What is fused silica?

How is fused silica made?

Fused silica is made of very high purity crystal silica (quartz sand), melted by fusion in electrical arc ovens at temperatures of 1800-2000 ℃ and then cooled sufficiently fast to avoid crystallization and obtain transparent amorphous silica (silicon dioxide). Fused silica emerges from this process in large non-crystalline silica glass blocks, in which the impurities have been almost totally eliminated. The process of separation of the parts of the block are done mainly manually by skilled workers to prepare for the transformation of this fused silica glass into usable grades for different applications.

Transforming high-grade quartz glass into high-performance fused silica grains and powders

Transformation is done by grinding the quartz glass to obtain specially engineered grains or powders, classified in different grades: Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C.

This line of fused silica, referred to as the FS-99 series at Elkem Silicon Products, is mainly used in refractory, ceramic & glass manufacturing, investment casting and in other special applications.

Our fused silica features:

• Consistent chemistry, (minimal impurities, providing excellent hot strength)
• Excellent volume stability, ensuring near-net shape castings
• Low thermal conductivity.
• Total absence of cristobalite
• Extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion
• Controlled particle size distribution

Our fused silica products are sold under the classification of FS-99 in grades A, B and C, supplied according to customer specifications and needs. Please contact Elkem specialists or sales representative, who will advise and assist you in finding the right products to solve your industrial processing requirements.

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