Ceradyne Inc. Receives Record Quarterly Order for Clarity Ceramic Orthodontic Brackets.

Business Editors

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2000

Ceradyne Inc. ("Company") (Nasdaq:CRDN) today reported receiving a $1.4 million order for its proprietary ceramic orthodontic brackets, a record for a single quarter, from Unitek, a division of 3M. Unitek is Ceradyne's exclusive marketing partner for ceramic orthodontic brackets, which it sells under the Clarity(TM) brand name.

Unitek's quarterly order for the Company's ceramic orthodontic brackets is 17% greater than its second quarter order in 1999. Shipments against this order are scheduled for the third quarter of 2000.

David Reed, Vice President and General Manager of Ceradyne's Advanced Ceramic Operations, stated: "Increased use of Clarity(TM) ceramic brackets by orthodontists gives Ceradyne not only a solid sales base but also a source of repeat sales. In anticipation, we expanded our manufacturing capacity in 1999 and have been shipping significantly higher monthly volumes to Unitek since the beginning of 2000."

"We expect growth in ceramic bracket sales to contribute strongly to the Company's performance for 2000," Joel P. Moskowitz, Ceradyne's President and CEO, said. "Overall, we are looking forward to a year of substantial growth in sales and earnings."

Ceradyne, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets advanced technical ceramics for industrial, electronic, defense, and consumer applications. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.ceradyne.com.

This press 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. These risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 1999, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.