J. Konstanty

Powder Metallurgy Diamond Tools – A Review of Manufacturing Routes

The methods of making diamond tools have undergone a fantastic development since the invention of the synthetic diamond in the mid-1950’s. Over time, new production techniques based on diamond tooling have been implemented into various areas of industrial activity enabling to do the job faster, more accurately and at less cost. The recent statistics indicate that the consumption of diamond abrasives reached an impressive volume of billion carats in 2000, as compared with 380 million carats in 1990 and 100 million carats in 1980. In the new millennium the market for diamond tools continues to grow rapidly. The present decline in the price of industrial diamond makes it a commoditised product capable of competing with conventional abrasives. In terms of production volume, by far the largest group of diamond tools comprises the metal-bonded diamond impregnated tools, such as circular and frame sawblades, wire saws, and core drills for cutting natural stone and construction materials, and core bits for drilling in various rock formations. The objective of this article is to provide a compendious coverage of the PM diamond tool-making routes, and to identify the recent trends towards changing the tool design and composition to render it cheaper and more efficient.

Resistance to Abrasive Wear of Materials Used as Metallic Matrices in Diamond Impregnated Tools

Metal-bonded diamond impregnated tools are being increasingly used in the processing of natural stone, sawing and drilling concrete and brickwork, road repair, petroleum exploration, production of ceramics, cutting frozen foods, etc. Although the main tool wear mechanisms seem to be well identified, the scientific background is still inadequate and extensive fundamental research has to be carried out to better understand how the tool performs in actual applications. This work attempts to address the complex issues of modelling the abrasive wear of the metallic matrix under laboratory conditions. In view of the generated wear data, it becomes evident that a comprehensive characterisation of the matrix’s susceptibility to wear by 2-body and 3-body abrasion can be reliably assessed in a quick and inexpensive manner; whereas tests carried out on diamond impregnated specimens may assist in the prediction of the tool life in abrasive applications.

Applications of powder metallurgy to cutting tools

Abstract: This chapter presents the role of powder metallurgy (PM) in the production of diamond impregnated tools and provides information on their applications. The chapter first reviews the historical background of PM diamond tools and provides the basics of tool design. The chapter then discusses tool fabrication roots, guides the end-users through the tool application conditions and shows the latest trends and developments.