Our excellent quality Polycrystalline Diamond and Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride compacts and blanks offer exceptionally high wear and high impact resistance, meaning longevity and a higher production yield over the life of the tool.
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What is PCD
The Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) is a composite of diamond particles that are sintered with a metallic binder at intense temperatures and ultrahigh pressures that can be made into blanks, compacts, inserts, or rounds for cutting or finishing purposes. This manufacturing method allows diamond particles to fuse onto a blank substrate to create the hardest and one of the most abrasive-resistant materials used in CNC machining and comparable industries.
PCD compound blanks have an impeccably smooth mirror-finished surface that is currently available in six (6) grades for various industry applications. Grades vary by the granularity of the PCD material. Four (4) important factors to note when selecting PCD grades are:
- Impact resistance
- Wear resistance
- Electrical Discharge Machining Processability
- Machinability
PCD compacts are particularly suitable for cutting tools of non-ferrous metals and non-metallic materials, as well as supporting the worn parts of various instruments and equipment.
What is PCBN
PCD and PCBN are both ideal materials for sharpening diamond-tipped tools. Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride is the second hardest material in the world; second only to diamonds.
PCBN compacts are a composite of CBN particles and a binder that is then fused to a carbide matrix at ultrahigh pressure and temperature. The resulting PCBN compact demonstrates the same impact toughness or better than other carbides. PCBN is ideal for milling and machining Ferrous materials.
PCD/PCBN tipped tools are ideal for cutting very abrasive materials that would wear out a standard carbide bit, such as:
- Aluminum & Aluminum Composite Material (ACM)
- Carbon Fiber
- Composite panels
- Custom composite materials
- Fiberglass
- High-pressure laminates (HPL)
Additionally, they are most suitable for cutting chipboard, MDF, particle board, HDF, and other composite materials including solid surfaces and laminates. Both PCD/PCBN show excellent wear characteristics in utility and offer unparalleled performance in terms of thermal hardiness, toughness, and stability over the life of a project.
Cost Benefit Conversion of Eagle Superabrasives’ PCD/PCBN Compacts
As with most premiere and proprietary technologies, the cost can be a challenge to some fabricators and manufacturers when it comes to investing in the best tooling solutions. Compared to traditional carbides, however, Eagle Superabrasives’ PCD/PCBN compacts demonstrate consistent improvement in the life and efficiency of industrial applications. Many recognizable companies are already utilizing PCD/PCBN to upgrade their operations.
Case Studies: Applications of PCD/PCBN
Applications for PCD and PCBN are as varied and unique as their objective is, whether it be milling a hardware piece for a cellphone or turning a piece of Brazilian Cherry on a lathe. The impressive impact and wear resistance of the PCD/PCBN compacts are demonstrated again and again in case studies of their applications.
Eagle Superabrasives specifically looked at several different areas:
- Metal Processing
- Plastic Processing
- Wood Processing
- Carbon Processing
- Fine Graphite Processing - Graphite electrodes
In the case of a Metal Processing milling application, the life of the PCD Blank Eagle Grade improved the life of the tool by 20% compared to a competitor’s grade of PCD tipped tool.
Similar increases were found in wood-based processes, such as sawing laminate particle boards
PCD/PCBN best shows its hardiness and wear resistance in hard material applications when processing plastic and harder elements like carbon brick. In such a demonstration, our PCD Blank withstood wear 500% better than the previously used carbide tool. The most effective application was observed in Carbon Processing, in which a customer experienced an improvement of 600% in the life of the tool when producing graphite electrodes. Several case studies like these have proven to be very promising.
If you are curious about how PCD and PCBN compacts can revolutionize your projects, contact Eagle Superabrasives and our representatives for more information regarding it’s custom applications. Call to receive more information about our product demonstrations or to receive a catalog containing all of our available product lines. Innovation is an inquiry away, and we are happy to help design solutions to your
needs.
