- Polycrystalline diamond
PCD (
Polycrystalline Diamond)PCD (
Syndite )PCD is a
synthesised , extremely tough, intergrown mass of randomly orientateddiamond particles in a metal matrix. It is produced by sintering together selected diamond particles at high pressure and temperature. Thesintering process is rigidly controlled within the diamond stable region and an extremely hard and abrasion resistant structure is produced.Practical Uses
Diamond is the hardest, most
abrasive -resistant, material known to man. These properties make diamond an ideal cutting tool. Within the crystal structure, however, fracture planes, used by the diamond cutter to produce the gem diamond from the rough, can cause catastrophic breakage of the tool edge, when subjected to impact.PCD tools incorporate Polycrystalline Diamond blanks produced under conditions of high pressure (1 million PSI) and temperature (1700 Degrees C), similar to those of diamond synthesis. Randomly orientated, carefully selected synthetic diamond
crystals are grown together on a hard metal substrate.This results in a material with the hardness, abrasive resistance and high thermal conductivity of diamond with the toughness of hard metal. Using the hard metal substrate the PCD blank is brazed to a carrier, either steel or hard metal, and
machined by [grinding] or E.D.M to produce the cutting edge.PCD is limited to cutting only non ferrous materials. Machining of ferrous materials causes a chemical reaction between the diamond and the iron present in ferrous workpiece materials. This can occur when heat is generated during cutting.
Many different types of tools can be manufactured, router cutters for hardwood and wood based materials such as MDF and particle board, spindle tools for shapers, milling and turning tools for aluminium alloys, copper, brass, magnesium alloy, ceramics, fibre glass, carbon fibre, metal matrix composites, pre-sintered and sintered tungsten carbide.
Complex profiles on PCD tools can be achieved with the wire EDM and EDG(Electro Discharge Grinding) processes.
Sources
[http://www.e6.com Element 6]
[http://www.drengus.com David Richards Engineering Corp]
[http://www.primatooling.co.uk Prima Tooling]
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