Superior Graphite has established a variety of core capabilities including the specialization of continuous electro-thermal purification technology, carbon coatings and granular processing. Graphite and carbon materials are transformed and formulated to meet the most sensitive customer requirements. Proprietary technologies are applied to a wide range of materials including natural and synthetic graphite, carbon black, silicon carbide and a variety of cokes.
Superior Graphite’s catalogue of unique technologies and processes include:
Advanced Electro-Thermal Purification Technology
A continuous electro-thermal purification technology is applied to carbon and graphite materials to transform granulated powders at 3000°C. As carbon particles are exposed to the thermal shock of high temperatures, graphitic properties are imparted and enhanced. Volatile gases and select heavy materials are reduced or eliminated, creating a highly-ordered crystalline structure with exceptional purity, consistent quality, and increased resiliency, lubrication, and thermal and electrical conductivity. This process is applied to natural and synthetic graphite, carbon black, and a variety of cokes.
Benefits of Electro-thermal purification:
- High Carbon Content
- Consistent quality
- Highly-ordered crystalline structure
- Improved conductivity
- Highly resilient and lubricious
- Increased porosity
- Low sulfur and ash
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Electro-thermal purification process:
- Particulates shocked at nearly 3000°C
- Consistent quality
- QC: physical and chemical analysis
- Packaging: 10kg, 25kg, and 50lb paper bags or bulk bags
- Inventory, warehousing, distribution
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Manufacture of Engineered Graphite Electrodes
Superior Graphite utilizes state-of-the-art technology in the production of graphite electrodes for steel, iron, and other metallurgical industries. Precision-engineered, quality-manufactured extruded electrodes are produced in unique continuous longitudinal graphitization furnaces operating at temperatures up to 3000°C. The electrodes offer consistent uniform properties resulting in lower consumption and enhanced performance required by customers.
Benefits of graphite electrodes:
- Reduce power and production costs
- Maximize steel productivity
- Optimized performance and minimal consumption
- Product consistency
- Extensive QC controls to ensure uniform properties
- Thorough analysis of furnace specifications
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Graphite electrode process:
- Screened petroleum cokes, milled for consistency
- Blended with binder pitch, cooled, and extruded to make electrode
- Baked at high temperatures to form hard carbon
- Impregnated with pitch and re-baked
- Graphitized electrode converted to graphite in furnace
- Machined to exact specifications to meet industry standards
- Labeled, packaged, shipped
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Manufacture of Advanced Ceramic Shapes and Powders
Superior Graphite specializes in milling both Beta and Alpha silicon carbide to produce various grades of sub-micron ceramic powders. Beta silicon is produced through a cutting-edge, continuous electro-thermal process. Intricate attrition and air milling processes are used to manufacture silicon carbide grades from very fine to coarse particles. Silicon carbide is ideal for processing into parts due to its proven sintered mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, low fracture toughness, and thermal conductivity. Additionally, Superior Graphite is further processing the powders into ceramic tiles and shapes.
Benefits of SiC powders:
- Low fracture toughness
- Extreme hardness
- Thermal conductivity
- Inert properties
- Self-cleaning abrasive particles
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Benefits of SiC shapes:
- Optimal grain sizes
- Green body shaping
- Thermal conductivity
- Pressureless sintering to near net shapes
- Specialized sizing available
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Milling, Grinding, Sizing, Classification and Blending Systems
Precision processing of granular materials has been a core competency of Superior Graphite for generations. Manufacturing personnel operate a comprehensive line of mechanical mills, fluid energy mills, classification systems, and blending systems on a full range of materials including flake, amorphous, and vein natural graphites, synthetic graphite, delaminated flake, and a variety of cokes. The processing results in particle size distribution ranges from millimeter down to micron scale. Superior Graphite consistently delivers high-quality materials with the correct morphology to meet specific requirements.
Benefits of precision processing:
- Sub-micron sizing of α-Silicon Carbide
- Custom carbon blends
- Particle size and morphology control
- Consistency
- Globally-sourced
- Economical
- Premium quality
- Excellent service
Manufacture of Carbon Coatings
Superior Graphite offers the most-advanced coating technologies for high-tech industries by applying dispersion expertise, blending capabilities, granular processing, and wet chemistry. Dedicated manufacturing and research facilities disperse and surface treat a wide variety of substrates using water, solvents, or oil-based diluents. Carbon loadings and viscosities can be formulated to meet critical customer requirements. Superior Graphite develops consumer/commercial dry film lubricants, hot metal forming and forging lubricants, as well as coated graphites specifically designed for Li-Ion batteries.
Benefits of coating technologies:
- Lubricity
- Electrical conductivity
- Thermal conductivity
- Friction modification
- Viscosity and solids control
- Hardness
- Colloidal suspension
- Surface/morphology modifications
