Custom Carbon & Graphite Machining

28 Mar

How Synthetic Graphite is Made

Why Synthetic Graphite and not Natural Graphite? At Semco, we love natural graphite. It’s the OG, the original. There’s just one problem: there isn’t enough of it. Synthetic graphite has to step in to fill the need. As it turns out, synthetic graphite is actually preferable to natural graphite in many ways. And while Semco doesn’t make its own graphite (we have industry partners that do that), we love knowing how it’s made. Knowing synthetic graphite material inside and out means knowing what’s in it and how it’s made (extrusion, die molding,, etc). Allow the synthetic graphite experts at Semco...

21 Mar

Computer Aided Design, or CAD

Computer-aided design, more commonly known as CAD, is the use of computers in the design process across a wide range of industries. CAD software is primarily used to create highly accurate models, but CAD covers all steps in the design process, from creation and modification to analysis and design. In our industry, CAD software is notably used to create precise drawings and models of objects and structures. CAD was developed as a more accurate, affordable way for designers, engineers, and manufacturers to design, visualize, and test models while minimizing the chance of mistakes. As CAD allows for easy modification, documentation,...

14 Mar

Graphite Dust: How We Deal With the Dust Hazard

Dust: a finely powdered substance of various matters, often suspended in the air. When that suspended matter is floating around someone machining graphite electrodes, it’s graphite dust. Anyone that has machined graphite knows that the particles generated from the machining process are very fine and have a tendency to remain airborne, even when a dust collector is in use. Unlike common household dust, graphite dust has characteristics that must be taken into consideration. Dust Hazard? Dealing with graphite dust naturally brings up the question, is this stuff considered a hazard to the human body? Before answering this, we should clarify...

07 Feb

Graphite Heating Elements in Vacuum Furnaces

In our graphite machine shop, we have the three things necessary to produce graphite heating elements of any type or size: a variety of graphite blocks, machines optimized for machining graphite, and skilled and experienced graphite machinists. If your manufacturing facility produces sintered metals or brazes copper, or in any way employs high-temperature vacuum furnaces in your manufacturing process, you likely rely on graphite heating elements. There are many reasons that graphite is the preferred material for heating elements, several of which we discuss below. Why Graphite Heating Elements? Graphite is a desirable material in various thermal applications due to...

30 Jan

Impervious Graphite Grades in Process Equipment

Most graphite applications are designed with a particular graphite grade in mind. Impervious graphite grades, where the original material is altered to eliminate porosity, are especially in demand for some common graphite applications. Graphite process equipment, especially heat exchangers, are increasingly being used in chemical processing, as well as pharmaceutical and other process applications requiring high corrosion resistance. Graphite Applications in Heat Exchangers Any graphite grade has great thermal conductivity that makes it suitable for the construction of heat exchangers and other process equipment. These systems transfer heat between a substance and a fluid, many of which are corrosive. Not...