Premium Diamond Feedstock
Advanced Abrasives Corporation offers a premium line of superabrasive products customized for high pressure/high temperature sintering applications for PCD and PcBN.
During high pressure sintering a percentage of material fractures and reveals new surfaces that were previously intrinsic to the crystal. If the material has high internal impurities they will reveal themselves at the surface once the crystal fractures. These impurities may result in inefficient sintering/bonding due to contaminant migration into the catalytic/solvent system and/or between the diamond-to-diamond interface. A low level of intrinsic impurities is essential in optimizing the sintering process. Advanced Abrasives selects premium feedstock crystal with the lowest level of intrinsic impurities currently available.
Blocky crystals with etched surfaces
Finished PCD Feedstock
We use proprietary milling techniques to size reduce and shape the material. Our process ensures consistent shape with each and every batch of material.
Our proprietary cleaning process incorporates a chemical/mechanical cleansing technique. This technique enables us to reduce or eliminate unwanted organics/elements and control the topography of the crystal. Surface characteristics can range from smooth to completely etched depending on the customers' requirements.
We use many different classification techniques in sizing our superabrasive products. Each technique is monitored and controlled via strict statistical process control guidelines. We custom grade all products for sintering applications based on each customers' unique abrasion/impact requirements. Each step of the grading process is controlled and monitored. Advanced Abrasives Corporation uses 100% lot inspection to ensure consistency from batch to batch.
Final inspection consists of many measures to ensure the highest quality products possible. We monitor particle size distribution (PSD) using the Horiba LA 910, Microtrac X-100, Coulter Multisizer III, CPS Differential Sedimentation, SEM/TEM or microscope. After PSD analysis the material goes through an extensive ion reduction process and surface purification process. The final product is certified using Ion Chromatography, Inductively Coupled Plasma and DC Arc. Typical levels of the most critical ions/elements that can hinder the sintering process are below 1ppm.
Advanced Abrasives has developed unique coatings that enhance the polycrystalline network by increasing diamond-to-diamond bonding. Our process deposits a uniform coating of nanometer size diamonds on each individual particle of the primary product. Products can be uniformly coated in sizes ranging from 100 nm all the way down to 25 nm. Our nanometer size diamond is made from the parent crystal of the base material so we are able to retain the original high level purity. Our process coats only the particle thereby reducing the amount of free nanometer diamond that could potentially result in a non-homogeneous blend of diamond/catalyst. New coatings are being developed on a continuous basis such as high purity, nano-size catalyst coatings.
20 micron coated with 25 nanometer
Advanced Abrasives also offers a complete line of compounded and layered products. We can develop unique compounded or stratified blends for customer applications based on press platform and loading techniques that will:
- Increase abrasions and/or impact resistance
- Enhance thermal stability via high diamond-to-diamond bond ratio resulting in stronger TSP
- Optimize wear resistance
- Increase surface quality of wire
- Extend tool, cutter or die life
Customized, cutting edge products are our specialty. We are developing new products for PCD/PcBN applications every day. The "as synthesized" cubo-octahedral crystals pictured at left offer unique characteristics due to their strength and packing orientation.
As Synthesized Cubo-octahedral Crystals
Let us work with your Applications or R&D Department to develop next-generation products that will help put your product ahead of the competition. Call us with your requests and we will tailor a product and process that is custom made for your application.
*If lower detection limits are needed Neutron Activation Analysis can detect elements in the ppb range.