Custom Carbon & Graphite Machining

07 Dec

Machining Synthetic Graphite

Machining graphite material, be it synthetic or natural graphite, requires the same type of CNC machines as does, say, machining steel or aluminum. When cutting graphite material, though, there are very important distinctions as to how the machines are actually set-up in order to properly perform. Particularly in the synthetic graphite manufacturing process, there are risks to cutting graphite material in a shop unequipped for machining graphite. At Semco, machining graphite material is precisely what we are equipped for. Machining synthetic or natural graphite requires specific equipment and tools to achieve precision and to minimize the risk of contamination. Synthetic...

30 Oct

Space is the Place for Synthetic Graphite

Synthetic graphite is widely used in the aerospace industry, and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see why graphite’s physical properties fit the needs of the aerospace industry. Well, maybe you do, but we will simplify things a bit here. Synthetic graphite’s heat resistance helps space vehicles sustain the high temperature or re-entry through the atmosphere. It’s helping replace fossil fuels as the main power source for some aerospace fuel systems. And there’s a lot more to the story of synthetic graphite’s expanding role in sending rockets, satellites, and people to space. What follows is a rundown...

23 Oct

Graphite Cement: A High Temperature-Resistant Building Material

Graphite cement typically refers to a material with adhesive and bonding physical properties that contains graphite as one of its primary components. This is not your typical cement, one of the most ubiquitous, and necessary, building materials used by people today. Your typical cement is made of forms of lime, silica, iron, and aluminum. Like manufactured graphite, cement’s formula can be adjusted to suit specific purposes. One of those materials that can be added to cement to give it certain properties is graphite. Graphite is a form of carbon known for its excellent electrical conductivity, lubricating properties, and high temperature...

09 Oct

Teflon: Not Just for Non-Stick Cookware

Graphite is a high temperature-resistant material. It isn’t too surprising then to find that graphite and Teflon have been combined in industrial applications that go beyond just non-stick cookware, like gasket material (and many others). Teflon-coated graphite refers to a material that consists of a layer of Teflon (a brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE) applied to the surface of graphite. This combination offers unique properties and applications, primarily due to the characteristics of both materials. Between the high thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of graphite to the chemical resistance and low friction of both materials, Teflon-coated graphite makes a...

30 Sep

Synthetic Graphite and Its Various Grades

Here’s a question: What do electric discharge machines, degassing systems, and li-ion batteries all have in common? Yep, synthetic graphite. Ok, so that was easy, but extra points if you added to that list on your own things like nuclear graphite, anode material, and a million other products and machine components that require various grades of synthetic graphite to function properly. Synthetic graphite is classified into different grades based on its characteristics, properties, and intended applications. Synthetic graphite grades used in electric discharge machines will differ from synthetic graphite grades used in degassing systems. These grades are designed to meet...