PI Ceramic Company Profile

PI Ceramic is the piezo ceramic division of Physik Instrumente (PI), the world-leading manufacturer of ultra-high-precision piezo nanopositioning systems.

Working with OEMs

PI Ceramic has a track record of working closely with OEM instrumentation manufacturers. Our engineers have the knowlege, experience and equipment to analyze the requirements and understand the application. They work with our customer's engineers to find the best standard product or design a custom part.

Based on knowledge and expertise gained in more than 40 years of continuous research and manufacturing of piezoelectric material and components, PI Ceramic can provide world-class high-performance piezoelectric actuator and transducer components and sub-assemblies.

Value Added Manufacturing / Piezo Assemblies for OEMs

More information on value added manufacturing and custom piezo assemblies.

Research / Scientific Customers

Research and development of new materials, products and applications is very important to PI Ceramic. We have close ties with customers in many universities and research institutes around the world.

Extreme Reliability: When Failure is NOT an Option

PI Ceramic is also the only source for the ultra-reliable PICMA® monolithic piezo actuator ceramics.
PICMA® actuators were selected by NASA's JPL for the ChemIn instrument on the Mars Rover Curiosity, after surviving 100 Billion cyles (100,000,000,000) of life testing without failures.
No other supplier of piezo ceramic actuators is better placed to design and produce innovative actuator solutions for today ’s and tomorrow ’s high-tech applications.

Piezo Manufacturing Process

More information on the Piezo Manufacturing Process at PI Ceramic

Video: About PI Ceramic

PI Ceramic Strengths

State-of-the-Art Piezo Assemblies, Transducers and Subsystems
Design & Manufacture of Key Components for Capital Equipment & Research
Custom and Standard Solutions
Short Delivery Through Highly Flexible Processing
All Key Technologies and Equipment In-House
ISO 9001 Quality Certified

PI Ceramic is a solutions-based company. Our engineers are continually developing new ideas and concepts, geared to bringing emerging technologies and products to market. In addition to a large range of standard piezoelectric actuator components, we specialize in the rapid design and delivery of custom parts and subassemblies manufactured to our customers ’specifications. Our design and manufacturing processes are optimized for medium production quantities of high-performance, key component parts, such as those used in capital equipment and research. Our flexibility allows us to produce custom parts at a very attractive price, even in small quantities. PI Ceramic’s 6840 square meter (73600 square foot) facility features the latest equipment for ceramic design, engineering and manufacturing. To support our own equipment and experienced staff, and to maintain our leading position in the industry, we maintain a number of alliances with universities and research facilities. PI Ceramic has been an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer since 1997.

Key Markets and Applications

PI Ceramic delivers piezoelectric solutions for all important high-tech markets:

Semiconductors
Aerospace Engineering
Defense Industry
Industrial Automation
Vibration Cancellation
Remote Sensing
Precision Machining
Telecommunications
Life Sciences
Medical Instrumentation

PI Ceramic History

2012 PI Ceramic piezo actuators work on Mars onboard Mars Rover Curiosity
2011 Third factory extension, more than 200 employees
2010 More than 160 Employees
2003 PICMA™ multilayer piezo actuator technology introduced
2002 PI Ceramic expands factory to 6840 square meters (73600 square feet)
2000 PI Ceramic employs 70 people
1992 PI and employees of KWH found PI Ceramic (2000 square meters, 21500 sq. ft. )
1989 KWH is split into different companies
1952 First PZT materials (PIEZOLAN™) manufactured at KWH
1945 KWH (Keramische Werke Hermsdorf) founded
1943 Ceramic processing know-how transferred to Japan
1931 First ceramic capacitor
1918 HESCHO Trust, 1000 employees, world-leader in electro-ceramics at the time
1890 First porcelain manufacturing company in Hermsdorf,
(within 10 miles of PI Ceramic factory)
1880 Discovery of piezoelectric activity by J. and P. Curie