Electrical discharge machining and continuous casting

Graphite electrodes for EDM and ingot molds and crucibles for continuous casting



Spark erosion enables highly complex geometries to be realized with our graphite electrodes. Compared with copper electrodes, our solutions save you time and material. The use of graphite also pays off in continuous casting. Our casting dies for nonferrous metals and precious metals reliably resist attack by the melts and have no effect on the composition of the final product.

Graphite casting dies behave completely neutral

In continuous casting, the molten metal is continuously let into our graphite mold, where it solidifies and is withdrawn in an oscillating manner in the casting direction. In this way, for example, strips, wires, tubes and round or square bars can be produced quickly and in high quality. Graphite proves to be a superior material here, with no influence whatsoever on the composition of the final product. For example, the graphite die does not release any graphite particles into the melt, which means that there are no particle inclusions in the product that could cause problems in downstream work processes. Our graphite molds therefore enable continuous monitoring of metal processing from the liquid to the solid state.

Graphite components with consistently high-quality properties

Thanks to our many years of experience and great materials expertise, we can optimally design materials and their processing to suit the application required by the customer. We have access to a wide variety of materials and finishing techniques. All our solutions have outstanding material properties in common. For example, our casting dies are characterized by consistent thermal conductivity, chemical and thermal resistance, and high load-bearing capacity. Added to this are excellent thermal shock resistance, low thermal expansion and good lubricating and sliding properties, as the molten metal does not wet the graphite surface.




Graphite as a superior material

For high-precision surface machining of electrically conductive materials, electrical discharge machining (EDM) has become established in many fields. This thermal-electrical discharge machining process enables complex geometries with high surface quality that would be impossible to achieve with conventional milling techniques, or only at very high cost. Graphite is the superior material for the electrodes used here - it offers decisive advantages over copper in both milling and EDM. For example, the thermal expansion of graphite materials is significantly lower than that of copper. This results in excellent contour and dimensional accuracy of the shapes to be machined. In addition, graphite allows the material removal rate to be almost doubled, while wear during sparking is much lower.

Graphite electrodes with materials and production know-how

For our filigree graphite electrodes, we use only high-quality isographites from our wide range of materials, which can be tailored to individual customer requirements. This makes it easy to meet even the most stringent surface finish requirements. Our graphite electrodes are characterized by high resistance to thermal shock, a low coefficient of thermal expansion, excellent geometric stability, and low density. They are ideally suited for the realization of geometries on the pressing, injection or stamping tool that could only be produced by machining at a much higher cost or not at all.