Non-Ferrous Cutting Applications
The development of new work piece materials resulted to new range of products that perform in various demanding conditions. The aerospace industry is the leading industry in material development as scientists and engineers in this sector are always trying to find stronger and lighter materials to be used on airplanes. The search for better materials has resulted to many nonferrous materials that are now being used in different industries.
Diamond tools are the most preferred machine tools for many nonferrous applications. Its hardness gives it an extremely efficient cutting ability and makes it very resistant to wear and allows the tool to produce consistent results over a long period of time. Its long service life reduces downtime due to parts replacements or repairs, boosting the productivity of the operation. Diamond is the most effective tool for applications involving high speeds, high volumes, or materials such as aluminum or graphite. There are two main types of diamond tools. The poly-crystalline diamond offers hardness, strength, and abrasion resistance of natural diamond without its weakness to fracturing. This type of tools are manufactured using synthetic diamond particles that are created using a high pressure and high temperature process. The diamond particles are integrally bonded to a cemented tungsten carbide substrate for mechanical strength and resistance to shock or impact. The second type of diamond tools are those that use chemical vapor deposited diamond. This technology is relatively new. Instead of using diamond particles that are held together by a binder, the cutting tip or edge is made of one solid diamond. The absence of a chemical binder results to lower heat and more efficient cutting.
