Q: Hi, I’m search to get a 1/4″-20 x 3ft long alumina ceramic rod. Is this something you can make?
A: For Extreme Bolt & Fastener, 3″ long is the max length we can produce a ceramic bolt, rod or other fastener. As you may know ceramics are brittle, but breakage isn’t the real barrier in creating a ceramic fastener in a longer length.
The real issue is that these parts are molded/fired. Each part must have tooling to make the part to a specific length – tooling is quite costly – often thousands of dollars. We do not have tooling for any rods longer than 3″. Additionally, long lengths of “green” ceramics do not want to stay straight when fired. They will have the propensity to bend and warp. The process is not good for long parts.