Advantages of graphite electrodes

Advantages of graphite electrodes

1: The increasing complexity of mold geometry and the diversification of product applications have led to higher and higher requirements for the discharge accuracy of the spark machine. The advantages of graphite electrodes are easier processing, high removal rate of electrical discharge machining, and low graphite loss. Therefore, some group-based spark machine customers abandon copper electrodes and switch to graphite electrodes. In addition, some special-shaped electrodes cannot be made of copper, but graphite is easier to shape, and copper electrodes are heavy and not suitable for processing large electrodes. These factors have caused some group-based spark machine customers to use graphite electrodes.

2: Graphite electrodes are easier to process, and the processing speed is significantly faster than copper electrodes. For example, using milling technology to process graphite, its processing speed is 2-3 times faster than other metal processing and does not require additional manual processing, while copper electrodes require manual grinding. Similarly, if a high-speed graphite machining center is used to manufacture electrodes, the speed will be faster and the efficiency will be higher, and there will be no dust problems. In these processes, choosing tools with appropriate hardness and graphite can reduce tool wear and copper damage. If you specifically compare the milling time of graphite electrodes and copper electrodes, graphite electrodes are 67% faster than copper electrodes. In general electrical discharge machining, the processing of graphite electrodes is 58% faster than copper electrodes. In this way, processing time is greatly reduced, and manufacturing costs are also reduced.

3: The design of the graphite electrode is different from that of the traditional copper electrode. Many mold factories usually have different allowances for roughing and finishing of copper electrodes, while graphite electrodes use almost the same allowances. This reduces the number of CAD/CAM and machine processing. For this reason alone, Enough to improve the accuracy of the mold cavity to a large extent.

Of course, after the mold factory switches from copper electrodes to graphite electrodes, the first thing that should be clear is how to use graphite materials and consider other related factors. Nowadays, some customers of group-based spark machine use graphite to electrode discharge machining, which eliminates the process of mold cavity polishing and chemical polishing, but still achieves the expected surface finish. Without increasing the time and polishing process, it is impossible for the copper electrode to produce such a workpiece. In addition, graphite is divided into different grades. The ideal processing effect can be achieved by using appropriate grades of graphite and electric spark discharge parameters under specific applications. If the operator uses the same parameters as the copper electrode on the spark machine using graphite electrodes, Then the result must be disappointing. If you want to strictly control the material of the electrode, you can set the graphite electrode in a non-loss state (loss less than 1%) during rough machining, but the copper electrode is not used.

Graphite has the following high-quality characteristics that copper cannot match:

Processing speed: high-speed milling rough machining is 3 times faster than copper; high-speed milling finishing is 5 times faster than copper

Good machinability, can realize complex geometric modeling

Light weight, density is less than 1/4 of copper, electrode is easy to clamp

can reduce the number of single electrodes, because they can be bundled into a combined electrode

Good thermal stability, no deformation and no processing burrs