Manufacture of high-tech materials and components made of technical ceramics, refractory metals and technical glass to customer specification
STEREON Materials SE
Erfurt · Auma-Weidatal · Frankenblick · Sonneberg · Hermsdorf · Hattert · Calne (UK)New on Amplifa
About STEREON Materials
STEREON Materials SE (formerly QSIL Group) is a globally active materials specialist headquartered in Erfurt that manufactures components and solutions made of technical ceramics, refractory metals and technical glass. The group brings together companies with up to over 100 years of manufacturing experience; the Auma-Weidatal site has been producing technical ceramics since 1909. The portfolio covers oxide and non-oxide ceramics (alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, mixed ceramics), ceramic valve and fitting components, sliding bearing components and rolling elements, insulators, metering wheels, conveyor screws, guide rollers as well as high-vacuum-tight ceramic-to-metal brazed assemblies with Mo/Mn metallization and brazing or active brazing. Manufacturing processes include precision machining, electron beam melting (EBM), additive 3D screen printing, metallization and joining technologies as well as the sintering of porous glass structures for glass filter elements of the ROBU brand. At six production sites in Germany and the UK, plus sales offices in the USA, Taiwan, India and China, prototypes through to series production are manufactured with custom shapes, dimensions and lot sizes. Customer industries include diagnostics and analytics, semiconductors, aerospace, defence, mechanical engineering, automotive, non-destructive testing and research.
- Site
- Erfurt
- Processes
- Precision machining, Electron beam melting (EBM), Metallization & joining technologies, Additive manufacturing – 3D screen printing, Ceramic-to-metal brazing (Mo/Mn metallization, brazing, active brazing), Production of ceramic-to-metal brazed assemblies (high-vacuum-tight components), Production of ceramic valves and fittings (ball valves, rotary slide valves,, Production of ceramic metering wheels (also as ceramic-to-metal joints)
- Materials
- Technical glass, Alumina (Al₂O₃), Zirconia (ZrO₂), Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), Silicon carbide (SiC), Molybdenum, Alumina AK 99.5, Alumina AK 97 M
- Certificates
- FDA approval (metering wheel ceramics)
- Founded
- 1909 (cera
- Industries
- Diagnostics & Analytics / Medical technology, Semiconductors, Aerospace, Defence, Mechanical engineering, Automotive, Industrial Solutions
- 01
Design and development from early project phases
- 02
Preparation of ceramic raw materials
- 03
Forming or additive manufacturing (EBM, 3D screen printing) and sintering
- 04
Metallization (Mo/Mn) and joining technologies (brazing, active brazing)
- 05
Customer-specific finishing and precision machining
- 06
Prototyping through to series production
Materials and Processes
Alumina (Al₂O₃)
Oxide ceramic with high dielectric strength and service temperatures up to 1,700 °C, among other things for insulators, valves and metering wheels.
Alumina AK 99.5
High-purity alumina grade for metering wheels, sliding bearing components and ceramic-to-metal brazed assemblies.
Alumina AK 97 M
Developed high-performance material with dielectric strength >30 kV/mm for ceramic insulators.
Zirconia (ZrO₂)
Wear-resistant ceramic for valves, conveyor screws, guide rollers and sliding bearing components.
Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄)
High-strength, thermal-shock-resistant nitride ceramic for gauges and guide rollers as well as conveyor screws.
Silicon carbide (SiC)
Hard, wear-resistant material for sliding bearing components, valves and guide rollers.
Mixed ceramics (AZ 75, AZ 90, ZA 20)
Blends of alumina and zirconia for sliding bearing components and rolling elements.
Molybdenum (refractory metals)
High-melting refractory metal as semi-finished product, finished part and additively manufactured component; basis of the Mo/Mn metallization.
Technical glass
Sintered porous structures with defined pore sizes for filtration, measurement and separation processes.
