Advantages Of Graphite As Electrode Material
Dec 01, 2022
What advantages does graphite material have over copper electrode?
1. More than 90% of electrode materials in Europe that choose graphite as electrode material are graphite. Copper, once the dominant electrode material, has almost lost its advantages over graphite electrode.
2. Reasons for graphite as electrode:
1) Faster machining speed: Generally, the machining speed of graphite is 2~5 times faster than that of copper; The EDM speed is 2~3 times faster than that of copper.
2) The material is more difficult to deform: it has obvious advantages in the processing of thin rib electrode; The softening point of copper is about 1000 degrees, which is easy to deform due to heating; The sublimation temperature of graphite is 3650 ℃; The coefficient of thermal expansion is only 1/30 of copper.
3) Lighter weight: the density of graphite is only 1/5 of copper. When large electrodes are used for EDM, the burden of EDM can be effectively reduced; It is more suitable for the application on large moulds.
4) Discharge consumption is smaller: because spark oil also contains C atoms, during electrical discharge machining, the high temperature causes the C atoms in spark oil to be decomposed, which in turn forms a protective film on the surface of the graphite electrode to compensate for the loss of the graphite electrode.
