Momentive Performance Materials, a company specializing in silicones and advanced materials, has broken ground to expand the specialty ceramic powders production at its Strongsville manufacturing facility in Ohio.
The $5.8 million project will increase the plant’s boron nitride powder production capacity by 50%. It will add 10 additional manufacturing jobs, increasing its employee strength to 195 associates.
Boron nitride powder is a specialty ceramic material that has superior thermal conductivity properties. However, it is a poor conductor of electricity. The powder is used for a range of thermal management applications, including LED lighting, semiconductor and compound semiconductor industries and in specialized ceramic heat dissipation. Boron nitride powder is used as an ingredient in materials that dissipate heat from LED lighting microchips, integrated circuit boards, electrical components and batteries. Dissipation of heat increases the service life of devices. The powder also finds use in cosmetics and plastics applications.
Momentive Performance Materials’ quartz and ceramics business had earlier broken ground to expand the quartz manufacturing operations in Hebron, Ohio. It also operates in Cleveland area and in Germany, Japan and China.