TOO LS CU T B E TTER WITH TIGRA

PCD FO R CU TTING TO O LS

2016
 TO OLS CU T B E TTE R WITH TIG R A

INDEX
Pages

1. Introduction 1

2. PCD - Basic information 1

2.1 About PCD manufacturing 1

2.2 Properties of different PCD compositions –

2
working on the edge

2.3 Application guide –

3
select the best grade for your tool

2.3.1 Grain size and surface quality 3

2.3.2 Binder 4

3. Processing of PCD 4

3.1 Cutting 4

3.2 Brazing 5

4. Tooling cost 5
 TO OLS CU T B E TTE R WITH TIG R A

1. INTRODUCTION

Diamond, the hardest material known to mankind, has fascinated the world
since its discovery. Created from carbon by the Earth under most extreme
pressure and temperature conditions in thousands of years, diamond has
become the most precious jewel found under the earth. It has been used
for decades because of its beauty and only a short time ago man began to
make use of the diamond‘s unique properties in the manufacturing of cut-
ting tools and wear parts, thus creating a whole new industry for diamond.

And even shorter back in time, we started to produce diamond and dia- mixing of diamond powders and binders

mond-based compositions with high-end machines and equipment, aiming

to repeat in hours what takes nature millions of years. These are used
as the state-of-the-art cutting materials for aluminum, composites, wood-
based board materials or also for wear protection.

Creating the world‘s best diamond compositions through continuous re-

search, testing and controlling has always been our goal and will continue
to be the driving force for our future developments.
With this guidebook, we want to help our customers to get an in-depth per-
spective on the manufacturing, composition and use of our polycrystalline
high Pressure High Temperature pressing
diamond products, enabling you to manufacture an even better tool.

2. PCD - BASIC INFORMATION

2.1 ABOUT PCD MANUFACTURING

There are different methods for the artificial production of diamond and
diamond-based compositions. It can be made either by the use of High
Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) machines or by Chemical Vapour Dis-
grinding
position (CVD). There can be either pure diamond crystals or multiple ones,
with binding materials or without.

The products described here are all made by HPHT manufacturing. In this
method, diamond grains are carefully selected for their size and mixed
with binding agents. Together with a carbide disc as the base, they are put
into a reaction cell which then is sealed and placed in a cubic press. The
cubic press then equally applies pressure from all six sides of the reaction
cell. This pressure of incredible 6 GPa is combined with heat of 1.800°C
(3.272°F). During this process, the diamond grains inter-grow to a matrix
with the binder still being embedded in it.
polishing

The binder later helps to both give stability to the cutting edge and enabling
the product to be machined by electro-discharge machining (EDM). After
this process, we receive a PCD disc (diamond substrate + binder on top,
carbide on bottom) which needs to be ground and (mostly) polished to have
a ready-to-sell product.

finished PCD discs

1
 TO OLS CU T B E TTE R WITH TIG R A

2.2 PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT PCD COMPOSITIONS – WORKING ON THE EDGE

PCD typically comes in discs with a diamond- and a carbide side. While the tungsten carbide side is a typical tungsten + cobalt composition,
making it easier to braze the diamond to the tool body, the diamond layer is more complex:
Fine selected diamond grains are mixed in a matrix of binding agents. In the past, mostly cobalt was used for this. In modern PCD manufacturing
technology, there is a mix of agents and binders which change the properties of the PCD substrate, making it more specialized for the application
it is being used in.
So there are three main factors that will have an influence on your cutting edge of your PCD tool:
1. diamond grain size
2. diamond content
3. binder composition

In this chapter, we will have a more general look at these factors, detailing it in the next chapter.
Diamond is extremely wear and abrasion resistant, making it an ideal cutting material. The lack of a substrate consisting of diamond grains is
the toughness: PCD without binder would be very brittle. The binder makes the composition more tough and therefore suitable for many more
applications.
Just alike, the diamond grain size has high influence on the properties of PCD: smaller grain size gives higher stability as well as a sharper cutting
edge (exception: laser finishing), but it has a lower abrasion resistance.

There is an exception to all this: in recent development, ultra-fine PCD compositions have combined the properties of a great cutting edge quality,
high stability and good abrasion resistance.
Another important point to the tool manufacturer is the ease of making tools from PCD. Cutting and grinding have the greatest influence on tool
cost so in many occasions, selecting an easy-to-work PCD grade is crucial to success.

