State-of-the-Art Technology
The technology for the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) of pure diamond coatings on rotating cutting tools has developed rapidly during the past several years. Tungsten Carbide round tools are regularly being coated with continuous, well-adherent, diamond films that improve machining performance and increase tool lifetimes in composite materials by 15 to 30 times over uncoated tools. This paper reveals the process methods involved in CVD diamond film growth on tungsten carbide tool surfaces and the unique properties of diamond thin films. The surface of the diamond films can be controlled to create a faceted cutting edge that is ideally suited to machining abrasive composite materials and produces superior surface finishes. Application materials for diamond-coated tools include carbon fiber reinforced composites, fiber-reinforced plastics, green ceramics, advanced fiberglass structures, and aluminum metal matrix composites.
CVD diamond has all the extreme chemical and physical properties of natural diamond and high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) synthetic diamond. CVD diamond is essentially pure diamond formed as interconnected diamond microcrystallites with no binder – grown directly on the tool substrate.
With the intense interest of product designers, the diamond may become as common as aluminum is today. Its popularity has grown because diamond properties are found at the extreme poles on material scales and therefore offer many benefits.
