Ceramic Fluffing Knife
Ceramic Fluffing Knife is a component consisted in high-speed
cigarette machines for fluffing tipping paper so that they can be
glued better and thus connected better to the cigarette rod.
Material
A ceramic knife is a knife designed with a ceramic blade typically
made from zirconium dioxide (ZrO2; also known as zirconia). These
knife blades are usually produced through the dry-pressing and
firing of powdered zirconia using solid-state sintering. It is 8.5
on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, compared to 4.5 for normal
steel and 7.5 to 8 for hardened steel and 10 for diamond. The
resultant blade has a hard edge that stays sharper for longer when
compared to conventional steel knives. Whilst the edge is harder
than a steel knife, it is less tough and thus more brittle. The
ceramic blade is sharpened by grinding the edges with a
diamond-dust-coated grinding wheel.
Zirconium oxide
Zirconium oxide is used due to its polymorphism. It exists in three
phases: monoclinic, tetragonal and cubic. Cooling to the monoclinic
phase after sintering causes a large volume change, which often
causes stress fractures in pure zirconia. Additives such as
magnesia, calcia and yttria are used in the manufacture of the
knife material to stabilize the high-temperature phases and
minimize this volume change. The highest strength and toughness is
produced by the addition of 3 mol% yttrium oxide yielding partially
stabilized zirconia. This material consists of a mixture of
tetragonal and cubic phases with a bending strength of nearly 1,200
MPa. Small cracks allow phase transformations to occur, which
essentially close the cracks and prevent catastrophic failure,
resulting in a relatively tough ceramic material, sometimes known
as TTZ (transformation-toughened zirconia).
Sharpening And General Care
A diamond dust sharpener with cradle for a ceramic knife.
Unlike a traditional steel blade that benefits from regular honing
and resharpening in order to keep a sharp edge, a ceramic knife
will stay sharp and retain its cutting edge for much longer—up to
10x longer according to some tests. The inherent hardness of the
ceramic material also makes it more difficult for the consumer to
resharpen. Although a ceramic knife therefore does not need regular
sharpening in the same way as steel, its blade edge will eventually
degrade or chip and lose its cutting edge, at which point
specialized sharpening services are required for the ceramic edge.
Port of Departure:
For goods of lesser amount and weight, or goods we have in stock,
usually they get loaded on board via Guangzhou custom. That is, if
you order several pieces of machine accessories of regular
specifications, more likely than not your cargo will depart from
Guangzhou custom.
For larger orders, unless requested otherwise, shipments will set
sail from the nearest port of the manufacturing plant(s). Our
plants locates mostly in mainland China, while our suppliers
worldwide. So it is possible you will have cargoes from any port of
mainland China, India, Laos or even Europe.