As a general rule, we can sum up:

- smaller grain size makes the PCD easier to cut and sharpen
- higher binder content makes the PCD easier to cut and sharpen
- TIGRA PCD grades use a specially composed carbide back for faster erosion

A combined explanation of the different TIGRA PCD types can be seen in Fig. 1 below.

Name Grain Grain Binder Diamond Toughness Bending Abrasion

size structure type content (K1C) strength resistance
(µm) (µm) (TRS)

ES 0.5 - 0.8 standard standard

FS 2-4 standard standard

FX 2-4 special reduced

MS 8-10 standard standard

MX 8-10 special reduced

MU 2-4 + 8-10 ultrahard very high

CS 20-35 standard standard

CX 20-35 special reduced

CU 2-4 + 20-35 ultrahard very high

GM60 8-10 standard low

Fig. 1: Intercomparison of TIGRA PCD properties

2
 TO OLS CU T B E TTE R WITH TIG R A

2.3 APPLICATION GUIDE – SELECT THE BEST GRADE FOR YOUR TOOL

In this chapter, we will try to give an overview of how to select the best grade for your tool.

There are 4 decisive factors for tool makers when choosing the right grade to work on their cutting edge:

1. workpiece material
2. working conditions
3. desired workpiece surface roughness
4. cost

The combination of grain size and binder will influence mechanical properties of the diamond and therefore your tool.

2.3.1 GRAIN SIZE AND SURFACE QUALITY

The cutting edge of a diamond tool will depend on the method of cutting edge manufacturing as well as on the grain size of the diamond. Here,
we will focus on EDM cutting edge manufacturing. Using electro-discharge, either by wire or wheel, is the most common used type of PCD tool
manufacturing. Laser edge sharpening in contrary produces a mostly grain size independent, very sharp edge.

Obviously, a finer diamond grain will lead to a sharper cutting edge, so the surface roughness is lowered.

Fig. 2 shows the relation of the grain size to the surface quality.

Name Roughing Semi- Finishing Super- Al Al Al CFRP Wood- Comment

Finishing Finishing <6% Si 6-12% Si >12% Si GFRP based
boards

ES 0 0 - 0 best finish

FS 0 0 - - 0 universal use, small grain

FX 0 0 - - - best for low Si%-Al

MS 0 0 0 universal use, medium grain

MX 0 0 0 - best for med. Si%-Al

MU 0 MDF, laminate

CS 0 - 0 universal use, coarse grain

CX 0 - 0 0 best for high Si%-Al

CU 0 - 0 best for CFRP

GM60 wear parts, grindable

Fig. 2: Surface quality and tool life of TIGRA PCD best performance
good performance
0 acceptable
- not suitable

3
 TO OLS CU T B E TTE R WITH TIG R A

2.3.2 BINDER

Binder type and quantity have great impact on the grade performance. With our three binding systems, there is the best choice for any application:

“S” - Standard
This pure Cobalt-binder is the basic of most of the different available PCD grades. It gives a strong bond to the diamond and at the same time
helps to have a sharp cutting edge. Cobalt is a very good binder for universal applications. We recommend it for any general purpose grade and
especially in wood-based materials

“X” - special for aluminum and high-temperature machining

While cobalt performs very well as a binder, it easily fails when the working temperature increases. Because of its thermal conductivity, it will not
lead the heat away well from the cutting edge.
Our special “X”-Binder is a multi-modular binder system with positive effects:
- increased abrasion resistance
- higher thermal conductivity - less built-up edges
- very easy to cut and sharpen

Like this, “X”-bound grades are the ideal choice for all aluminum machining applications. Higher tolerance on high silicate content as well as the
better thermal conductivity make it superior to “S”-Standard grades there. On the other hand, we do not recommend “X” grades for wood-based
materials.

“U” Ultrahard:
Any binder is softer than the diamond. Very abrasive workpiece materials such as CFRP always “wash out” the binder, removing it from the cutting
edge and creating surface roughness and tool failure. In highly abrasive
materials like many composites, the only way to obtain good tool life is
by a very sharp cutting edge. This can be reached by using PCD grades
with very low binder content. In addition, we replaced some of the cobalt
binder with tungsten, being harder and more abrasion resistant than co-
balt. In CFRP and GFRP as well as laminate flooring and medium to hard
density fibreboard, “U”- binders are the best choice for your tool.

