Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, please contact an APCI representative to further discuss your interests.

Yes, APC performs ALL of these processes, please contact an APC representative to discuss your requirements.

APC does sell its custom piezo powders in limited volumes only. Please contact an APC representative to discuss your powder needs.

APC does its best to produce products in as timely a manner as possible, and we absolutely understand that delivery and communication is critically important and are working on improving these things every day. APC produces a wide-ranging mix of piezo products, sizes, geometries, and volumes. Order volumes range from 25 pieces up to 1M+ pieces. APC also services defense applications which are required by law to take priority over any commercial products. As demand constantly changes for defense related products it makes scheduling extremely difficult. We are working on scheduling solutions and capacity increases to mitigate this issue.

APC does not entertain expediting fees.

APC is currently working on 2020 expansion plans to address lead times and delivery.

While it is APC’s policy not to supply CUSTOM manufactured FREE piezo samples, we do carry a large inventory of “quick delivery” products on our website which is dedicated to lower cost, in stock items to get your project started. Please visit Sale Items

In order to comply with US Export Regulations, APC MUST know the end user and end use of every APC piezo element or device leaving US soil. If you are NOT the end user, we need to know what you are doing to it, and where you are sending it. ( i.e. Customer is receiving piezo crystal, assembling into transducer for ultrasonic mixing processes, and delivering to customers around the world.)

The APC website is an absolutely great resource. Visit the APC Knowledge Center to view extensive piezo information, APC’s Piezo Calc to help you plan your device, whitepapers, technical updates, etc. For additional technical resources APC’s textbook, “Piezo Ceramics – Principles and Applications” is available on amazon.com or directly through APC.

Contact an APC Technical Representative today.

All new APC customers start on a pre-payment basis. APC accepts credit cards, ACH, or wire transfers for new orders. To request terms after initial orders are paid in full, we request at least 3 credit references and banking information. A review will take place, references contacted, and credit terms approved if acceptable.

APC accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. APC can accept ACH payments and will supply banking information if conditions for order are met.

Absolutely. Simply contact APC or email [email protected] with your request.

See the APC website for standard Terms and Conditions

Yes, please contact an APCI representative to further discuss your requirements.

Contact an APC representative today to discuss your application. It’s possible that products suitable for your application could be available on our quick delivery website list. An APC representative can walk you through that process

The best resource available is the APC technical update on “Connecting Leads to Piezo Elements“

Yes, please see our General Review of Lead Free Solder Options and download the available PDF. The piezo element itself is ROHS exempt.

Yes, please see our recommended epoxies for general use in this technical whitepaper.

Please see our technical update on Connecting Electrical Leads to Piezo Elements.

Please see this .pdf for our answer.

Please follow this link for a PDF indicating the best areas to solder to piezo elements.

While other factors affect de-poling as well such as physical stress, temperature, duty cycle, etc. a safe voltage range is 5-7 volts/mil (200-280 V/mm) of thickness for SOFT PZT elements, and 15-20 V/mil (600-800 V/mm) of thickness for HARD PZT elements.

A safe range would be approximately 20 watts/square inch (~3 watts/cm2) of radiating surface area.

Displacement = Applied Voltage X d33

Soft PZT, such as APC 850 material.

Sensing applications are perfect for soft pzt elements, such as APC 850 / APC 854 / APC 855 materials.

If you would like a safety margin, a good estimate is ½ the materials curie temperature (Tc). Other stresses such as duty cycle, applied voltage, and physical stress could also affect the material and the maximum safe operating temperature. In optimum use conditions APC 850 has been used in environments as high as 240C.

Yes, they do. The aging rate of PZT materials is composition dependent and is measured in percent (loss or gain) per time decade (1day, 10day, 100day, 1000day, etc.) Additionally, each material property ages at a different rate. For exact aging details, contact an APC Technical Representative.

The manufacturing processes utilized at APC yield a typical surface finish (Ra) of less than 1 um. Please contact your APC sales representative for more information.

The properties of PZT materials degrade at cryogenic temperatures. Consequently, the user will need to determine the suitability of the various materials in each application at the temperature of interest.

PZT ceramics are brittle materials. They are good ceramic materials, and as such, they are much stronger in compression than they are in tension. The Young’s Modulus for APC 850 material is 6.3 X1010 N/m2. APC 850 material can safely withstand 5000 psi in tension. One can calculate the maximum strain allowed in tension from this data. We caution that the application of stress may affect a material by altering the normal condition for depoling.

APC International recently changed its standard nebulizer board to a single through board .110″ by .02″ pin. In light of this change, our recommended best practice will be to use a matching .110″ by .02″ connector instead of soldering directly to the board. (Suggested Connector – Faston .110″ Series – Distributed by www.digikey.com).

Please see this .pdf for our answer.

Thread Size = M10x1mm (3/8-24 will also fit).

Surface roughness and surface flatness are two surface measurements that can mean very different things. Surface roughness is a “micro” measurement, while flatness is a “macro” measurement. A surface that is not necessarily flat can still be smooth, just as a surface that is incredibly flat can still be relatively rough. APC’s standard processing typically produces surface roughness, Ra <= ~1um and flatness <= ~10um. Additional custom processing can reduce roughness, Ra to <~0.5um and flatness to <=~5um.

In recent years, energy harvesting, in the case of piezo materials, deriving energy from a kinetic energy source, has become the focus of much research. Various piezo materials are used in these applications and may include ceramics, films, and others. We at APC are very excited by the possibility of energy harvesting using piezoelectric ceramics. On the other hand, we do remain somewhat skeptical of the use of bulk piezoelectric ceramics in large scale energy harvesting applications given the limited energy output of piezoelectric ceramics, the potentially cost prohibitive nature of using piezoelectric ceramics in any large scale energy harvesting application, and the fact that piezoelectric ceramics contain large quantities of reacted Pb(lead). When looking at piezoelectric ceramics for the purpose of energy harvesting, we remind our customers that while piezoelectric ceramics do provide high voltages they provide a very limited amount of actual power. The power produced by piezoelectric ceramics must be accumulated before it can be used to power any electronic device. APC has provided piezoelectric ceramics for many energy harvesting applications. In these instances, APC provides piezoelectric ceramic elements manufactured from lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Of the PZT materials that APC offers, we would recommend APC 850 as it tends to have the best combination of piezo properties for energy harvesting applications.