Diamond Tooling FAQ

This page provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions about diamond tooling. If you have a question that isn't addressed here, please ask via e-mail.

Diamond and cutting tools
• What is diamond?
• What materials are best suited to machining with diamond?
• Why can't you machine ferrous metals with diamond?
• How thick is the diamond on sp3 tools?
• How do coating thicknesses in microns relate to inches?
• How do you grow diamond?
• How long does it take to coat a tool?
• How many tools can be coated in a reactor?
• Why are diamond-coated tools so expensive?
• How do you make the diamond coating stick?
• How sharp is the edge on a diamond-coated tool?
 

Custom coating
• What carbide grades can be coated?
• Can sp3 coat micrograin carbides?
• If I send sp3 a tool, can they coat it?
• If I send sp3 a tool in an acceptable grade for coating, how long will it take?
• Can tools coated with other coatings such as TiC and TiN be coated with diamond?
• Can tools be diamond coated a second time?
• Can HSS tools be coated?
• Can tools with brazed carbide tips be coated?
• Can you braze diamond-coated tools?
 

Machining with diamond tools
• Can I expect longer tool life than carbide with diamond and, if so, how much longer?
• What are the advantages of diamond other than longer life?
• Should you use coolant with diamond tools?
• How do diamond-coated tools perform with respect to surface finish?
• What is the difference between DLC and diamond coatings?
 
 

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