5 Sep 2016
SGL Group invests into enhanced coating technology in St. Marys, USA
Wiesbaden, September 5, 2016. SGL Group – The Carbon Company – will invest into its production facility in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, USA. A new state-of-the-art coating line will be set up to apply silicon carbide (SiC) in thin layers onto graphite-based materials. In addition, also the respective buildings at the St. Marys facility will be modernized accordingly. The enhancement will be implemented starting in 2016 and shall be completed by 2017. The total investment amounts to million 7.5 € and is thus, the second largest investment in GMS in the last 5 years following the isostatic press in Bonn, Germany.
“The new production system will add additional coating capacity and will allow us to reach higher process and product consistency to meet future customer specifications”, explains Burkhard Straube, Chairman of the business unit Graphite Materials & Systems at SGL Group.
Coatings based on silicon carbide (marketed as SIGRAFINE® SiC) are dense, wear-resistant, with high corrosion and heat resistance and very good thermal conductivity. Thus, they are key to enhance the life cycle of our graphite-based material solutions which is of great customer value. Coated materials are mostly used for manufacturing wavers utilized in the LED production of our customers and thus support SGL Group’s path forward to foster megatrends like digitization. In future, also other graphite-based solutions could be enhanced by coatings.
Reader enquiries
SGLNotes for editors
About SGL Group – The Carbon Company
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as very good electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to industrialization in the growth regions of Asia and Latin America and increased substitution of traditional with innovative materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive and chemical industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon-based materials and products are also being used increasingly in the wind power, aerospace and defense industries.
With 40 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2015, the Company’s workforce of around 5,700 employees generated sales of €1,323 million. The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden.
Further information on SGL Group can be found in SGL Group’s newsroom at www.sglgroup.com/press or at www.sglgroup.com.
