POCO Graphite

Man's desire to explore space and safely return led to the development of specialty materials that could withstand high temperatures during reentry. One of these materials in the race to conquer space was a specialty graphite developed by a Texas based aerospace company. Because an alternate material was selected for this application, this unique technology was sold to Pure Oil Company in 1964. This graphite division became known as POCO, an acronym for the new owner. In 1965, Union Oil Company of California merged with Pure and POCO became a subsidiary of Union Oil, known today as UNOCAL. POCO's specialty graphites finally made it to outer space in 1977. This material was used in the radioisotope thermoelectric generators onboard Voyager I and Voyager II. POCO materials are used in many diverse applications and industries. POCO products are produced for the following major markets: Semiconductor and general industrial products, biomedical, glass industry products and electrical discharge machining (EDM). As a producer of highly technical materials, POCO offers exceptional customer support, including specific application information, design capability, machining and materials testing.