Advanced Ceramics

What Advanced Ceramics does

Advanced Ceramics Corp. is a privately held Canadian specialty materials manufacturer founded in 2004 and headquartered at 2536 Bristol Circle, Oakville, Ontario. The company produces microporous insulation products designed for extreme-temperature environments, with a core portfolio consisting of AC80 insulation for thermally cyclical applications such as thermal batteries and detection systems, AC260 and AC350 insulation for one-time-use thermal protection in flight data recorders, and ACCenviro, a proprietary coating used to seal insulation and suppress dust formation. The technology centres on high-purity microporous formulations that contain no refractory ceramic fibres, resins, or hazardous materials and are approximately 97% food-grade; the firm cites performance figures including thermal cycling capability from -273°C to 1000°C and the ability of a one-inch layer to replace 18-24 inches of brick in equivalent thermal protection.

The company's commercial model is a direct, engineering-led B2B sales motion in which expert engineers consult with customers to define specifications, supported by in-house qualification and analytical capabilities such as furnaces up to 1125°C, fire testing rigs reaching 1980°C, SEM, NMR, DTA, CNC milling, and 3D printing and scanning. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contract structures, and there are no third-party distributors. Advanced Ceramics sells into aerospace, military/defence, maritime, locomotive, petrochemical, fuel cell, analytical instrumentation, and testing-device OEMs, with AS9100D certification (valid through June 2029), REACH and RoHS-3 compliance, and Controlled Goods Directorate registration serving as gating credentials for regulated end markets.

Beyond product sales, the firm generates revenue from consulting, furnace and fire testing, and research services, and maintains a strategic research partnership with McMaster University's Material Science and Engineering discipline, including a completed $245,000 three-year grant and a newly awarded $375,000 three-year grant (2022). The company does not disclose revenue, headcount, ownership structure, patents, or funding history in public sources.

Name

Advanced Ceramics

Legal name

Advanced Ceramics Corp.

Website

https://acc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Advanced Ceramics Corp. is a privately held Canadian manufacturer of proprietary microporous insulation products serving aerospace, military, maritime, locomotive, petrochemical, fuel cell, and analytical-instrument OEMs through direct, engineering-led B2B sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Thermal Insulation

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins (325991)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Protective Coatings (IMAEAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Protective Coatings (IMADAKAB), Thermoset & Reactive Resin Manufacturing (Epoxy, Polyester, Phenolic, Urethane systems) (IMANAAAC)

Keywords

• Microporous insulation products
• High temperature insulation
• Thermal battery insulation
• Aerospace thermal components
• Fire protection insulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakville

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Microporous Insulation Products: Sale of proprietary microporous insulation materials including AC80, AC260, AC350 products. Materials are sold for thermal batteries, detection systems, data recorders, and other microporous insulation applications.
2. Coatings and Sealants: Sale of ACCenviro coating product used to seal insulation and prevent dust formation.
3. Testing and Consulting Services: Expert engineering consulting for thermal insulation solutions, furnace tests, fire tests, and research services. Also includes qualification testing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Advanced Ceramics manufactures proprietary microporous insulation products (AC80, AC260, AC350) used in transportation data recorders, security screening detection systems, thermal batteries, and other high-temperature industrial applications. The company also produces the ACCenviro sealing coating and provides complementary furnace testing, fire testing, analytical testing, and engineering consulting services. Materials are REACH and RoHS-3 compliant, contain no refractory ceramic fibres, resins, or explosive components, and are 97% food-grade.

