Custom Carbon & Graphite Machining

26 Jun

Graphite in Nuclear Energy: What You Need to Know

When most people think of nuclear power, they picture uranium fuel rods and massive cooling towers. But there's another material quietly performing important work inside many nuclear reactors: graphite. This form of carbon plays several roles in nuclear energy production such as controlling nuclear reactions and providing structural support in the world's most advanced nuclear power stations, like the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station just west of Lorain, OH on Lake Erie. And with President Trump’s recent executive orders on nuclear power, it is likely that this industry will grow in significance as the US looks to increase its energy output...

19 Jun

How Graphite is Revolutionizing Renewable Energy Storage

Graphite is Revolutionizing Renewable Energy Storage The news about renewable energy can be dizzying. We are moving swiftly through a revolutionary shift from fossil fuels to renewables, says one article. Another asserts that we’re not moving quickly enough. The shift toward renewable energy is happening, and it is revolutionary, but it faces a basic challenge. We’re not sure about your corner of the world, but at Semco HQ in Lorain, Ohio, the sun doesn't always shine, and the wind doesn't always blow. Storing energy when it's abundant and releasing it when needed has become the critical puzzle piece in making...

12 Jun

Guide to Selecting a Custom Graphite Manufacturer: What to Look For

Selecting a Custom Graphite Manufacturer Synthetic graphite offers high purity and consistent quality, making it ideal for applications like lithium-ion batteries, electric arc furnaces, and nuclear reactors. It has excellent thermal conductivity, chemical stability, and can withstand high temperatures without degrading, outperforming natural graphite in many industrial uses. If your company requires custom graphite components, choosing the right custom graphite manufacturer can make the difference between a successful project and costly delays or performance issues. While we at Semco may be a little biased about this topic, we have over 50 years of graphite machining experience to back up our...

28 May

Synthetic Graphite in Modern Military Applications

Two years ago, we explored in a blog synthetic graphite's role in military equipment, focusing on rocket nozzles and graphite bombs during the early phase of the Ukraine conflict. Today, we're revisiting this topic with fresh insights into how this versatile material continues to serve important functions across various branches of our armed forces, from the National Guards to the Air Force and beyond. The U.S. Military's Graphite Dependency The U.S. Air Force, perhaps more than any other military branch, relies on synthetic graphite components. From the thermal protection systems in hypersonic vehicles to components in aircraft engines, synthetic graphite's...

16 May

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Turns Coal into Graphite

About 500 miles south of Semco Carbon’s manufacturing facility in Lorain, OH, in the hills of eastern Tennessee, sits Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a facility with a storied past in America's nuclear program. Today, this national laboratory continues its tradition of breakthrough research, but with applications far beyond nuclear power. One particularly promising development at ORNL involves transforming a declining but valuable material—coal—into high-quality graphite essential for renewable energy and clean energy technologies. Coal's Second Act: Clean Energy Technologies For generations, coal powered America's industrial might. As the nation shifts toward cleaner energy sources, coal mining communities face uncertain...