Customer Support

Top 5 Questions

Question	Positive or negative polarity--when should they be used?

Answer	Polarity refers to an electrical condition determining the direction of the current flow relative to the electrode. The polarity of the electrode can be either positive or negative depending on the el...

Question	In order to EDM the Ampco 940 and the Ampco mold mate 90 material faster, what kind of graphite should we use and condition ? Now we use another brand of graphite, a grade SR45, but it takes long time and the graphite wears out very fast, say if we want t

Answer	Whenever you EDM a copper alloy material such as Ampcoloy you are working against a material with a high degree of thermal conductivity. Due to this high thermal conductivity level it is hard to get ...

Question	Are there recommended speeds and feeds when cutting carbon with high speed and carbide cutters, and where may I find this information?

Answer	Graphite, because of it's abrasive nature is generally not machined with high speed steel (HSS). We would suggest using carbide at a minimum and believe that diamond cutters would provide a longer lif...

Question	Is graphite dust harmful?

Answer	Synthetic graphite is a chemically inert material and contains no volatile components. Graphite is sometimes used for medical purposes (implants and manufacturer of artificial heart valves) in the hum...

Question	What graphite grade do you recommend for cutting copper alloys ?

Answer	We generally recommend a copper impregnated graphite because it will give you the best electrode wear against a copper alloy. Because the copper alloy work metal will dissipate the heat, it is necessa...


Frequently Asked Questions

Question	What is the best method for controlling graphite dust?

Answer	There are two methods for controlling graphite dust during the machining process. The first method is to use high air velocity with a dust collector. Conventional machining centers such as mills and g...

Question	Where can I buy POCO materials?

Answer	POCO sells through distributors, for a listing of distributors, please visit our web site http://www.poco.com/edm/dist_noamer.html

Question	Is there an MSDS for POCO graphite?

Answer	MSDS information for POCO materials is available on POCO's corporate web site-- http://www.poco.com

Question	Do you have any information on edmimg graphite with graphite or any other type of electrode material? Ive heard of some shops machining detail in graphite electrodes by edming them with copper tungsten electrodes.

Answer	Yes, it is possible to EDM graphite with other materials. Although it is not common, in some instances this process can be used to EDM intricate details into a graphite material that will ultimately b...

Question	What is the electrode material for burning carbide?

Answer	Any of the Poco materials can be used to cut carbide, but there are certain items to take into consideration. The detail of the electrode, as well as the desired perfromance will determine the classif...

Question	Im about to tackle some serious BeCu burning. Im leaning toward graphite roughers for speed, even with the wear, and then following up with some copper impregnated finishers for detail, finish, and to keep cost down. Would you support this approach?

Answer	Sounds like you are on the right track. Remember the detail of the electrode will dictate which grade of material (graphite or copper impregnated) to use. When burning into the beryllium copper we've ...