Flexible graphite is manufactured from mineral graphite (expandable flake graphite). As its name indicates, flexible graphite is flexible. It is an excellent material for gasketing and sealing applications. It can also be used in many other applications including EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding & gasketing, heat dissipation, lubrication, stress sensing, vibration damping, and other thermal or electronic or electrochemical applications.
Flexible Graphite Sheet in Rolls (Flexible Graphite Foils, Flexible Graphite Rolls) is produced as a rolled sheet by taking a high quality particulate graphite flake and processing it through an intercalation process using strong mineral acids. The flake is then heated to volatilize the acids and expand the flake to many times its original size. The expansion process produces a wormlike, dendritic-like structure that can be readily formed by calendering into sheets. No binders are introduced in the manufacturing process.
As gasket material, it is usually fabricated into Graphite Laminate, and widely used in fluid sealing applications: flange gasket, spiral wound gasket, heat exchanger gasket, etc. It can also be used as solid lubricant in metal stamping and forming applications, or as heat liner in industry furnaces and other heating devices.
Flexible Graphite Sheet in Rolls are available in various dimensions, densities, and in grades ranging from 96 up to 99.85% carbon content minimum. Any thickness is available from 0.15 mm up to 1.0 mm.