Product overview

Advanced Ceramics is a global leader in manufacturing microporous insulation products for high-temperature applications. The company offers a portfolio of four main products: AC80 microporous insulation for thermal batteries and detection systems with extreme temperature cycling capability (-273°C to 1000°C); AC260 and AC350 microporous insulation for data recorders providing one-time use thermal protection during fire tests; and ACCenviro coating used to seal insulation and prevent dust. The company provides complementary services including consulting, furnace testing, fire testing, research, and testing equipment services. Their insulation materials are REACH and RoHS-3 compliant, contain no RCFs, resins, or explosive components, and 97% of their material is food-grade. They serve aerospace, military, maritime, locomotive, petrochemical, fuel cell, analytical, and testing devices markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AC80 Microporous Insulation High-purity microporous insulation for thermal batteries and detection systems. Zero off-gassing, capable of cycling from -273°C to 1000°C indefinitely with a coefficient of thermal expansion of 10^-7. 1 inch provides similar thermal protection as 18-24 inches of brick. Used by enterprise manufacturers in aerospace, military, security screening, and industrial markets.
• AC260 Microporous Insulation Microporous insulation for transportation data recorders providing one-time-use thermal protection. During EUROCAE ED-112 fire tests with multiple 1100°C torches for one hour, core temperatures remained below 200°C. Sold to enterprise aerospace and transportation recorder OEMs.
• AC350 Microporous Insulation Microporous insulation for transportation data recorders providing one-time-use thermal protection. During EUROCAE ED-112 fire tests with multiple 1100°C torches for one hour, core temperatures remained below 200°C. Sold to enterprise aerospace and transportation recorder OEMs.
• ACCenviro Coating Proprietary coating used to seal Advanced Ceramics insulation and prevent nuisance dust from forming. Supplied as a complementary accessory to AC80, AC260, and AC350 microporous insulation products.
• Furnace and Fire Qualification Testing In-house qualification testing services using furnaces (up to 1,125°C), ovens (up to 225°C), and fire/flame test rigs (flames up to 1,980°C, energy flux up to 110,000 BTU/ft²/hr). Runs qualification tests such as GMRT2472, EUROCAE ED-112, TSO-C123b, and TSO-C124b. Sold to enterprise manufacturers seeking third-party validation of insulation performance.
• Analytical Testing and Engineering Consulting Value-added services using 3D printers, 3D scanners, SEM, NMR, DTA/GTA, and other analytical/test equipment to support customer engineering and research needs. Combined with consulting from doctorate- and master-level engineers for thermal insulation solution design.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99%+ ongoing quality rating with all clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• McMaster UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic research partnership with McMaster University's Material Science and Engineering discipline. Includes completed 3-year research grant ($245,000) and newly awarded 3-year research grant ($375,000). Company provides opportunities for university engineering students (professors, masters, undergrads) to gain real-world experience. Advanced Ceramics has access to McMaster equipment including NMR, X-ray diffraction, SEM, DTA and thermogravimetric analysis.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Promat (Etex Group): Manufactures fire-protection and high-temperature insulation boards, including microporous calcium-silicate and related products. Overlaps with Advanced Ceramics on passive fire protection and high-temperature insulation for transportation and industrial markets.
• Pyrotek: Manufactures high-temperature insulation, refractory, and thermal-management products for industrial, foundry, and transportation applications. Overlaps with Advanced Ceramics on high-temperature insulation for locomotive, fuel cell, and industrial markets.
• Ibiden: Japanese manufacturer of advanced ceramics, insulation, and electronic materials with aerospace and industrial customers. Overlaps with Advanced Ceramics on high-temperature insulation applications but operates at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Morgan Advanced Materials: Global manufacturer of technical ceramics and thermal products serving aerospace, defence, and industrial markets. Comparable to Advanced Ceramics on high-temperature insulation and engineered ceramic components, though with a much broader product portfolio.
• 3M (Thermal Management): Produces 3M Microporous Insulation and a broad thermal-management portfolio for aerospace, electronics, and industrial applications. Overlaps with Advanced Ceramics on microporous insulation but operates at vastly larger scale across many product lines.
• CeramTec: Global advanced ceramics manufacturer with thermal-protection and high-temperature insulation products serving medical, automotive, and industrial markets. Comparable on engineered high-temperature materials though broader than Advanced Ceramics' microporous focus.

Direct peers

• Zircar Ceramics: Specialises in microporous and fibrous ceramic insulation for high-temperature industrial and laboratory applications. Closely comparable to Advanced Ceramics' AC80-style high-purity microporous insulation, with similar niche customer base in aerospace, energy, and testing.
• Microtherm (part of Promat): Specialises in microporous insulation panels and custom-shaped components for industrial, aerospace, and high-temperature applications. Direct competitor to Advanced Ceramics' AC80-style microporous insulation products, particularly in European markets.
• Unifrax: Global leader in high-temperature specialty insulation fibres and microporous products (e.g., Pyro-Stop, Isofrax). Directly comparable to Advanced Ceramics in microporous insulation for aerospace, defence, and industrial high-temperature applications, but at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Insulcon: European manufacturer of high-temperature microporous insulation boards and engineered thermal solutions. Directly comparable to Advanced Ceramics' microporous product range but primarily serves European industrial and aerospace customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Advanced Ceramics