Want more information on graphite electrode price? Feel free to contact us.
There has been a long standing debate about whether graphite or copper is a better EDM electrode material. One of main reasons people have historically used copper within Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is because it is cleaner in their working environment, but is that where the advantages of the material stop? With over 70% of the global market choosing to use graphite electrode materials over copper today (totalling as high as 95% in the United States), the question is why choose graphite over copper in your EDM applications? Here, we take a closer look at the differences between the two materials and outline 5 reasons why graphite is likely to be the most appropriate for your EDM application needs.
In terms of material cost, it is commonly assumed that copper is lower priced than graphite. This is often the result of comparing the price of copper material with more expensive grades of graphite available. Due to the wide range of graphite materials available, it is proven that some EDM grades are more economical than copper. Furthermore, most comparisons do not consider the cost of machining the electrode. Significant cost savings can be made choosing graphite over copper, generated through reduced machining times and speed of cut, less production time to create electrodes, faster EDM times and better throughput from EDM machines. For example, due to the soft ‘ductile’ characteristics of copper, the material is often ‘gummy’ and conventional machining practices, such as feeds and speeds must be altered to successfully machine this material. This results in longer machining times and increased costs. In comparison, graphite can be conventionally machined much more easily and quickly and even with more expensive graphite materials, the machining costs often offset any savings that are realised when choosing copper.
Graphite is produced with a wide range of material characteristics in order to allow matching the electrode material properties to the EDM application. Less critical applications with electrode features containing a large radius, an open tolerance or minimal EDM requirements would use an electrode with large particles, lower strength and economical price. A highly detailed EDM electrode however with critical features, extreme tolerance and stringent EDM requirements would entail a more premium graphite electrode to fit the needs of this application. On the other hand, the types of copper available on the market are few and minimize the ability to match the material characteristics to the EDM application, thus limiting optimum performance.
Copper does not have the ability to handle current density as effectively as graphite, which performs exceptionally well at a high current density even with complex geometry, allowing for various intricate machined details to be designed on the same electrode. The result is that the number of electrodes required to perform a job is significantly reduced.
With the large number of graphite grades Erodex offer, they can carefully select the correct material for a specific job. Graphite can be chosen depending on required surface finish, electrode life, speed of cut or metallurgy of the job. When working with copper however, there is only one form and precisely selecting the optimum material specification is not possible.
EDM operators know that excessive wear results in the use of extra electrodes or frequent redressing. Graphite is able to achieve electrode wear of less than 1% in relation to the depth of cut, while working to more aggressive machine parameters. This means, unlike copper, the high amperage and longer on-times actually preserve the graphite electrode.
In the aerospace sector when working with very thin, fine detail electrodes, copper is vulnerable to any rough handling and physical damage. Pressure applied to a thin section of copper will cause movement that can go unnoticed, causing further performance issues at a later stage. Graphite on the other hand is either in the right condition, or is clearly broken, vastly reducing the risk of the electrode being used in production.
Some firms wire erode their own electrodes and are mislead into believing that you cannot wire erode graphite. Contrary to this, Erodex have tested the wire erosion of graphite and have done so without any breakages and at comparible speed times to that of copper.
Copper electrodes do provide very fine surface finishes. With the sophistication of today’s EDM machine technology, the surface finish gap between graphite and copper has narrowed significantly. For example, fine grain graphite electrodes are able to deliver similar surface finishes to that of copper, while offering much faster speeds and vastly reduced electrode wear.
Rate this post
Graphite demand and prices enjoyed phenomenal growth last year, largely supported by expansion in the electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion battery sector, where graphite is the key raw material consumed in EV battery anodes. While the long-term outlook for graphite remains strong, the industry is facing near-term obstacles. Here are Fastmarkets’ five key factors to watch in the graphite market.
Natural graphite flake prices are forecast to rise significantly over the coming decade, propelled higher by exponential growth in the EV battery sector and underlying changes to global graphite supply. This is centered on the industry’s desire to diversify supply away from China, while also localizing supply in areas such as Europe and North America. As the industry targets local, diversified supply, the industry will also face a push for more environmentally friendly production and processing and utilization of green power sources. We expect to see this combination of factors increase the underlying natural graphite cost base, contributing to higher prices.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Super High Power Graphite Electrode. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Despite this favorable long-term outlook, graphite prices have been tumbling this year, after posting impressive gains in 2022. Declining prices this year reflect a number of factors, most critically rising competition from Chinese synthetic graphite active anode material (AAM) in response to lower Chinese power costs and significant increases to graphitization capacity in China. This has been exacerbated by reduced demand from the electric arc furnace (EAF) steel sector for graphite electrodes, leaving more synthetic graphite available for the xEV battery sector.
