What if I wanted to have ceramic burrs made for my grinders?

[ricci71]

This may sound crazy.

Who is the manufacturer of the burrs Mazzer uses? I cant imagine each grinder company has their own burr grinding machine.
Maybe I am wrong. I wonder where I would look to have ceramic burrs made to match my steel ones.

Just curious

[DavidMLewis]

This may sound crazy.

Who is the manufacturer of the burrs Mazzer uses? I cant imagine each grinder company has their own burr grinding machine.
Maybe I am wrong. I wonder where I would look to have ceramic burrs made to match my steel ones.

Just curious

So far as I'm aware, the Mazzer burrs aren't ceramic. You're probably thinking of the La Marzocco Swift, which does use ceramic burrs, and people have told me that those are made by Ditting. My guess is that ceramic burrs have to be made by hot isostatic pressing, which requires a pretty high investment in tooling, so if my guess is right, small-volume ceramic burrs would be extremely expensive.

Best,
David

[mteahan]

The tooling cost for the ceramic burrs were north of $50, though the production cost of them were actually less.

Mills are cut, and almost no one makes their own burrs, not even Mazzer. Pitch, angle, design and diameter are a function of motor speed, torque and capacitors used, design is NOT for the newbie and is an artform all to itself.

Material composition can be a big factor in lifespan as well, and you can also get many mill in a titanium version to double (triple?) the life span, though the cost of the treatment is more than the cost to regularly replace the mills.

Though ceramics are supposed to last much longer--they do not last forever. They are also brittle and can shatter when dropped, tightened with a bit of coffee under the rim or when a small stone or nail enters the throat. A traditional mill may process the object without much effect, slightly reducing the lifespan. Ceramics, on the other hand, may simply pop.

Besides, ceramic is tough to engineer due to shrinkage and composition. A 64mm mill may have to start at 67mm. Hard to say, depending upon the materials.

Change your mills and keep them clean.

Michael

[Jepy]

Speaking of Titanium Burrs, looks like Sammy over at Artigiano has a "Anfim Caimano" prototype grinder that uses them. 75 mm, Doesn't say flat or Conical, but my guess is flat

[Stuggi]

For the cost of a La Marzocco Swift one could buy 10 Macap M4's or 4 Mazzer Roburs here in Finland, so thouse burrs better be good...