KEY FIGURES FOR THE CERAMICS & PLASTICS
Sales of Euros 2.2 bn i.e 5% of total sales in 2006
N°1 worldwide in thermal and mechanical applications

The Ceramics & Plastics Division currently breaks down into four business lines:

Grains & Powders : Our nano-alumina particles, used for micro-surface finishing, are fifty times smaller than a pollen particle. Our proppants, of the size of a grain of sand, are great for fracturing gas and oil wells. Our zirconia powders give strong, intense color to tiles and tableware. Our ceramic coating products provide extended resistance and protection to TV satellite dishes and aircraft engines. Our ceramic moulds make the best titanium-based golf clubs.
-> www.ceramicmaterials.saint-gobain.com

Ceramics : Our refractories line the glass furnaces that manufacture bottles, windows, car windshields and TV screens. Our silicon carbide particulate filters remove most of the fine particles emitted by diesel engines. Our boron nitride powders help make cosmetics and lipsticks that have high coverage and are easy to apply. Our silicon nitride balls are used in Formula 1 Racing cars’ wheel bearings and gear boxes. Saint-Gobain ceramics offers a wide range of application-driven and cutting-edge materials.

Crystals : Searching for water on Mars, screening luggage at airports, imaging your body, finding oil thousands of meters below the ground, scanning your groceries, making computer chips faster, speeding data across the internet, ensuring the safety of your next flight, or lighting your way – Saint-Gobain Crystals provides engineered products that are at the frontiers of technology.
-> www.crystals.saint-gobain.com

Plastics : Our seals are in Formula One race cars. Our bearings are used in automotive door hinges and pedal linkage systems. Our tubing products handle a wide range of fluids in laboratories and hospitals. Our foams are used for bonding, sealing, acoustical and vibration damping. Our coated fabrics have many uses, including architectural. Our radomes allow TV and telephone access on airplanes.
-> www.plastics.saint-gobain.com

  “Saint-Gobain provides coated fabrics for architectural applications, including stadium and airport roofing”