Synthetic sapphire, also known as synthetic corundum, is a versatile material with various applications due to its exceptional hardness, transparency, and thermal properties. It is best known for its chemical inertness, capable of withstanding a diverse array of fluids without undergoing corrosion or degradation.
All these properties guarantee prolonged service life, minimizing the necessity for frequent replacements. It is used in the watchmaking industry, the optical instruments and laser systems industry and the medical device makers just to name a few.
Watchmaking Industry
Synthetic sapphire has revolutionized the watchmaking industry, particularly in watch crystal production. Overall, it has become the material of choice in the luxury watchmaking industry due to its combination of scratch resistance, transparency, durability, and aesthetic appeal. It has played a significant role in elevating the quality and performance of modern timepieces.
In addition to being scratch-resistant, synthetic sapphire crystals can withstand impacts and shocks that would damage or shatter other types of watch crystals, providing long-term protection for the watch movement.
These crystals also contribute to the water resistance of watches. When properly sealed, they prevent water from entering the watch case and damaging the internal components, making them essential for dive watches and other water-resistant timepieces.
Companies like Pierhor-Gasser manufacture micro-machined jewel counter-pivots, olive glazes and support stones for precision mechanical watches, as well as any other type of custom synthetic sapphire that a watchmaker may require for their products.
Optical Components and Laser Systems
Synthetic sapphire crystals are optically clear, with high transparency and minimal distortion. Its high optical quality and transparency make this material ideal for optical windows, lenses, and prisms in various industries, including aerospace, medical devices, and scientific instruments.
It is used as a component in high-power laser systems due to its ability to withstand high temperatures and its excellent optical properties.
Synthetic sapphire is also utilized in medical laser systems for various applications, including dermatology, ophthalmology, and cosmetic surgery.
High-Pressure Chambers & Nozzles
Sapphire, the second-hardest mineral in existence, is an exceptionally durable, robust, and economically viable material for waterjet cutting and blasting nozzles. Sapphire nozzles are crafted with meticulous attention to detail and manufactured to precise tolerances. They undergo a specialized polishing process, ensuring consistent quality, high performance, and prolonged lifespan in waterjet applications.
Sapphire nozzles are particularly renowned for their precise fluid dispensing which is why they are crucial in industries where controlled fluid dispensing is needed such as printing and precise waterjet systems.
Medical Devices
Interestingly, the same qualities that make synthetic sapphire ideal for watch component production also make them highly appropriate for implementation in the MedTech sector. Those properties include hardness and mechanical resilience (ranging from 1,200 to 2,000 Vickers), good thermal conductivity, low friction coefficient, chemical inertness, outstanding wear resistance, ensuring they remain intact without disintegration or cracking over time, as well as electrical insulation characteristics.
Synthetic sapphire is used in various medical devices, including endoscopes manufacturing, which are medical devices used for minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical procedures. It can also be found in the construction of surgical instruments, such as scalpels and tweezers. Highly durable and resistant to wear, sapphire tips are suitable for use in delicate surgical procedures. In dentistry, synthetic sapphire is applied during the making of various instruments and tools, including dental probes, scalers, and explorers.
This material has also become a significant part of medical implants due to its biocompatibility and chemical inertness. For example, sapphire is one of the materials used in feedthroughs usually implemented in innovative medical devices such as cochlear implants.