The Production Features of Graphite Electrodes and the Processing Forms of Graphite Materials

1. The production features of graphite electrodes

(1) Long production cycle.

(2) Higher energy consumption. The production of 1t of ordinary power graphite electrode requires about 6000kW·h of electricity, thousands of cubic meters of gas or natural gas, and about 1t of metallurgical coke particles and metallurgical coke powder.

(3) Multiple production processes.

(4) Certain amount of dust and harmful gases are generated during the production process. So, it is necessary to adopt appropriate environmental protection measures to eliminate harmful gases and the amount of dust through a perfect ventilation system.

(5) The carbon raw materials required for production, such as petroleum coke and coal tar pitch, are by-products of oil refining enterprises, iron ore companies and coal chemical enterprises, so the quality and stability of these raw materials are difficult to be fully guaranteed.

2. The processing form of graphite materials

There are mainly three types of processing forms of the graphite electrode: pressurized vibration method, CNC automatic forming method and mechanical processing method.

(1) Pressurized vibration method: As for the pressurized vibration method, it requires a special type of machine tool, and the electrode maternal mode is opposite to the electrode shape. The graphite material and the forming tool are placed relative to each other during the processing period, leaving a certain gap.

(2) CNC automatic forming method: In using the CNC automatic forming method, it requires a special graphite electrode forming machine, which adopts a way of numerical control and it is equipped with a tool automatic exchange device that can hold multiple tools. In order to improve the processing environment, the graphite electrode is surrounded by a water curtain to prevent graphite dust from dispersing everywhere.

(3) Mechanical processing method: In general, the mechanical processing method is the major method used by mold production units.

Graphite materials can be processed by the methods of turning, milling, drilling and grinding. In addition, graphite materials are prone to produce fly ash during the mechanical processing period, which will bring adverse influence on the processing equipment and the operators as well.