3. PROCESSING OF PCD

3.1 CUTTING
Cutting of PCD blanks by wire
PCD by TIGRA is available in 2 versions:
In round discs with various total and PCD layer thicknesses as well as in cut-to-size pieces, both with and without angles. Today, most of the tool
manufacturers buy cut-to-size segments for large volumes and discs for smaller volumes.
The two common ways of disc cutting are by wire EDM and by
laser. TIGRA is using both technologies, with laser used mainly
because of the lower overall cost. General recommendations
for laser cutting cannot be provided since there are too many
different laser technologies.

When cutting by wire, please make sure that

• water temperature is between 18-25°C (25-77°F).

• cut pieces are removed from water as quickly as possible.
• there is plenty of de-ionised water.
• damage zone of cut pieces is calculated in the
shape (around 0.04 mm for wire cut and 0.05 mm
for laser-cut pieces).

PCD laser cutting

4
 TO OLS CU T B E TTE R WITH TIG R A

3.2 BRAZING

Diamond graphitizes with temperatures exceeding 730°C (1346°F). Also, a long brazing time at higher temperatures damages the diamond.
The (carbide) brazing side of the PCD segments oxydates when stored for a longer time or at elevated humidity.

For a good braze (mainly induction brazing is used), please make sure that

• segments are sandblasted before brazing if stored (TIGRA supplies tips sandblasted).
• both segment and seat are clean.
• flux and brazing alloy are good for temperatures around 670°C / 1238°F.
• brazing time is kept as short as possible.
• cooling of tool is on air or in silicate, long time, in non-cooled place.

Special recommendations for sandwich PCD

• measure the thickness of each cut PCD segment

• use tungsten carbide as tool body material
• wire-cut the seat pocket in the tool body
• make a small undercut/relief cut at the bottom of the seat pocket corners
• tolerance of the seat pocket: segment thickness +0.15 / +0.1mm (+.006/+.004 inch)
• shortly sand blast and wash the seat pocket
• keep brazing time as short as possible
Brazed PCD segment on a reversible knife

3. TOOLING COST

In a competitive market, our customers are not only trying to make the best, but also a reasonably-priced cutting tool. Depending on the type of
tool, diamond and machining time can have a high impact on the finished tool’s cost. By supplying PCD tips with a higher electrical conductivity,
TIGRA has already increased cutting and finishing speeds around the
world. In comparison to many other standard grades available on the cost cost
market TIGRA´s PCD segments using our “S”-grades and “X”-binder 100% 86%
can be processed around 20% faster. 100%
Total cost
Furthermore, cut segments with an angle will save additional time in saving 14%
finishing equalling around 20% with a 25° clearance angle.
EDM grinding EDM grinding
time 35% time 21%
On a typical PCD saw blade, where grinding time is a high cost factor,
Total cost

finally up to 40% of the grinding time cost (14% of the total cost) can
be saved using a medium-grain size PCD with increased conductivity PCD PCD
30% 30%
(e.g. “MS”) and a 20-25% clearance angle on the cut tip.

Other cost Other cost

35% 35%

A B
PCD versions
A: PCD market example B: TIGRA

less conductive tip MS grade with clea-

without clearance angle rance angle

Fig. 3: Savings on a PCD Saw Blade cost, MS grade, precut angle

5
 TOO LS CU T BETTER WITH TIGRA

www.tigra.de

TIGRA GmbH
Gewerbering 2
D-86698 Oberndorf am Lech · Germany
Phone +49 (0)9090 9680-01 · Fax +49 (0)9090 9680-50
www.tigra.de · sales@tigra.de

TIGRA USA, Inc.

1106 8th ST CT SE

© TIGRA GmbH 2016 We reserve the right to make technical changes for product improvements.
Hickory, NC 28602 · USA
Phone +1 828-324-8227 · Fax +1 828-324-8097
www.tigra-usa.com · sales@tigra-usa.com

TIGRA do Brasil Ltda.

Rua das Carmelitas 586 · Hauer
81610-070 Curitiba-Paraná · Brazil
Phone +55 41 3276 3731 · Fax +55 41 3377 3075
www.tigradobrasil.com.br · tigra@tigradobrasil.com.br

TIGRA China Co. Ltd.

1-1-101 Hua Long Mei Shu · No.15 Jian Guo Road
ChaoYang District · Beijing, 100024 · P.R. China
Phone +86 10 5921 4353 · Fax +86 10 5921 4352
www.tigra-china.com · sales@tigra-china.com