Miniature Precision Sapphire and Ruby Balls Impervious to Heat, Most Chemicals and Solvents

A line of miniature precision sapphire and ruby balls is impervious to heat and most chemicals and solvents. They are available in 42 metric and inch diameters that range from 0.1 mm to 0.5 in. Also providing good wear resistance, the balls have Moh 9 hardness (Knoop 1800 perpendicular to the c-axis and 2200 parallel to that axis) and surface finishes of 20-10 scratch-dig or better. They can be precision-ground into plano-convex lenses or drilled and have a melting point of 2000°C. The tiny spheres are suited for use in medical pumps as check and metering valves, and also serve as ball and roller bearings, stylus tips, and endoscope lenses.

Meller Optics Inc.
Providence, RI, 800/821-0180