Diamond is the hardest natural material known to man, with a low coefficient of friction and excellent thermal conductivity. These properties make it an ideal choice for cutting tools. However, diamond is also very brittle, which limits its use in rough machining operations. As a result, traditional diamond tools are typically reserved for finishing processes only. Despite this limitation, diamond single-crystal and polycrystalline tools have been widely used in both domestic and international markets for many years due to their long service life and high-quality surface finish. Nevertheless, these tools come with several drawbacks, including high costs, poor impact resistance, and limited application scope, which restrict their market share.
In the mid-1980s, a "diamond coating craze" began to emerge globally. By the 1990s, developed countries had started adopting diamond-coated tools. These tools are manufactured using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology, where a diamond layer is deposited onto a tool substrate at temperatures below 1000°C and under atmospheric pressure. This process results in a coating that combines the extreme hardness and wear resistance of diamond with the toughness of the tool base. The result is a highly durable, cost-effective solution with broad applications, marking a major breakthrough in the tool industry.
Unlike traditional single-crystal or polycrystalline diamond tools, which are limited to simple shapes with flat rake faces, diamond coatings can be applied to complex geometries such as indexable inserts, drill bits, and forming tools. This versatility significantly expands the range of possible applications. Diamond-coated tools are suitable for machining a wide variety of materials, including non-ferrous metals and alloys, ceramics, engineering plastics, wood, composites, stone, and glass.
Due to their long service life, broad applicability, and excellent cost-performance ratio, diamond-coated tools have become strong competitors to cemented carbide tools and polycrystalline diamond tools. With continuous technological improvements and growing demand across various industries, diamond-coated tools are expected to capture an increasingly larger share of the global tool market in the coming years.
Hubei Chengze Diamod Products Co., Ltd. , https://www.ryomaltools.com