Zirconia and zirconia composite ceramic shafts for gear micropumps and method of making same

摘要

An improved gear micropump (10) for delivering corrosive materials, particularly photographic materials, such as dyes and emulsions, has a pair of intermeshing gears (16,18) rotatably mounted on zirconia ceramic shafts (24,26). The ceramic shafts of the invention may be formed from zirconia and zirconia composite materials. The gear micropump (10) having the zirconia ceramic shafts (24,26) eliminates pulsation during fluid delivery and is resistant to wear and abrasion. Moreover the zirconia ceramic shafts (24,26) are strongly resistant to chemicals like photographic emulsions and dyes and, therefore, do not contaminate product with corrosive materials.