New Wave Media

Sensor Technology Ltd. (SensorTech) has recently released BM402, a new Navy Type I (PZT-4) piezoelectric material specifically formulated as a replacement for Channelite-5400, an industry leading material for more than 50 years that has become difficult to obtain in recent months.

 

“Being able to provide a material that so closely matches the legendary Channelite-5400 is something that we’re quite proud of,” said Niru Somayajula, company President and CEO. “Channelite-5400 is a high quality Navy Type I ceramic with outstanding performance. The bar was set very high.”

 

Navy Type I material provides a balance between the two major families of piezoelectric ceramics: hard PZT and soft PZT. Hard PZT is used for high power transmitting applications in which the material is driven with high voltages, such as sonar. Soft PZT is typically used for high sensitivity receiving sensors that act passively, such as hydrophones. Navy Type I materials are ideal for applications in which the piezoelectric ceramic is used for both transmitting and receiving. Like Channelite-5400 before it, BM402 achieves this transmit/receive balance while also being particularly effective in high power, high voltage transmitting applications.

 

Each piezoelectric ceramic manufacturer uses its own proprietary chemical formulations. As a result, the materials vary widely from vendor to vendor. Even materials of the same Navy Type classification generally exhibit significant differences. SensorTech’s BM402 is unique in its ability to serve as a drop-in replacement for Channelite-5400 in most applications.

 

The new material is available immediately.