Custom Carbon & Graphite Machining

17 Mar

Explaining The Coefficient of Thermal Expansion in Graphite Materials

At Semco Carbon, we are constantly thinking of new, relevant and useful topics to incorporate into our periodic blogs.Let's Discuss The Coefficient of Thermal ExpansionIn a recent meeting our application engineers were working on a specific issue to assist one of our customers. A customer of ours had been experiencing premature component breakage in a new high temperature process they were testing. Looking at the specifics of their application, we determined that this experience would provide a good example of the importance of the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.We thought this specific case study and other relevant experiences could be used...

31 Dec

Carbon Graphite

Carbon Graphite: Strengths and ApplicationsMany of our customers call searching for technical information or products described as carbon graphite. While this is an available material, more often than not our customers are actually in need of either carbon or graphite.What is Carbon Graphite?The carbon graphite materials are a blend of synthetic graphite and carbon. Carbon graphite is processed in a manner to offer a hybridization or composite material that can offer some of the benefits of graphite and carbon, with the associated limitations of both materials.High Performance In High TemperatureThe carbon graphite composite materials perform well under low operating temperatures...

12 May

Graphite Degassing System

When discussing materials used in Aluminum Foundries, graphite occupies an important spot, especially when referring to aluminum smelting operations. Graphite Degassing Units are systems used for degassing hydrogen from molten aluminum. During the smelting process of aluminum, or aluminum alloys, hydrogen is produced through a chemical reaction with steam. Diffused throughout the aluminum, it creates voids, and ultimately cause structural defects. It will effectively weaken the casting. To combat this unwanted effect, most aluminum foundries will inject an inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon, which draws the hydrogen out from the aluminum / aluminum alloy. The Graphite Degassing Units...

05 May

What is Graphite?

To understand the myriad applications and benefits of working with graphite, it's important to have a clear understanding of the material we are working with. So, what is graphite?When we talk about graphite in most industrial applications we are discussing synthetic graphite. Synthetic graphite is the crystalline form of carbon. Synthetic graphite is a man made material that is extremely resistant to high temperatures and acidic or basic solutions. Graphite can be engineered to obtain specific properties such as density, electrical resistance, hardness, porosity, compressive strength, flexural strength, coefficient of thermal expansion and thermal conductivity. Typically graphite is produced from petroleum...

20 Jan

Is Machining Graphite Plates, Graphite Rods Really for You ?

In many instances we receive requests for basic shapes of graphite. Most of the time, the consumer is looking for graphite rods, or graphite plates. The intent is to machine these basic shapes into finished product. Although, we are service/solutions provider, we are happy to supply our customers with raw graphite materials too. In one of our prior blogs we discussed some aspects related to machining graphite. The prevailing opinion is that any machine shop can machine graphite. And while technically that is correct, when you look at the process in detail you realize that machining graphite is not a...