Ceradyne, Inc. Names New Corporate Vice Presidents; Heads of ESK, Washington Armor Operations Join Corporate Management Team.

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Ceradyne, Inc. (Company) (Nasdaq:CRDN) named Dr. Peter Hartl, president of the Company's ESK Ceramics subsidiary, and Marc King, head of armor operations in Washington, as corporate vice presidents.

Hartl joined Ceradyne as the result of the Company's acquisition of the German technical ceramic corporation, ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG, completed in August 2004. Hartl is president of ESK and also heads ESK operations. He joined ESK in 1998 as vice president in charge of boron compounds. Prior to joining ESK, Hartl spent 11 years at ESK's former parent company, Wacker Chemie, starting in Wacker's research department and moving to the chemical regulations department as part of a management development project. He became technical support manager in Wacker's silicone division and was later appointed regional manager for silicone sealants to establish sales, marketing, production, and service operations in Singapore.

King joined Ceradyne in September 2004 as vice president of armor operations in Washington, D.C. to support ongoing growth of the Company's ceramic armor business, particularly in armor for ground-based military vehicles. Prior to joining Ceradyne, he was vice president of business development for Mistral, Incorporated, where he developed strategies for marketing and sales to the U.S. government markets, including Department of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security. Prior to Mistral, King was president of GMA Cover Corporation (USA), a supplier to the United States Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command and the Defense Logistics Agency. Before that, he was vice president of Gichner Systems Group (GSG), and president of its refrigerated truck body division. Gichner supplied shelters, enclosures, and other troop-support equipment through the DoD. Prior to GSG, King was director of Allied Defense Industries' land systems and aerospace divisions, where he planned and directed the marketing of defense and defense-related equipment, including vehicle armor. King's military experience includes responsibility for command, operations, and logistical support for U.S. Army ground and air troops and weapons and ground warfare systems deployment. He also was a Congressional coordinator for the Secretary of the Army and managed Congressional legislative directives to the Army. He completed his military career as a lieutenant colonel.

Joel Moskowitz, Ceradyne chief executive officer, commented: "We are broadening and strengthening our management capabilities at the corporate level and are pleased to welcome Peter and Marc to the team. Ceradyne's business and operational growth, and expected future growth, demand expansion of its organizational structure, and we plan to continue to add experienced and qualified individuals such as Peter and Marc."

Ceradyne develops, manufactures and markets advanced technical ceramic products and components for defense, industrial, automotive/diesel and commercial applications. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.ceradyne.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of Ceradyne that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "intends," "future," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.