Graphite and It's Effects on the Human Body and Toolroom Equipment

Graphite and It's Effects on the Human Body andback into the air. Also, because the vacuum hose is
Toolroom Equipmentoften cumbersome to manipulate, operators fail to
The health and welfare of toolmakers that useproperly align the hose to capture the most dust.
graphite to make electrodes for use in the EDMMany shops use a centralized vacuum system
department should be a high priority for management.designed for the removal of fine dust particles, such as
In addition to the health issues for the workers, thegraphite. It is important to have enough air velocity in
very expensive machinery, such as the EDMthe vacuum system to be effective. It is
machines and milling machines, must be protectedrecommended to have an air velocity of 500 ft. per
from the damaging effects of graphite dust.minute and the air in the lines should travel at a rate of
Anyone who has worked with graphite in the2,000 ft. per minute in order to prevent the dust from
manufacturing of EDM electrodes is keenly aware ofsettling inside the duct work.
the need for proper dust removal during the machiningWith a centralized system it is much easier to
process. Many ill-equipped shops have very littleefficiently manage the dust from the various machine
equipment to handle the dust generated during millingtools because the system is more efficient and the
and grinding operations.hoses can be strategically placed. Special wheel
Safetyguards are available for surface grinders that act as a
The MSDS (material safety data sheet) for theturbo to remove the dust into the vacuum system.
synthetic graphite used in EDM show that there are noNewer milling machines which are more or less
carcinogenic properties associated with graphite. It is adedicated to electrode machining are equipped with
chemically inert material and contains no volatileextremely effective dust removal systems. The
components. It is also used for medical purposes, suchsealed chamber around the work area enables the
as implants and heart valves in the human body.vacuum to capture a high percentage of the dust. This
This is not to say that graphite is totally harmlessdevelopment has dramatically reduced the amount of
though. It can be very irritating to the skin, eyes, andgraphite dust in the shop environment.
nasal passages. It can cause stinging, redness andAn additional method of dust removal is the use of a
watering of the eyes, and itching of the skin. This cancurtain of coolant surrounding the milling cutter. This
be a very annoying experience when a toolmaker isprevents the dust from ever escaping and is very
expected to produce a close-tolerance electrode withefficient. This feature is available on some milling
a fine finish.machines as well as an accessory that is easily
Controlling the Dustinstalled.
The simple but very ineffective solution is to wearA Clean Shop Environment
particle masks. Experience shows that this stop-gapGraphite dust is highly conductive and has been
measure is a failure. The mask soon is clogged withresponsible for the damage of many expensive tools
the fine dust and the operator is left breathing aand machines. Glass scales can give false
disgusting blend of bad-breath and graphite dust!measurements due to the settling of dust. Electronic
Portable vacuums are the next best solution, but thisequipment can be short-circuited by the dust as well.
also has many drawbacks. Often the filter in theThe grimy nature of graphite makes it especially
portable shop vacuum is not fine enough to trap theannoying if it accumulates on work-benches and
microscopic sized particles, and they are simply blowndesks.