CVD Diamond Coated Tools for Abrasive Non-Metallic Materials: Green Ceramic, SiC& Quartz
Covered Materials
Alumina green ceramic, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide (SiC) green blank, fused quartz glass, high-density graphite rods, composite stone blanks
1. Common Machining Difficulties
All these brittle non-metallic materials contain hard abrasive powder grains that continuously abrade cutting edges:
- Ceramic & SiC green blanks filled with rigid mineral powders blunt carbide edges within dozens of minutes;
- Glass fiber filler inside PCB laminates wears micro-drills rapidly during microvia machining, losing hole diameter tolerance;
- Quartz & SiC are highly brittle; dull cutting edges cause edge chipping & workpiece cracking with high scrap rate;
- Frequent tool changes reduce efficiency of automated mass production lines.
2. Universal Advantages of CVD Diamond Coating
- Extreme abrasion resistance against powder media, tool service life extended 10–25 times, cutting tool purchasing & downtime costs reduced greatly;
- Sharp diamond film edges minimize chipping & cracking of brittle workpieces, improve finished product yield;
- Superior thermal conductivity avoids ceramic blank cracking and PCB resin carbonization caused by localized overheating;
- Custom micro-diameter, extended and form tools available for semiconductor micro-hole & precision cavity processing.
3. Material-Based Tool Selection
- Alumina / AlN green ceramic: Thick micron CVD diamond coated end mills & drills;
- Silicon carbide SiC green blank: Extra thick wear-resistant diamond coating for heavy powder abrasion;
- Fused quartz & dense graphite rods: Nano diamond coated cutters for smooth burr-free cross sections.
4. Basic Recommended Machining Parameters
Cutting speed Vc: 200~600 m/min; Feed per tooth fz: 0.04~0.2 mm/z; Dry cutting preferred, minimal cooling for dust control.
5. Downstream Application Industries
Semiconductor packaging ceramic components, new energy SiC power device blanks, precision PCB circuit boards, optical quartz parts, graphite heating elements.
6. Application Limitations
Only suitable for unsintered green blanks. Fully sintered hard ceramic & sintered SiC require brazed PCD tools instead of thin CVD diamond coating.
