Stanford Advanced Materials Attends Ceramics Expo 2026 in Cleveland

Last week, our team at Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) visited Ceramics Expo 2026 in Cleveland, co-located with Thermal Management Expo North America.

I came back with a much clearer view of where the technical ceramics industry is heading.

Image Source: Ceramics Expo / LinkedIn

What We Saw

Additive Manufacturing Is Scaling Up

Additive manufacturing has moved beyond the lab. We saw multiple production‑ready systems for ceramic components aimed at structural and high‑temperature applications. The industry is no longer asking "can it work?" but "how do we scale it reliably?"

Thermal Management Is Becoming a Core Challenge

From EV batteries to AI infrastructure and hypersonic systems, thermal challenges are front and center. Materials that can handle extreme heat while maintaining stability are in genuine high demand. This aligns directly with what our customers tell us.

"What stood out to me was how many engineers are moving away from standard thermal solutions," said Lisa Ross, Senior Ceramic Engineer at Stanford Advanced Materials, who was also part of the visiting team. "They're seeking custom formulations for specific temperature ranges and cycling conditions. In several conversations, engineers showed strong interest in our PBN0922 Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN) crucibles, specifically for high-temperature epitaxy and semiconductor applications. We recently launched a 99.99% pure PBN crucible line — and the feedback we got at the show confirmed that contamination control is a top priority for the industry."

Sustainability Is Now a Requirement

Energy-efficient sintering, recycled material streams, and low-waste processing were discussed as practical requirements, not marketing statements. Buyers are actively asking about environmental footprint. That is driving companies to balance performance, manufacturability, and sustainability more carefully, a direction that closely aligns with SAM's long-term approach to advanced materials development.

Image Source: Ceramics Expo / LinkedIn

A Conference Highlight

One of the standout moments was the NASA keynote on hypersonic ceramics. It reinforced that hypersonic materials are no longer confined to research programs. They are becoming operational requirements for next-generation defense and space systems.

Ceramics Expo 2026 confirmed what I've been hearing from our customers all year. Demand for high‑performance ceramic materials is accelerating, and the questions are getting more specific — tighter thermal requirements, stricter purity standards, shorter timelines.

What We Take Away

While we were only visitors this year, I am already exploring how we can participate more actively in future shows.

One area where we see clear overlap is thermal management in photonics and optics applications. We'll be exhibiting at SPIE Optics+Photonics (August 23–27, San Diego, CA), and will share booth details as the show approaches. We hope to see you there.

We look forward to applying these insights to better serve our customers and to playing a more active role in the advanced materials community moving forward.