Home :: Diamond Powders

Diamond Powders

Moncrystalline Synthetic (man made) Diamond lapping powders are available in many different sizes, in both Resin bond and Metal bond.  Resin bond diamond powders are also available with copper or nickle coatings.  Polycrystalling powders are also available, see below.

Moncrystalline Diamond Powders:

Lapping and Polishing, Metal Etching:

Both Resin and Metal bond monocrystalline diamonds are popular abrasives to use for lapping and polishing.  They can be made into a slurry (used with oil, glycol and water based vehicles) for lapping and polishing such as with sapphire, carbides, and ceramics.  Metal bond diamonds are harder than Resin bond diamonds, but both diamond types can be used in a water based slurry for ultrasonic processes.   The Metal Bond synthetic diamond is in general, a better material than Resin bond because is more tightly graded, as well as being harder.  Metal bond diamond is also often used to etch metal, and are becoming popular (due to cost efficiency) in wire saw cutting applications of very hard materials such as sapphire and silicon carbide.

Color: 

The Metal Bond has a greenish to yellowish color: the Resin Bond is more of a beige color.

Sizing:

The resin and metal bond system diamonds are available in a variety of grades and sizes, see chart below.

Hardness & Friability:

  • Resin Bond Diamond powders have medium hardhess and friability.
  • Metal Bond Diamond powders are harder and tougher than resin bond diamond powders, and are made for use in metal bond diamond wheels for grinding of Quartz, Ceramics, Sapphires and other hard materials.

Technical data
 

Appearance (dry state): Color Resin Bond – Gray, Metal Bond
- Yellow
Chemical composition: Carbon up to 99%
Physical data: Atomic Number 12.0111
  Hardness 10,000 kg/mm2
  Mohs Hardness @20°C 10
  Density 3.52 g/cm3
  Oxidation temperature in the
open atmosphere at heating rate
50°F/min.:
1,790°F (977°C)
  Boiling Point (°C) 4827 deg.C
  Thermal Conductivity 20 W/cm-K
  Specific Heat @ 25 deg.C 0.165 cal/g
  Thermal Expansion Coefficient 0.0000011/K
  Dielectric Strengh: 10,000,000 V/cm
  Crystallography hexagonal

Product Availability & Application Reference Chart

Our stock inventory, with the reference to the process, is listed below.  Other grades and sizes are also available.

Process

Grade No.

US Standard Micron Range

Mesh Sizes

Polishing

1/4

0-1/2

60,000

 

1/2

0-1

25,000

 

1

0-2

10,000

 

2

1-3

9,000

 

3

2-4

8,500

 

4

2-6

6,000

 

6

4-8

3,000

 

Lapping

9

6-12

1,800

 

12

8-15

1,500

 

15

10-20

1,200

 

17

15-20

1,100

 

20

15-25

1,000

 

25

20-30

880

 

30

22-36

600

 

35

30-40

500

 

45

36-54

450

 

 

 

 

Grinding

400

35/45

325/400

 

320

45/53

270/325

 

240

53/63

230/270

 

220

63/75

200/230

 

180

75/90

170/200

 

150

90/106

140/170

 

120

106/125

120/140

 

110

125/150

100/120

 

105

150/180

80/100

 

100

180/250

60/80

 

60

250/300

50/60

 

46

300/425

40/50

Note: Nickel and Copper coatings are available per request.

 

_____________________________________________________

Polycrystalline Diamond Powders:

Synthetic polycrystalline diamonds are produced using and short and powerful explosions. This results in polycrystalline diamond crystals - each consisting of thousands of micro crystallites bonded together.

These polycrystalline diamonds are the only type of the diamonds that have self-sharpening properties!  The polycrystalline structure will continually break down, releasing the outer layer of dulled micro crystallites, thus revealing underlying, new, sharp edges.  Polycrystalline diamonds can lap and polish faster than any other abrasive, all while producing the smoothest, scratch free surface possible.

Advantages of Polycrystalline Diamond:

  • High removal rate, higher and faster than monocrystalline diamond powders.
  • Superior finishes due to less subsurface damage from the micro crystals (vs a single mono crystal).
  • Economics.  10 um diamond particles will continually break down, decreasing in size to 1 um.  This allows the operator to achieve a complete polish without changing the diamond size.

Best Uses of Poly Diamond:

  • Lapping and polishing of hard metals, their alloys, ceramics, including ferrites and silicon
  • Sapphire & Gemstone Polishing - including diamonds themselves.
  • GMR head polishing


Polycrystaline Diamond Technical Data
 

Appearance (dry state): Color Gray
Chemical composition: Carbon 99%
  Hydrogen <1%
  Nitrogen <1%
  Oxygen <1%
     
Physical data: Particle sizes available 0.05-0.15; 0.05-0.2; 0-0.25; 0-0.5; 0.5-1.0;
0-1.0; 0.5-1.5; 1-2; 0-2; 1-3; 0-10 um.
  Specific gravity: 3.451
  Friability index: 75-80%
  Structure: polycrystalline, with the crystal size 5-7 nm
  Decomposition decomposes with a heat over 500°C
  Electrical conductivity: non-conductive