Synthetic graphite AAM prices have fallen sharply in response to increased production capacity and lower costs, intensifying competition for natural spherical graphite AAM. Natural graphite battery precursor material is now priced at a premium to synthetic graphite battery precursor material, eliminating the key cost advantage of natural graphite versus synthetic graphite and in turn hindering demand for natural graphite AAM.
Rising synthetic graphite supply and declining prices have prompted increased demand from anode manufacturers for synthetic graphite in lieu of natural graphite precursor material.
These factors combined to push synthetic graphite utilization rates in AAM manufacturing to as high as 85-90% in the first half of 2023, up from a more typical industry average of around 70% in recent years.
We expect these trends to continue to influence demand and pricing in 2023. We have lowered our base case price forecasts for natural graphite uSPG and flake for the next several years, reflecting persistent competition from synthetic graphite.
We maintain the view that natural graphite prices will be rising sharply in the coming years reflecting surging demand from the xEV sector, as well as rising power costs and increasingly stringent ESG regulations. This will push the market into a significant deficit without required investment in the graphite space.
Given the rising dominance of synthetic graphite in Chinese anodes, we expect to see growth in demand for natural graphite precursor anode material and AAM to be centered in ex-Chinese markets. Given significant investment by both US and European governments to encourage localized, diversified and ESG-friendly supply, we forecast natural graphite will play a key role in anode material demand in these regions in the longer term.
We expect to see premium pricing structures emerge in ex-China markets to reflect higher costs associated with ESG friendly supply, but also to encourage the much-needed investment in the sector to prompt the development of localized and diversified supply. Without additional investment, the market will fall into a significant deficit beyond 2030.
Keep up with the latest news, market intelligence and trends in the graphite market when you visit our dedicated graphite market page.
Get an in-depth, 10-year view into where and when graphite supply will come online with our graphite long-term forecast.
There has been a long standing debate about whether graphite or copper is a better EDM electrode material. One of main reasons people have historically used copper within Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is because it is cleaner in their working environment, but is that where the advantages of the material stop? With over 70% of the global market choosing to use graphite electrode materials over copper today (totalling as high as 95% in the United States), the question is why choose graphite over copper in your EDM applications? Here, we take a closer look at the differences between the two materials and outline 5 reasons why graphite is likely to be the most appropriate for your EDM application needs.
In terms of material cost, it is commonly assumed that copper is lower priced than graphite. This is often the result of comparing the price of copper material with more expensive grades of graphite available. Due to the wide range of graphite materials available, it is proven that some EDM grades are more economical than copper. Furthermore, most comparisons do not consider the cost of machining the electrode. Significant cost savings can be made choosing graphite over copper, generated through reduced machining times and speed of cut, less production time to create electrodes, faster EDM times and better throughput from EDM machines. For example, due to the soft ‘ductile’ characteristics of copper, the material is often ‘gummy’ and conventional machining practices, such as feeds and speeds must be altered to successfully machine this material. This results in longer machining times and increased costs. In comparison, graphite can be conventionally machined much more easily and quickly and even with more expensive graphite materials, the machining costs often offset any savings that are realised when choosing copper.
Graphite is produced with a wide range of material characteristics in order to allow matching the electrode material properties to the EDM application. Less critical applications with electrode features containing a large radius, an open tolerance or minimal EDM requirements would use an electrode with large particles, lower strength and economical price. A highly detailed EDM electrode however with critical features, extreme tolerance and stringent EDM requirements would entail a more premium graphite electrode to fit the needs of this application. On the other hand, the types of copper available on the market are few and minimize the ability to match the material characteristics to the EDM application, thus limiting optimum performance.
Copper does not have the ability to handle current density as effectively as graphite, which performs exceptionally well at a high current density even with complex geometry, allowing for various intricate machined details to be designed on the same electrode. The result is that the number of electrodes required to perform a job is significantly reduced.
