PCD stands for Polycrystalline Diamond. It is a synthetic cutting material produced by bonding many small diamond particles together under extremely high pressure and temperature.
The result is a very hard, wear-resistant material that combines the cutting properties of diamond with the strength needed for industrial tooling. For many cutting-tool applications, the PCD layer is supported by a tungsten-carbide substrate. Element Six continues to supply polycrystalline diamond materials for precision machining and cutting-tool manufacture.
How Is PCD Made?
Manufacturers produce PCD by sintering synthetic diamond particles under high pressure and temperature, using a metallic binder to help form the polycrystalline structure.
Unlike a single diamond crystal, PCD contains many diamond grains with different orientations. This structure gives the material excellent wear resistance while making it suitable for demanding production cutting applications.
Different PCD grades can also offer different balances of edge quality, toughness and wear resistance, allowing the cutting material to suit the application.
Why Is PCD Used for Cutting Tools?
PCD offers very high resistance to abrasive wear. As a result, correctly applied PCD tooling can maintain its cutting geometry for much longer than conventional cutting materials in suitable applications.
Typical benefits include:
- long tool life
- high wear resistance
- consistent cutting geometry
- improved dimensional consistency
- reduced tool changes
- reliable surface finish over longer production runs
For manufacturers, longer tool life can also reduce machine downtime and the tooling cost per component.
For more information about these advantages, see our Benefits of PCD Cutting Tools article.
What Materials Can PCD Machine?
PCD is particularly useful for abrasive non-ferrous and non-metallic materials. Element Six currently positions its PCD products for precision machining across industries including automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics, while its specialist PCD products are also used for composite machining such as CFRP.
Typical materials include:
- aluminium and aluminium alloys
- copper and other suitable non-ferrous metals
- MDF, HDF and particle board
- laminated and melamine-faced panels
- wood-plastic composites
- carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP)
- glass-fibre reinforced materials
- graphite and graphite composites
- other abrasive composite materials
For examples of tooling for these materials, see our Wood & Composite Wood Tooling and Composite Tooling ranges.
PCD Tooling at Prima Tooling
Prima Tooling manufactures PCD cutting tools for woodworking, panel processing, composites and other industrial machining applications.
We cut PCD material into the shapes and sizes required for our tooling and manufacture both standard and bespoke cutting-tool designs.
Our PCD tooling includes router cutters, spindle tooling, profile cutters and precision PCD End Mills, together with many bespoke tools manufactured for individual applications.
Can PCD Tools Be Serviced?
Many PCD tools can be sharpened, re-eroded, repaired or retipped during their working life.
Servicing suitable tooling can restore cutting performance and extend the useful life of the tool rather than replacing it completely.
See our Sharpening, Retipping & Tool Repair service for more information.
Need Advice About PCD?
Contact Prima Tooling if you would like advice on whether PCD is suitable for your material or machining application. We can recommend or manufacture tooling to suit the requirement.