Ultra-High Vacuum Environments
MACOR® Machinable Glass Ceramic is used as an insulator or coil support and for vacuum feed-throughs. In these applications, the conductive materials are supported by the MACOR® MGC part and a compatible sealing glass is used to produce a vacuum-tight, hermetic seal.
Constant Vacuum Applications
MACOR MGC parts are found in spacers, heaters and windows for microwave tube devices and as sample holders in field ion microscopes.
Aerospace Industry
Over 200 distinctly shaped MACOR® MGC parts can be found on America’s reusable Space Shuttle, Orbiter. Retaining rings of MACOR MGC are used at all hinge points, windows and doors.
Also, large pieces of MACOR® glass ceramic are used in a NASA spaceborne gamma radiation detector. For this application, frame corners are joined by a combination of machined (butt-lap) mechanical joints and a sealing glass.
Nuclear-Related Experiments
Since MACOR MGC is not dimensionally affected by irradiation, small cubes of the material are machined to a tolerance of one micron and used as a reference piece to measure dimensional change in other materials.
Welding Nozzles
Welding equipment manufacturers are using MACOR® MGC as a nozzle on the tips of oxyacetylene torches. The material’s non-wetting characteristic means molten particles won’t adhere to and decrease the effectiveness of the nozzle.
Fixtures
MACOR MGC is used as an electrode support and burner block in several industrial high heat, electrical cutting operations due to its low thermal conductivity and excellent electrical properties.
Medical Equipment
Producers of medical components are intrigued by MACOR® MGC’s inertness, precise machinability and dimensional stability.