The good material properties of the MLC material result from the patented material mixture.
MLC Metal-Like Ceramics
The choice of components such as rolling and ball bearing variants or linear guides for machine manufacturers is extensive because each machine environment places different demands on the materials. While steel is valued for its easy machinability, it is less suitable in areas subject to corrosion without expensive special alloys. Very high speeds are also only possible to a limited extent with the heavy material. In general, harsh environments such as corrosion increase the fatigue of the material by damaging the material structure.
Where steel bearings reach their limits, hybrid bearings or also all-ceramic bearings are usually used. All-ceramic bearings offer major advantages over the other two bearing types, especially in terms of wear, corrosion and temperature resistance in demanding types of applications. However, they come with higher initial costs that cannot be justified for every situation. Ultimately, machine manufacturers rely on keeping different types of bearings on hand and installing them accordingly, depending on the machine design and where they will be used later.
MLC has therefore developed its own material that combines the respective advantages of steel and ceramics. Compared with steel, the material is more robust, lighter and more wear-resistant, but at the same time easier to machine and shape than conventional ceramics. This means that a universal material is available for the manufacture of numerous bearing and component variants, with production and acquisition costs significantly lower than for classic hybrid and solid ceramics made from standard ceramics such as SiN.