Price Fluctuation of PCD Cutting Tools

In the past, the high cost of PCD cutting tools has always been a major obstacle to their wide acceptance by users, but now the situation has changed significantly. It is estimated by the industry that in the past two to three years, the price of PCD cutting tools has dropped by 40% to 60%.

Reasons for the changes in PCD cutting tool processing

One of the reasons for the "diving" of PCD cutting tool prices is that market supply exceeds demand.

In the early 1990s, the development momentum of PCD cutting tools began to surpass that of traditional hard alloy tools. In the subsequent decade, the market demand for PCD cutting tools continued to increase.

However, as the manufacturing technology of PCD cutting tools matured, its sales growth momentum began to slow down. The current recession in the entire manufacturing industry also has a certain impact on the PCD cutting tool market. In addition, new competitors entering the PCD cutting tool manufacturing industry have shaken the original market price system.

Another reason for the decline in PCD cutting tool prices is the continuous reduction in tool manufacturing costs, and the improvement of tool manufacturing processes (such as EDM technology used for rough machining of diamond blanks, precision machining technology for cutting edges, etc.). In addition, compared with ten years ago, the quality of diamond grinding wheels used for machining Polycrystalline diamond cutters has significantly improved, and costs have greatly reduced.

Materials used for PCD cutting tools

The materials used for PCD cutting tools have excellent cutting performance, so they are particularly suitable for processing quenched steel with a hardness above HRC45, wear-resistant cast iron, heat-resistant alloys with a hardness above HRC35, and pearlitic gray cast iron with a hardness below HRC30 that are difficult for other blades to process.

PCD cutting tools are not suitable for processing soft black metal materials. When using PCD cutting tools, cooling fluid can be selected, or not. When using cooling fluid, we must ensure sufficient cooling. The heat resistance of PCD can reach 1400-1500℃, and its hardness at 800℃ is the same as the conventional hardness of Al2O3/TiC ceramics, so when the cutting temperature is high, the material being processed will soften, and the hardness difference between the material and the tool will increase, which is conducive to cutting processing, but has little effect on the tool life.

Compared with hard alloy and natural diamond tools, PCD cutting tools have higher processing efficiency and lower cost, and are widely used in industries such as automobiles, diesel engines, motorcycles, aerospace, household appliances, and precision instruments and machinery.

PCD cutting tools and diamond tools have high hardness and long tool life, and are suitable for mass production and special processing requirements, such as precision cutting of high-hardness materials. Nowadays, many tool manufacturers have launched super-hard tool products, and most of them provide the tool's usage environment and applicable cutting parameters. When using super-hard tools, on the one hand, it is necessary to carefully study the usage parameters provided by the manufacturer, and on the other hand, it is also necessary to fully consider the actual cutting conditions.