Zircotec’s new lightweight flexible ceramic heat shield material can reduce surface temperatures by up to 33 percent.

Thermal management specialist Zircotec has developed what is believed to be the first ever flexible ceramic heat shield material. The new lightweight ZircoFlex™ product offers a robust solution to the thermal protection of vital engine and electronic components and is easily applied to the material surface. It can be applied to a wide range of materials and substrates, including carbon fibre. In the cabin, drivers are cooler so more able to concentrate and the need for airflow can be reduced. Zircoflex will be supplied in a roll, and is set to revolutionise the use of ceramic materials for heat protection in a wide range of motorsport applications.

“ZircoFlex can help protect a variety of different components including the engine bay, composite parts, suspension and bodywork,” comments Zircotec sales director Peter Whyman. “The lightweight coating can be applied to cars throughout the motorsport industry, from track day cars to Formula One, and is currently being trialled by one of the Formula One teams. We are continuing our research into flexible ceramic coatings and plan to produce an expanded range of ZircoFlex foils using a range of alternative substrates.”

Zircotec’s plasma sprayed ThermoHold based coatings are already used for the protection of metallic and composite components in an increasing number of applications. Applied to the material surface in a lightweight layer, Zircotec’s engineered coatings can reduce surface temperatures by up to 33 percent. A limitation of the process has, until now, been the need to treat parts directly using 14,000K plasma sprays.