Custom Carbon & Graphite Machining

15 Oct

5 Ways Custom Graphite Machining Enhances Industrial Productivity

The manufacturing environment is and has always been competitive. As a manufacturing company ourselves, we know at Semco that every advantage matters. Companies constantly seek ways to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve output quality. For example, we have written here about Semco's pursuit and achievement of ISO-9001 certification, a process which led us to find new strengths and efficiencies in our graphite machining operation. We have also written extensively about our use of CNC machining. For many manufacturers, custom graphite machining offers multiple pathways to enhanced productivity that many manufacturers overlook. Unlike off-the-shelf components that force processes to adapt...

02 Oct

Graphite Electrodes: Boosting Productivity in Electric Arc Furnaces

Electric arc furnaces (EAFs) have become the backbone of modern steel production, particularly for recycling scrap steel into new products. At the heart of every EAF operation are graphite electrodes—massive carbon conductors whose electrical conductivity and thermal resistance create the intense heat needed to melt steel efficiently while enabling reduced energy consumption. Understanding how these electrodes function and impact productivity helps explain why steel mills invest so heavily in electrode quality and performance. The Role of Graphite Electrodes in Steel Production Electric arc furnaces work by passing enormous electrical currents through graphite electrodes to create electric arcs between the electrodes...

26 Jun

Graphite in Nuclear Energy: What You Need to Know

When most people think of nuclear power, they picture uranium fuel rods and massive cooling towers. But there's another material quietly performing important work inside many nuclear reactors: graphite. This form of carbon plays several roles in nuclear energy production such as controlling nuclear reactions and providing structural support in the world's most advanced nuclear power stations, like the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station just west of Lorain, OH on Lake Erie. And with President Trump’s recent executive orders on nuclear power, it is likely that this industry will grow in significance as the US looks to increase its energy output...

12 Jun

Guide to Selecting a Custom Graphite Manufacturer: What to Look For

Selecting a Custom Graphite Manufacturer Synthetic graphite offers high purity and consistent quality, making it ideal for applications like lithium-ion batteries, electric arc furnaces, and nuclear reactors. It has excellent thermal conductivity, chemical stability, and can withstand high temperatures without degrading, outperforming natural graphite in many industrial uses. If your company requires custom graphite components, choosing the right custom graphite manufacturer can make the difference between a successful project and costly delays or performance issues. While we at Semco may be a little biased about this topic, we have over 50 years of graphite machining experience to back up our...

16 May

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Turns Coal into Graphite

About 500 miles south of Semco Carbon’s manufacturing facility in Lorain, OH, in the hills of eastern Tennessee, sits Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a facility with a storied past in America's nuclear program. Today, this national laboratory continues its tradition of breakthrough research, but with applications far beyond nuclear power. One particularly promising development at ORNL involves transforming a declining but valuable material—coal—into high-quality graphite essential for renewable energy and clean energy technologies. Coal's Second Act: Clean Energy Technologies For generations, coal powered America's industrial might. As the nation shifts toward cleaner energy sources, coal mining communities face uncertain...