Custom Carbon and Graphite Machining Blog

15 Sep

Graphite Coring

When a client orders a machined graphite component from Semco, we do everything possible to give them the best deal we can. Providing value to our clients on graphite product dovetails perfectly with other values we hold, such as eliminating waste and promoting efficiency. Cutting corners, though, is something we do not do. If you order graphite product from Semco, it will be of the highest quality, machined to your rigorous specifications. Within this commitment to highest quality graphite components, there are still opportunities for savings for both the client and for Semco. These instances usually arise from smart engineering...

31 Aug

Diamond Tooling

Don’t believe the advertising slogan - diamonds are NOT forever, at least not if we’re talking about diamond tools. They wear out too, it just takes them a while. Diamond tools are special, though, with many specific applications that demand the singular qualities provided by what is popularly understood to be the hardest natural substance. At Semco, we play a part in using synthetic graphite to produce diamond tools. We know what you’re thinking: “Diamonds and graphite are siblings -- they both come from the same parent substance, carbon. Semco must just press the graphite until it becomes diamond graphite!”...

17 Aug

ISO Certification at Semco Carbon

We recently decided to pursue something big for a graphite manufacturing company: ISO certification. This is not a spur of the moment decision, but a culmination of years of preparation and hard work at perfecting our graphite fabrication operation. This certification (done through the International Organization for Standardization) will attest to the quality of our organization and highlight our commitment to the highest level of graphite manufacturing and to producing the highest quality carbon-based products. It will, significantly, allow us to compete for contracts where ISO certification is a requirement. As of now, Semco has completed stage one of the...

27 Jul

New Hire Matt Millard - Senior Saw Operator

When Semco posts a job, we are often looking for very specific qualifications in possible new hires. Often, we are searching for someone with a background in graphite fabrication. Other times, we need a person who can communicate knowledgeably with graphite suppliers and shipping companies. Recently, we needed someone who was expert in operating large saws like the ones we use on our shop floor. If that sounds like a simple qualification, think again. If you hear the word “saw” and what comes to mind is a wooden handle attached to a one-foot blade, like the one you use to...

05 Jul

Graphite Material Property-Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

At Semco Carbon, we are constantly thinking of new, relevant, and useful topics involving graphite materials and graphite applications to share with the readers of this blog. If something has to do with the manufacture of graphite products, we’ve probably got a lot to say, and a story to tell, about it. During a recent meeting, our application engineers were working on a specific issue that one of our customers was having. This customer had been experiencing premature component breakage in a new high temperature process they were testing. After thinking about the specifics of their application, we realized that...