Useful Care Tips For PCD Cutting Tools
PCD (polycrystalline diamond) cutting tools are used by a lot of fabricators because of their abrasion-resistant qualities. That means these tools will hold up for a long time, especially if you care for them in the following ways.
Continue to Redress Your PCD Tools
If you want to get the best performance out of PCD cutting tools each time they're used in a project, then you need to continue to redress them. That means grinding the surface of your PCD cutting tools to expose new diamonds.
This way, you never have to worry about these diamond cutting tools becoming dull and then leading to poor cutting quality. Just make sure you use the appropriate dressing wheel on your PCD tools, as well as redress at the right intervals. The tooling manufacturer will probably have this redressing window already mapped out, saving you from guessing and getting poor results.
Get Overheating Under Control
PCD cutting tools are durable and can even be exposed to hot temperatures, but if this continues to happen over and over, premature wear and deformation can inevitably occur. Then your PCD cutting tools may not be as effective as they once were.
You thus need to get a handle on overheating conditions, which starts with using PCD tooling the right way and on the right materials. For instance, you need to use the appropriate rotating speed — one that's not too slow or too fast. Both conditions would cause PCD tooling to overheat and then potentially damage.
Pay Attention to Wear Over Time
Even if you have sound maintenance practices set up for PCD cutting tools, eventually, wear is going to happen. You just want to make sure you pay attention to it so that you can intervene at the right time with professional inspections and repairs.
Start off by reviewing the different types of wear that can happen with PCD cutting tools, such as chips, cracks, and warped sections. Keep an eye out for these signs of wear and then have professionals intervene if you spot them. Then you might not have to replace these tools for a long time.
If you plan on relying on PCD tools for various upcoming projects, it helps to know how to care for these instruments well before you use them. That will ensure you handle and use them correctly so that they can last and truly make a positive impact.