Carbon

Carbon is one of the most versatile elements. Beyond it’s use as an energy source several carbon allotropes are used as technology materials. Carbon blacks with an annual usage around 25 Mt/a are dominant as a functional filler in tyres and polymers, as pigments and in many more uses. Atoms are organized in graphene pattern in an onion-shell-like structure. The provenience of the 3+ Mt/a of graphites is either synthetic (2 Mt/a) or geological (1 Mt/a). The other allotropes of carbon are only available and used in minor quantities (diamond, graphene, carbon nanotubes).

90 percent of all synthetic graphites are used as electrodes, especially in electric arc furnaces (steel making, silicon and others). The wide variety of specialty graphites we are focused upon is manufactured by 20+ large companies in China, Japan, Europe (Germany) and the US.

Extreme resistance to heat and chemical attack, excellent sliding and heat conducting properties and an existing but low electric conductivity are key properties of all graphites, synthetic as well as natural. This portfolio of properties makes carbon an especially graphite a material of choice in many innovation processes. 

graphite is just "element six" of the periodic table of the elements, alike diamond, fullerenes, carbon black and other allotropes of carbon.  The "secret" of graphite resides in his crystallinity.  The increased order of the carbon atoms achieved through high temperature graphitisation provides an increased electric and thermal conductivity, an enhanced resistance to corrosion and hugh temperature as well as improved sliding properties.

In our processes we use high quality isostatic, extruded and vibration compacted graphites in two main ways:

• to machine graphite components with high dimensional precision and high aspect ratios, if needed with purities up to 99,999+ % carbon.
• to produce powders and granules of almost any type of graphite and carbon with purities ranging from  99,3 to 99,999+ % carbon.