With the large number of graphite grades Erodex offer, they can carefully select the correct material for a specific job. Graphite can be chosen depending on required surface finish, electrode life, speed of cut or metallurgy of the job. When working with copper however, there is only one form and precisely selecting the optimum material specification is not possible.
EDM operators know that excessive wear results in the use of extra electrodes or frequent redressing. Graphite is able to achieve electrode wear of less than 1% in relation to the depth of cut, while working to more aggressive machine parameters. This means, unlike copper, the high amperage and longer on-times actually preserve the graphite electrode.
In the aerospace sector when working with very thin, fine detail electrodes, copper is vulnerable to any rough handling and physical damage. Pressure applied to a thin section of copper will cause movement that can go unnoticed, causing further performance issues at a later stage. Graphite on the other hand is either in the right condition, or is clearly broken, vastly reducing the risk of the electrode being used in production.
Some firms wire erode their own electrodes and are mislead into believing that you cannot wire erode graphite. Contrary to this, Erodex have tested the wire erosion of graphite and have done so without any breakages and at comparible speed times to that of copper.
Copper electrodes do provide very fine surface finishes. With the sophistication of today’s EDM machine technology, the surface finish gap between graphite and copper has narrowed significantly. For example, fine grain graphite electrodesgraphite electrodes are able to deliver similar surface finishes to that of copper, while offering much faster speeds and vastly reduced electrode wear.
Rate this post
Graphite demand and prices enjoyed phenomenal growth last year, largely supported by expansion in the electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion battery sector, where graphite is the key raw material consumed in EV battery anodes. While the long-term outlook for graphite remains strong, the industry is facing near-term obstacles. Here are Fastmarkets’ five key factors to watch in the graphite market.
Natural graphite flake prices are forecast to rise significantly over the coming decade, propelled higher by exponential growth in the EV battery sector and underlying changes to global graphite supply. This is centered on the industry’s desire to diversify supply away from China, while also localizing supply in areas such as Europe and North America. As the industry targets local, diversified supply, the industry will also face a push for more environmentally friendly production and processing and utilization of green power sources. We expect to see this combination of factors increase the underlying natural graphite cost base, contributing to higher prices.
Despite this favorable long-term outlook, graphite prices have been tumbling this year, after posting impressive gains in 2022. Declining prices this year reflect a number of factors, most critically rising competition from Chinese synthetic graphite active anode material (AAM) in response to lower Chinese power costs and significant increases to graphitization capacity in China. This has been exacerbated by reduced demand from the electric arc furnace (EAF) steel sector for graphite electrodes, leaving more synthetic graphite available for the xEV battery sector.
Synthetic graphite AAM prices have fallen sharply in response to increased production capacity and lower costs, intensifying competition for natural spherical graphite AAM. Natural graphite battery precursor material is now priced at a premium to synthetic graphite battery precursor material, eliminating the key cost advantage of natural graphite versus synthetic graphite and in turn hindering demand for natural graphite AAM.
Rising synthetic graphite supply and declining prices have prompted increased demand from anode manufacturers for synthetic graphite in lieu of natural graphite precursor material.
These factors combined to push synthetic graphite utilization rates in AAM manufacturing to as high as 85-90% in the first half of 2023, up from a more typical industry average of around 70% in recent years.
We expect these trends to continue to influence demand and pricing in 2023. We have lowered our base case price forecasts for natural graphite uSPG and flake for the next several years, reflecting persistent competition from synthetic graphite.
We maintain the view that natural graphite prices will be rising sharply in the coming years reflecting surging demand from the xEV sector, as well as rising power costs and increasingly stringent ESG regulations. This will push the market into a significant deficit without required investment in the graphite space.
Given the rising dominance of synthetic graphite in Chinese anodes, we expect to see growth in demand for natural graphite precursor anode material and AAM to be centered in ex-Chinese markets. Given significant investment by both US and European governments to encourage localized, diversified and ESG-friendly supply, we forecast natural graphite will play a key role in anode material demand in these regions in the longer term.
We expect to see premium pricing structures emerge in ex-China markets to reflect higher costs associated with ESG friendly supply, but also to encourage the much-needed investment in the sector to prompt the development of localized and diversified supply. Without additional investment, the market will fall into a significant deficit beyond 2030.
Keep up with the latest news, market intelligence and trends in the graphite market when you visit our dedicated graphite market page.
Get an in-depth, 10-year view into where and when graphite supply will come online with our graphite long-term forecast.