Your choice of shelf material plays an essential role in how well your kiln works, with advanced ceramics such as silicon carbide offering superior properties that make it an excellent material for furniture within the kiln.
Oxide bonded silicon carbide shelves have long been the go-to choice for potters firing to Cone 9-12 in gas, salt, wood or reduction kilns. They’re extremely strong yet warp-proof.
Low Porosity
Silicon carbide kiln shelves feature significantly lower porosity than cordierite or alumina ceramic shelf materials, enabling the shelf to hold glaze without soaking into its surface, prolonging your kiln wash’s lifespan while decreasing frequency of cleaning needs.
Advanced nitride-bonded silicon carbide shelves are thinner and lighter than cordierite or high alumina ceramic shelves, making them easier to handle for top loading kilns while saving energy costs during firing. Furthermore, their use does not sag under heavy loads since their weight can be cut in half or less compared to cordierite shelves, eliminating sag. Furthermore, their lighter weight saves energy costs during firing as well as weight savings during operation.
Silicon carbide stands out among materials for its combination of exceptional properties that makes it the ideal material for kiln furniture. It boasts superior thermal shock resistance, mechanical strength and hardness; can easily be machined to tight dimensional tolerances; is extremely durable at high temperatures; while its low porosity offers excellent corrosion resistance.
High Strength
Black silicon carbide’s superior strength enables it to support kilnware without warping during the firing process, making it suitable for electric, gas and ceramic kilns alike.
Black silicon carbide kiln shelves offer excellent chemical resistance, making them suitable for many production processes that utilize various chemicals and materials. Selecting such shelves will protect the integrity of your kiln and ensure its lifespan remains optimal.
Nitride-bonded silicon carbide shelves are much thinner (as little as 5/16″, 8mm thick) and lighter than cordierite or mullite kiln shelving, helping you save on heating costs. Their lower thermal mass prevents warping over time; advanced nitride-bonded shelves have proven more stable over traditional cordierite ones in keeping their shape over time – giving more stacking space inside your kiln while increasing storage capabilities.
Longevity
Black silicon carbide has proven itself exceptionally resistant to chemical interactions in kiln environments, helping extend the lifespan of furniture inside them and lessening oxidation issues that could otherwise compromise fired works’ quality.
These shelves are extremely thin and light, making them easy to handle while eliminating the need for rotation to keep them flat. Furthermore, these shelves remain flat after firing to save time handling kiln furniture while preventing pots that might otherwise warp conventional cordierite shelves from suffering damage during firing.
Black silicon carbide shelves boast excellent thermal shock resistance, meaning they can endure rapid temperature fluctuations without cracking or degrading over time. This property makes them particularly suitable for use in kilns that regularly switch between firing temperatures; sudden expansion and contraction can put extra strain on other furniture in your kiln. Oxide-Bonded Silcarboils are an ideal choice for wood and gas kilns alike and offer great longevity even for electric kilns firing at higher rates.
High Durability
Durability of kiln shelves is vital to their function as it allows them to withstand temperature variations within your kiln, leading to longer shelf life and more consistent firing results. Most kilns operate within an 8-11 cone rating range so it is essential that any material chosen can stand up against such temperature variations.
Conventional ram pressed oxide-bonded silicon carbide shelves have been an indispensable choice for potters for decades and remain ideal for gas reduction, wood, soda and salt firings. Their expansion joints help relieve stress during firing sessions and prevent cracking.
Advancer shelves feature thinner construction with higher strength to reduce thermal mass and can withstand temperatures up to cone 11. With almost zero porosity reducing kiln wash requirements (except when firing soda based ceramics ), Advancer shelves also give more stacking space in your kiln.