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision machiningMachining | tight dimensional tolerances | – | – | Series | Ceramics, Refractory metals, Technical glass |
| Electron beam melting (EBM)Additive | – | – | – | – | Refractory metals |
| Metallization & joining technologiesJoining | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Metal |
| Additive manufacturing – 3D screen printingAdditive | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Glass |
| Ceramic-to-metal brazing (Mo/Mn metallization, brazing, active brazing)Joining | – | – | – | Prototype – Series | Alumina AK 97 M, Alumina AK 97, Alumina AK 99.5 |
| Production of ceramic-to-metal brazed assemblies (high-vacuum-tight components)Joining | – | – | – | – | Alumina AK 97 M, Alumina AK 97, Alumina AK 99.5 |
| Production of ceramic valves and fittings (ball valves, rotary slide valves,Plastics | – | – | – | – | Alumina (Al₂O₃), Mixed ceramics, Silicon carbide (SiC), Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), Zirconia (ZrO₂) |
| Production of ceramic metering wheels (also as ceramic-to-metal joints)Joining | – | – | – | – | Alumina AK 99.5 |
| Production of ceramic conveyor screwsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), Alumina (Al₂O₃), Silicon carbide (SiC), Zirconia (ZrO₂) |
| Production of gauges and guide rollers made of ceramicsForming | – | – | – | – | Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), Silicon carbide (SiC), Zirconia (ZrO₂) |
| Production of sliding bearing components and rolling elements made of ceramicsSurface | – | – | – | – | Silicon carbide SC-S, Alumina AK 99.5, Alumina AK 99.7, Alumina AK 99.9, Mixed ceramic AZ 75, Mixed ceramic AZ 90, Mixed ceramic ZA 20, Silicon carbide SC-HP, Silicon carbide SC-HS, Silicon nitride SN-PU, Zirconia ZMK 3.0, Zirconia ZMK 3.5, Zirconia ZYK 3 |
| Production of ceramic insulatorsEngineering | tight dimensional tolerances · special surfaces | ø 500 mm | – | – | Alumina AK 97 M, Alumina AK 97, Alumina AK 99.5 |
| Coating of ceramic insulators (high-resistance coating)Surface | – | – | – | – | Alumina AK 97 M, Alumina AK 97, Alumina AK 99.5 |
| Sintering of porous glass structures (porous glass filter elements)Casting | – | – | – | – | Technical glass |
1 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hot isostatic press | – | – | Pressures up to 100 MPa | 1970 | Auma-Weidatal |
Additional services
Quality
Manufacturing includes tight dimensional tolerances, special surfaces and FDA-approved ceramics for metering wheels. Certifications are not published on the public pages.
| Evidence | Auma-Weidatal |
|---|---|
| FDA approval (metering wheel ceramics) |
History
- 1909
Foundation of Porzellan-Industrie-Gesellschaft Berghaus in Auma by Karl Gustav Richard Berghaus; start of technical ceramics production.
- 1912
Renaming to Porzellan-Industrie-Aktiengesellschaft Berghaus.
- 1920
Acquisition of the majority of shares by Oskar Brunnquell (Brunnquell & Co, Sondershausen).
- 1945
Sequestration by the Soviet occupation forces; continued operations from 1946 under German self-administration.
- 1964
Commissioning of the cutting ceramics production area at the Auma site.
- 1966
Development of high-vacuum-tight, brazeable ceramic-to-metal joints.
- 1969
Integration into VEB Kombinat Keramische Werke Hermsdorf.
- 1970
Completion of a specially developed hot isostatic press for pressures up to 100 MPa.
- 1990
Transformation into Aumaer Oxidkeramik GmbH (OKERA) within Tridelta AG.
- 1992
Acquisition by Boart Longyear, renaming to Boart Ceramics GmbH.
- 2019
Trading as QSIL Ceramics GmbH (previously Barat Ceramics GmbH).
- 2025
IBYKUS AG and QSIL SE come under the umbrella of the Stephan-Heinrich-Behr family foundation; renaming of QSIL Group to STEREON Materials on 18.12.2025.