Overview

Initially, EA launched a range of alumina abrasive powders for the air blasting, rock and metal etching industries. Product testing showed that this comminuted recycled material was a more effective blasting agent than standard fused alumina grains and produced results similar to that obtained with harder and more costly silicon carbide and garnets. The increased cutting ability is attributed to the way EA’s fused alumina ceramics fracture when crushed with EA’s patented comminution process.

In addition to abrasive grains EA also produces a range of white, fused alumina powders, all of which are produced simultaneously during the comminution process. The distribution of grain and powder sizing ranges from 10 to 1000 mesh, equivalent to 2000 to 5 microns respectively.

The original and most easily conceptualized market was the abrasive grain market for industrial cleaning and etching. Environmental Abrasives has pursued and experimented in this market for the past 3 years. The other market sectors shown above are uniquely different however, in most instances they also require some of the techniques and products from the abrasive grain market. The abrasive grain market is a commodity market with a vast range products and prices generally from cheap, cents per pound, to moderate, 1 to 2 dollars per pound. This market is mostly price and volume driven except when environmental regulations for open air blasting, media recycling or silica contamination are imposed. Environmental Abrasives has pursued and acquired Californian Air Regulatory Board, CARB, certification for its products and has no free silica as a component of it grains or powders.

Alumina Plasma Spray Powders

The aerospace industry was one of the initial users of ceramic coatings and use in engines is a potential growth area. According to Foresight Science & Technology Inc., the ceramic coating market is growing at a healthy 6% rate and new coating opportunities are emerging. This trend they forecast will continue for a period of approximately 10 years. Additionally, Frost and Sullivan states that the worldwide demand for structural ceramics has been and is continuing to grow largely driven by demand for high performance materials for electronics. Ceramic coating materials are moving into newer, more cost sensitive, high volume applications such as automotive. Based on the testing completed under its EPA, SBIR Phase 1 investigation, EA has determined that its powders for plasma spray coatings perform on par with other commercially comparable powders. Because of the differing yet high quality chemistry of EA’s powders, qualification within industry is one of the major barriers to entry into the powder market.

Alumina Ceramic Adhesive Grains

Where the plasma spray coatings are ideally targeted towards higher technology industries and light duty abrasion and protection, ceramic adhesives are targeted towards heavy duty impact, abrasion and corrosion protection. Environmental Abrasives’ roots are founded deep in the heavy construction and mining industries. EA is a spin-off of a medium sized heavy highway construction company in Boise, ID and utilizes its contacts to continually develop and test its products in real in service applications. Late in 2003 EA began to sell its coarse grains to two different companies for use in ceramic adhesives. EA’s grains were utilized to replace previously used alumina spheres based on price and the morphology and roughness of the grain surfaces. Unlike the plasma spray industry, specifications for purity of grains and powders are often second to price and performance. Environmental Abrasives collects and processes only high quality engineered alumina scrap and EA’s abrasive grains, alumina fillers and powders all maintain the quality inherent in those quality raw materials.