BCE Special Ceramics was founded on April 1, 1986 — a date that regularly prompts questions and one we’ve therefore remembered well.
40 years for us means: thousands of components manufactured, a deliberately focused range of materials that we truly master, and many exciting projects.
We will be celebrating on April 1 and kindly ask for your understanding that our availability will be limited on this day.
BCE Special Ceramics develops cryocompatible ceramic components for applications where extreme temperatures and media such as liquid hydrogen are involved. Initial components are already successfully in operation.
We are currently taking the next step: material pairings and surfaces are specifically designed to ensure that friction, wear and tribological effects remain stable under cryogenic conditions. This is precisely where costly failures occur in practice: the material performs well on paper but fails in real interaction.
The cryogenic temperature range typically begins below approximately 120 Kelvin. Liquid hydrogen is around 20 Kelvin at atmospheric pressure. In this environment, material properties, contact behavior and wear mechanisms change significantly.
If you are designing components or assemblies for cryogenic applications, we support you with feasibility, material strategy and evaluation of critical design areas.
BCE Special Ceramics will once again be exhibiting at ceramitec, the leading international trade fair for the ceramics industry. The event will take place from March 24 to 26, 2026, at the Trade Fair Center Messe München.
Visit us at booth A6.323A and talk to us about precision components and parts made from technical high-performance ceramics, as well as their use in a wide range of applications.
In personal discussions, we focus on the aspects that truly help reduce project costs: selecting the right material, defining critical tolerances, ensuring manufacturability, and identifying potential problem areas in technical ceramic components at an early stage.
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Thursday, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Curious to learn more? You can find an initial overview of our technical ceramics applications here: https://www.bce-special-ceramics.com/applications/
We look forward to welcoming you in Munich!
BCE has recently invested in state-of-the-art contour and roughness measuring systems from Mahr. This expands our quality assurance capabilities in form inspection and surface finish analysis.
Contours on demanding components – such as tools for forming or can manufacturing – can now be precisely measured for dimensional accuracy right after grinding on the Studer S31. Functional surface finishes can also be assessed with greater detail.
This new metrology enables continuous feedback from CAD design through manufacturing to final inspection – ensuring consistent precision and quality.
In 2024, BCE commissioned a new Studer S31 cylindrical grinding machine. With this investment, we unlock enhanced capabilities in high-precision cylindrical and form grinding.
The S31 is fully integrated into our production through a closed CAD/CAM system. Thanks to its increased center height, we can now process larger components up to Ø 300 mm – a significant advantage over the previously used S21.
The combination of cutting-edge grinding technology and a digital process chain strengthens our performance in handling complex geometries and demanding precision requirements.
BCE invested in a new 5-axis machining center for high-precision grinding in December 2021. After commissioning of a specially tailored air-conditioning technology for this facility in spring 2022, BCE will be able to reproducibly manufacture high-precision ceramic components in the small micrometer range. Our customers will be confronted more and more with the further increasing requirements of many users, e.g. in the high-end analysis measuring equipment sector. With this investment BCE is then certainly able to produce adapted or new ceramic components for these µm precise assemblies.
Investment in the modernization of flat grinding technology. In conventional grinding technology, two modern machines are replacing their aging predecessors. Due to the high precision and smooth running, suitable among others also for flatness standards or other demanding flat grinding components, very demanding components can be realized unerringly with the right know-how. BCE has deliberately chosen machines manufactured in Germany in order to operate sustainably in the service area as well.
BCE has made a donation to aid organizations for humanitarian support in the recent refugee crisis.
BCE commissioned its solar system with an output of 97 kWp on the roof of the production halls on 23.02.2017. This month, the plant celebrates its 5th birthday and can look back on trouble-free operation throughout its lifetime. The total generation is almost 455,000 kWh, which corresponds to a CO2 avoidance of almost 300 t – or in other words the emissions of a passenger car with 1.5 million km total driving distance.
The trend towards more and more precise components, e.g. for measurement and medical technology, presents BCE with ever new challenges.
In addition to the corresponding production facilities, quality assurance must also take into account the increased requirements.
For this purpose, in addition to an improved air conditioning system, BCE invested in an ultra-precise optical measuring system.
At the push of a button, series-accompanying measurements in the 0.1µm range can now be carried out without operator influence.
From batteries to highly loaded nozzles up to pumps for the food industry all customers benefit from the new acquisition at BCE.