Costa Mesa-based Ceradyne Inc., a maker of ceramics for military armor and dental braces, said it expects to more than double profits in 2006 on the heels of a record fourth quarter.
The company said Tuesday it’s set to report sales of about $178 million for the fourth quarter, up 56% from a year ago.
New orders for the quarter are expected to come in at $314 million, also a quarterly record.
Backlog at the end of 2006 was about $344 million, up 25% from 2005.
Ceradyne said it expects 2006 profits to come in at the high end of its expectations, a range of $120 million to $123 million.
In 2005, Ceradyne earned $47 million.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been a big source of business for Ceradyne, which gets about three-fourths of its revenue from the Pentagon.
The company’s ceramics are used as armor to shatter bullets on impact and absorb the energy of a blast. Most are used in bulletproof armor for soldiers, tanks, helicopters and other vehicles.
Fourth-quarter and year-end results are due in late February.
