Graphite: right here, right now!

 

Based in Yorkshire, Specialist graphite machinists, Coidan Graphite’s modern ISO9001:2015 approved CNC manufacturing facilities and experienced team of engineers produce quality graphite products. Founder David Coidan has dedicated over 40 years’ experience to the graphite and carbon industry and his small, but expert team have a combined experience of over 100 years.

In this time, the aerospace industry has changed considerably, but Coidan’s core values remain the same. Providing its clients with unbiased technical advice, a flexible approach and customised solutions to drive savings in production processes.

Coidan Graphite has been providing customers since 2004 with high-quality carbon and graphite products in the fields of graphite electrodes. This includes graphite machined parts, carbon fibre composites (CFC), graphite hot zones and insulation and any other carbon or graphite-based components. International purchasing, comprehensive knowledge of suppliers and its materials lead to optimal designs which drive down costs.

Whether you need machining for large parts, small components or a one-off bespoke item, Coidan’s team of experts say they are happy to work with customers to meet their requirements. The company claims it is the ‘go to’ machine shop for special and bespoke graphite components, with a highly-trained and qualified team and invests in CNC machinery to remain at the forefront of manufacturing capabilities.

Healthy synergy

Coidan is seeing new applications and uses for graphite, and the company often cross-fertilises ideas from one industry to another to deliver cost savings to its customers.

“Anyone can sell something cheaper, but at the end of the day, with no change in design, over time either quality suffers or prices rise,” says David Coidan. “Designing out the cost is a permanent saving, and this is what Coidan Graphite will deliver.”

Graphite materials are used in a range of aerospace applications. Coidan Graphite works closely with major aerospace companies to supply them with specialist advice and the highest quality graphite and carbon parts.

Without graphite, aircraft could not be built in these modern times from the aluminium skin and components, titanium frame and structural components, engine seals, bearings, turbine blades. In fact, much of the equipment used requires graphite parts and components, from vacuum furnaces and casting to electron beam welding, coating and annealing. Surface hardening, purity and consistency of parts, all require equipment with graphite parts and components.

No room for error

Aerospace is an industry where there’s little room for error. Therefore, it is essential that the materials used are able to withstand extreme environments. Luckily, graphite meets such requirements: it can withstand temperatures of over 3,000°C; It’s very stable, allowing it to retain its strength, even at these high temperatures; Graphite is a chemically inert material, so it won’t undergo any type of reaction when it comes into contact with most other chemicals; Graphite components are long-lasting and can be reused many times.

Graphite is an excellent material for vacuum furnaces, heating elements and the base of the furnace. It is also an incredibly stable material with the ability to withstand high temperatures and can therefore be used to hold the components inside the furnace stopping them from touching one another or stopping them from slumping and distorting under their own weight. Replacing the metal fixtures inside your furnace with graphite parts will also enable you to put more components in as graphite is very lightweight.

Coidan Graphite is often approached by clients in the aerospace industry with the complaint that their furnace is broken or not working effectively. As a small and flexible team, Coidan prides itself on its ability to turn around requests quickly and efficiently. Whilst larger suppliers often have a turnaround of 4-6 weeks.

David Coidan concludes: “Customers often come to us when their furnace isn’t working and they’re concerned about their potential shortage of capacity. Instead of simply selling them a new furnace, which they might not even need, we work in consultation with them to optimise the loading of their other furnaces to overcome the short-term capacity reduction and work quickly to provide them with replacement parts.”

Not only is graphite the smart choice in terms of quality, but Coidan’s graphite is also the greener choice. Aerospace is a growing industry dependent on fossil fuels, and organisations have a responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of their industrial processes.

www.coidan.com