PCD is composed of synthetic diamond particles manufactured through a process of high heat and high pressure. Poly Crystalline Diamond is known for its thermal conductivity, high wear resistance and hardness. As a result, it is second only to Natural Diamond. For example, PCD is specifically designed for non-ferrous and non-metallic machining. ACT manufactures PCD tooling for all turning, boring, and milling applications. In short, cutting tools and inserts of any make can be tipped with PCD sections.
Stocked PCD inserts are available in three grades.
PCD13 :
Fine Grain (4 µm) PCD13, with its fine grain structure, produces a great surface finish in finishing applications. This material is used in machining and turning Aluminum with <12% Silicon Content, Plastics, Rubber, Wood, Copper and Bronze to name a few.
PCD15: Coarse Grain (25 µm)
PCD15 is an excellent material for roughing and finishing highly abrasive applications. This also works great in machining Sintered tungsten carbide. The larger diamond particles in this will give you better abrasion resistance but will have a slightly rougher cutting edge. This is exceptional in interrupted cuts and applications where surface finish is not as critical.
PCD 18 : Bi-Modal grain (25 µm / 4 µm particles mixed)
This unique material has course grain polycrystalline diamond with fine grain crystals mixed in to fill in the gaps which allows this PCD to maintain a high wear resistance while maintaining a great surface finish. This works exceptionally well in Bi metal machining such as Aluminum Engine Blocks with cast Iron sleeves. PCD18 also works in milling applications and other applications with interrupted cuts.