Why Use Flexible Graphite?

Why take a material that has no tensile strength, oxidizes at high temperatures, can vibrate apart, and has no extrusion resistance and then use it as a sealing mechanism where feverish conditions, elevated pressures, and caustic chemicals abound?

The answer is pretty simple.

It’s not the material properties but the engineering and manufacturing process that enables Flexible Graphite to seal in the toughest conditions.

At EGC, we look for ways to make our material, Thermafoil®, into a better seal.   If tensile strength is a problem, we may add a metallic substrate.  If oxidation is the issue, we hide the graphite from oxygen with cavity geometry, controlled edge exposure, or metal cladding.  When a high vibration environment exists, we use our proprietary knowledge to increase the limitations to unbelievable standards.

Since its inception, EGC has developed propulsion system seals for rockets, missiles, and aircraft to meet extremely specific performance requirements. We have reduced emissions, leakage and weight and improved fuel efficiency for heavy trucks and automotive applications.

We have helped power plants reduce wear on valves, pumps, boilers, and piping equipment all at a reduced cost, and we’ve reduced fugitive emissions in the  petrochemical and refining plants all over the world.  Furthermore, we have lowered energy consumption by as much as 50% using flexible graphite as a heat-conducting element in our thin-film heaters.

For as long as the industry’s been around, we’ve been making flexible graphite into solutions that people can use.  It is a process where
 human interaction is the difference between flexible
 graphite material and a Thermafoil® product.