Machining Aerogel

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the practical aspects of machining Aerogel, specifically the "classic" type known for its frozen smoke appearance. Participants explore whether this material can be lathe turned and milled effectively, considering factors such as spindle tightening and rotational speeds. The conversation includes inquiries about available resources and support for machining this exotic material.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks practical experience with machining Aerogel, questioning its fragility and ability to withstand machining processes.
  • Another participant suggests searching online for machining guidelines, providing a link to a website that discusses Aerogel machining.
  • A participant clarifies that their search was specific to lathe machining and did not yield relevant results, noting that the guidelines provided pertain to a different type of Aerogel.
  • There is a discussion about contacting Aerogel Technologies for further information, with one participant expressing intent to consult their machinist before reaching out.
  • One participant reports a lack of response from Aerogel Technologies after filling out their contact form, prompting inquiries about alternative contact methods.
  • Another participant provides contact information for Aerogel Technologies, including phone numbers, but notes the absence of an email address.
  • A participant expresses frustration with the lack of responses from companies regarding information requests.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the machining capabilities of Aerogel, and multiple viewpoints regarding the availability of information and support remain evident throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in available resources for machining the specific type of Aerogel in question, as well as the challenges in obtaining timely responses from manufacturers.

Majorana
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TL;DR
I need to machine the "frozen smoke" stuff!
Good day folks,

I would like to know if anybody out there has any practical, hands-on experience with machining Aerogel (I do mean the "classic", frozen-smoke-appearance Aerogel, not the heavy mat-looking stuff used by construction workers for thermal insulation in buildings). I need to know whether a bar of Aerogel can be lathe turned and milled, provided that the operator uses appropriate strenght when tightening the spindle, rotational speeds etc. The stuff in itself is described as not particularly fragile or brittle (whereas in articles from 2006 it was said that Aerogel would break like glass if dropped, but the stuff might have been improved since then), and able to withstand considerable compression loads. Practical knowledge is essential here, but the stuff is quite exotic and it's very difficult to find somebody that actually machined it!
Thank you SO much! :bow:
 

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Majorana said:
I need to know whether a bar of Aerogel can be lathe turned and milled, provided that the operator uses appropriate strenght when tightening the spindle, rotational speeds etc.
Did you do any online searching before posting your question? The first link that comes up for me on Google for the search query "machine aerogel" is https://www.aerogeltechnologies.com/airloy/machining-guidelines/:
1765813862160.webp
 
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renormalize said:
Did you do any online searching before posting your question? The first link that comes up for me on Google for the search query "machine aerogel" is https://www.aerogeltechnologies.com/airloy/machining-guidelines/:
View attachment 368136
Hello, I certainly searched (even with Google, that I normally avoid) but I used "lathe" as a search term (since it's the machine that we are 100% sure to have to use), and it did not return any page in the "aerogeltechnologies.com" domain. Anyway, the milling suggestions indicated on that page are referred to the "mat type" Aerogels that I specified are NOT the stuff we are working on. If one has to machine the "frozen smoke" Aerogel, the page says to contact the company, no other advice given there... Thank you anyway for highlighting that website, for sure I will add it to my aerogel bookmarks! :0)
 
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Majorana said:
the page says to contact the company
Have you tried that yet? Do they have some kind of Support link on their web page?
 
berkeman said:
Have you tried that yet? Do they have some kind of Support link on their web page?
Not yet, here in Italy it was quite bedtime when I saw the email notification of the reply. I will probably write today, but before that I wish to talk to our machinist to better define the questions... after all, he's "the man in charge" :oldbiggrin:
 
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berkeman said:
Have you tried that yet? Do they have some kind of Support link on their web page?
No answer from them at all. They only have a "contact" page, a form to be filled online, I filled it with detailed information about my needs but they didn't answer at all, neither sent back a simple receipt acknowledge. Do any of you know of an email address or even telephone number? @renormalize ?...
 
Sorry, I only know of Aerogel Technologies contact page at https://www.aerogeltechnologies.com/contact/, which lists their phone numbers as:
US Toll-Free
(844) AEROGEL (844) 237-6435
International and Boston Local
+1 (617) 800-0414
and their snail-mail address as:
Aerogel Technologies, LLC
106B South Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748
United States of America
No mention of an email address, unfortunately.
 
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renormalize said:
Sorry, I only know of Aerogel Technologies contact page at https://www.aerogeltechnologies.com/contact/, which lists their phone numbers as:
US Toll-Free
(844) AEROGEL (844) 237-6435
International and Boston Local
+1 (617) 800-0414
and their snail-mail address as:
Aerogel Technologies, LLC
106B South Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748
United States of America
No mention of an email address, unfortunately.
Thank you so much! I will call them by phone and see... Anyway, in the last few years, I noticed that an increasing number of enterprises and societies, large or small, no matter where they are located (my country, EU, Canada, USA, just anywhere), don't reply to information requests, they just don't care answering, even if you are asking how to buy something from them. Depressing.
 
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Anybody knows if this "Aerogel Technologies" company is really in operation? Any knowledge of actual, recent activity from them? They simply don't answer back. I called them by phone, and got nothing. 🤷‍♂️ Might it be sort of dummy company?...
 
  • #10
Majorana said:
Anybody knows if this "Aerogel Technologies" company is really in operation?
Google Street View dated August 2023 of that address shows:
Aerogel.webp

106 is the door on the far left. The door in the middle is 102-104.

There are several patents assigned to Aerogel Technologies, LLC of Boston, MA. The most recent application was filed in 2023 and published June 2025. Boston is about 30 miles from Hopkinton.

They seem to be in business on a very small scale. You could search the inventors and see if they are academics with a Boston university.
 
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You could also call the number on that "For Lease" sign to talk to the building owner / property manager to see what happened to the company and if they know if they moved somewhere else.

1769552378708.webp
 
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  • #12
berkeman said:
You could also call the number on that "For Lease" sign to talk to the building owner / property manager to see what happened to the company and if they know if they moved somewhere else.

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(and @jrmichler too) Thank you so much for your ideas...

From machining aerogel to Magnum P.I.... life is soooo funny. o0)