- 1. The increasing complexity of mold geometry and the diversification of product applications lead to higher discharge accuracy requirements for spark machines. The advantages of graphite electrodes are easy processing, high removal rate of discharge processing and small graphite loss, so some group base spark machine customers give up copper electrodes instead of graphite electrodes. In addition, some special shape of the electrode can not be made of copper, but graphite is easier to form, and copper electrode heavier, not suitable for processing large electrodes, these factors cause some group of base spark machine customers to apply graphite electrode.
- 2.Graphite electrode is easier to process, and the processing speed is significantly faster than the copper electrode. For example, using milling process to process graphite, its processing speed than other metal processing faster than $number times and do not need additional manual processing, and copper electrodes need manual grinding. Similarly, if the use of high-speed graphite processing center to manufacture electrodes, the speed will be faster and more efficient, will not produce dust problems. In these processes, the selection of suitable tools and graphite can reduce the wear and tear of the tool and the breakage of the copper. If the milling time of graphite electrode is compared with that of copper electrode, the graphite electrode is 67% faster than that of copper electrode, and the process of using graphite electrodes is 58% faster than that of copper electrode in normal discharge processing. As a result, processing time is greatly reduced and manufacturing costs are reduced.
- 3. The graphite electrode is different from the traditional copper electrode design. Many mold plants usually have different reserves in the roughing and finishing of copper electrodes, while graphite electrodes use almost the same amount of reserve, which reduces the number of CAD/CAM and machine processing, which alone is enough to improve the precision of the mold cavity to a large extent.
Of course, the mold factory from the copper electrode to the graphite electrode, the first thing should be clear is how to use graphite materials and consider other relevant factors. Today, some group of base spark machine customers using graphite electrode discharge processing, which eliminates the mold cavity polishing and chemical polishing process is still able to achieve the desired surface finish. The copper electrodes are unlikely to produce such a workpiece without adding time and polishing processes. In addition, graphite is divided into different grades, the use of the appropriate grade of graphite and discharge parameters in specific applications to achieve the desired processing effect, if the use of graphite electrode on the spark machine operators to use the same parameters as copper electrodes, then the results are certainly disappointing. If the electrode material is to be strictly controlled, the graphite electrode can be set in a non wear state at roughing (loss less than 1%), but the copper electrode is not used.
Graphite has the following copper unmatched quality characteristics:
Processing speed: High speed milling roughing is 3 times times faster than copper; High speed milling finishing is 5 times times faster than copper
Good processability, can achieve complex geometric modeling
Light weight, less than 1/4 of copper density, easy clamping of electrodes.
Can reduce the number of single electrodes, because they can be bundled into composite electrodes
Good thermal stability, no distortion without machining burr
