knife.
The differences you will find in the hardness of a ceramic knife is usually due to changes in 2 variables, the amount of pressure that is used and the amount of heat. More pressure and a more precise temperature will result in a higher quality material.
How sharp the knife is boils down to how much time and effort is put in during the sharpening process. If the ceramic material is of high quality, the manufacturer can sharpen the edge a lot finer without the risk of chipping. If the material is not hard enough, the manufacturer will usually refrain from sharpening it too much due to the risk of lowering its durability.
Although most ceramic knives look the same, they are not all created the same. There are many high quality ceramic knives on the market, but there are also a lot of low quality ceramic knives too.
Zirconia Knife (Ceramic Knife) |
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Some Basic Facts about Production:
Almost all of us use knifes in the kitchen every day. Basically, knifes are made up of very tough ceramic material and in many cases zirconium dioxide (also known as zirconia) is used. The method of production is somehow simple as dry zirconia powder is pressed and then fired through solid-state sintering. After this process, the resultant blade is sharpened by the help of diamond-dust-coated grinding wheel. The edges of resultant blades are naturally very hard due to the hardness of zirconia itself which is 8.5 on Mohs scale. Therefore, the knife needs sharpening often.
Why Zirconia is used?
Zirconia (Zirconium dioxide) is used because of its polymorphism. In the production phase of knife, depending on the manufacturer, not only the pure zirconia is used as ceramic material, but there are some other materials like magnesium and calcium which are also used in step of high-temperature stabilization. The ceramic properties of zirconia are already quite favorable for the process of making knife. However, the manufacturer can achieve even a better quality of the end product if he maintains a good quality throughout the process and uses appropriate methods of production. This improved quality product is called TTZ (transformation toughened zirconia). This TTZ surely proves to be best among all the knife materials.
Properties:
There are several useful properties of ceramic knives which are as follows:
• Zirconia knifes are non-magnetic and do not corrode in harsh environments.
• If you are using zirconia knife at room temperature, it will surely conduct electricity.
• It is resistant to strong acids and caustic substances as well.
• These knifes have ability to retain the sharp cutting edge longer than the other metal knifes.
• Zirconia knife is the best when used to cut meat, vegetables, fruits and bread. However, it works well only with soft materials because it may get damaged if used to cut any frozen or hard substance.
• Zirconia knifes are non-magnetic and do not corrode in harsh environments.
• If you are using zirconia knife at room temperature, it will surely conduct electricity.
• It is resistant to strong acids and caustic substances as well.
• These knifes have ability to retain the sharp cutting edge longer than the other metal knifes.
• Zirconia knife is the best when used to cut meat, vegetables, fruits and bread. However, it works well only with soft materials because it may get damaged if used to cut any frozen or hard substance.
Conclusion:
Although the above properties show that these knifes are the best and safe for use, but there are important precautions you must take to avoid any possible harm or damage.
For that, keep in mind that:
• Zirconia knifes are not easily detected by any metal detector. This increases its potential security risks in situations where you are not allowed to have any weapons.
• They are very sensitive and may break if slipped. However, some manufacturers have already solved this problem by making strong coating material for knives.
What makes the Wilson Cutlery Ceramic Knives unique?
The Wilson cutlery uses the highest manufacturing procedure and it is designed in a State of the art facility. The Ceramic blades undergo up to 200 tons of pressure to a very pure and high quality Zirconium Oxide powder application. The next step is to use the Cold Isostatic pressing process to create a robust, strong and highly resistant Ceramic Kitchen Knife. You cannot beat the offerings on Wilson Cutlery. It gives sharp cuts and the edges are superb. The investment in this product is worth its weight in gold.
After the initial stages, our Knives are put in a special precision-based high-tech sintering kiln for a minimum of 4 days. The temperatures in this sintering Kiln is set at over 1500°C utilizing a precise temperature control process for no deviation. The result is that we have the right density, greater consistency, superior uniformity when weighed against what you find with the competition.
• The edge of all Wilson Cutlery Blades is hand polished by professional craftsmen. Their thorough application controls the edge angle within 11°-13°. The cutting edge angle is placed at 35°-42°. This makes any blade you find at Wilson Cutlery stronger than what the competition gives.
• Each of our products goes through a rigorous multi-step inspection and quality control procedure before shipment. We give a total of 30 days of specialized attention, precision manufacturing techniques and expert hand polishing to create a single knife. That’s a lot of work, but we feel it shows in the product we produce.
For that, keep in mind that:
• Zirconia knifes are not easily detected by any metal detector. This increases its potential security risks in situations where you are not allowed to have any weapons.
• They are very sensitive and may break if slipped. However, some manufacturers have already solved this problem by making strong coating material for knives.
What makes the Wilson Cutlery Ceramic Knives unique?
The Wilson cutlery uses the highest manufacturing procedure and it is designed in a State of the art facility. The Ceramic blades undergo up to 200 tons of pressure to a very pure and high quality Zirconium Oxide powder application. The next step is to use the Cold Isostatic pressing process to create a robust, strong and highly resistant Ceramic Kitchen Knife. You cannot beat the offerings on Wilson Cutlery. It gives sharp cuts and the edges are superb. The investment in this product is worth its weight in gold.
After the initial stages, our Knives are put in a special precision-based high-tech sintering kiln for a minimum of 4 days. The temperatures in this sintering Kiln is set at over 1500°C utilizing a precise temperature control process for no deviation. The result is that we have the right density, greater consistency, superior uniformity when weighed against what you find with the competition.
• The edge of all Wilson Cutlery Blades is hand polished by professional craftsmen. Their thorough application controls the edge angle within 11°-13°. The cutting edge angle is placed at 35°-42°. This makes any blade you find at Wilson Cutlery stronger than what the competition gives.
• Each of our products goes through a rigorous multi-step inspection and quality control procedure before shipment. We give a total of 30 days of specialized attention, precision manufacturing techniques and expert hand polishing to create a single knife. That’s a lot of work, but we feel it shows in the product we produce.