Over the years CFC fixturing in the heat treatment industry has seen modest growth, especially in North America. The advantages of CFC fixturing over more traditional fixturing such as cast and fabricated option are fairly well known; substantially lighter weight allowing for more parts to be processed, an almost indefinite life and virtually zero distortion. The disadvantage is almost entirely related to the cost as CFC fixturing is far more expensive that other options (for a very interesting article about the Benefits of CFC we would suggest this article by Mr. Dr. Rolf Terjung, founder and CEO of CFC fixturing company Graphite Materials). 

While CFC fixturing in Europe enjoys a high degree of acceptance by the industry it is still a relatively small player in North America with the exception of “high value” applications such as transmission gears in LPC applications and some aerospace situations. 

With this background out of the way we mention Graphite Materials of Nurenburg, Germany one of several European suppliers of CFC fixturing. European suppliers dominate the industry and while Graphite Materials is one of the smaller players the company does enjoy a very good reputation and has had some success in North America with companies such as GE in Greenville, SC, USA. 

In an effort to increase their sales both in Europe and North America, Graphite Materials has just appointed “Mr. Matthias Schlesies” as Director Sales and Internationalization, USA and Europe effective December 1, 2024. (These photos show “Matthias” and also Graphite Materials in Nurenburg, during a visit by Gord Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News a couple of years ago). 

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