What is ISO Molded Graphite
There are two types of graphite. There is natural graphite and synthetic graphite.
Natural graphite is found in underground deposits, it is mined and it is primarily used as a lubricant and as pencil lead.
Synthetic graphite is a highly engineered, petroleum based, composite material. It was created for industries that needed graphite with improved properties. The various manufacturing processes as well as recipe compositions, determine the final physical and chemical properties of the graphite.
Basically, there are four types readily available synthetic graphite materials. Extruded, vibratory molded, cold molded and isostatically molded. Generally, the extruded and vibratory molded materials are associated with larger particle sizes and lower densities, while cold molded and Iso molded materials are associated with smaller particle sizes and increased densities. These properties, provide a good starting point when deciding what type of synthetic graphite might be needed for a specific application.
What is Iso Molded Graphite ?
The semantics of the phrase relate to the method of manufacturing. ''Iso'' stands for isostatic. This is a term that stands for constant pressure on all sides. Molded means it is cold pressed by molding. In reality, this type of graphite is a cold molded graphite, Iso-statically pressed. The result is a graphite material that has excellent properties, uniformly distributed throughout the entire mass, without having a grain direction. Combine that with high density and small particle size, and the result is a highly engineered material, very strong, with good machinability, and capable of retaining very fine details. It is resistant to high temperatures in controlled environments, electro-conductive and has self lubricating properties.
Technological developments in industries such as solar, EDM (electrical discharge machining), semiconductors, military and aerospace have created high demand for Iso Molded graphite. Manufacturers are using new technologies and improvements to existing manufacturing processes, to design and create the next generation of Iso Molded graphite materials, making them even stronger, denser with exceptional properties.
Iso-Molded graphite materials are a great choice for a lot of special applications; it is designed and manufactured with the intent of offering custom solutions to highly engineered processes.