The Product Evolution Continues

GE Superabrasives headquarters and production plant in Worthington, Ohio, USA

GE Superabrasives production plant in Dublin, Ireland

European headquarters and application center in Dreieich, Germany

The evolution of superabrasive products has revolutionized industry as we know it. New materials have emerged that prior to the introduction of superabrasives could not be used due to their abrasion resistance and toughness. Superalloys and thermal sprays, now widely used throughout the aerospace industry, can only be effectively ground and machined with CBN abrasives.

Metal matrix composites, cermets and ceramic derivatives rely on the hardness and tailored properties of manufactured diamond products to be shaped and finished for final use in long-life automotive components. In construction and renovation, diamond is now used in creative wire sawing applications for everything from more cost-efficient cutting of stone, to safer and cleaner remodeling or removal of concrete structures.

New machining and grinding centers with robotics, CNC controls, in-cycle measuring probes, laser guides, and multiple computer programs for myriad applications are armed with various shaped and sized superabrasive tools, each with an unique and specific use. These highly efficient centers require the long-life and quality of superabrasives to achieve maximum productivity.

In the auto industry there are new materials being introduced ranging from nickel alloys to metal matrix composites, powder metals and hardened steel. New applications are being brought online as these materials find uses for components such as brake rotors, engine blocks, cylinder liners, transmissions, and many other automotive parts.

A new area in the aerospace industry is the restoration of aircraft engine components through the use of a thermal spray to build up the worn part surface, and then machining or grinding the deposit to specified dimensional tolerances and surface finish. In laboratory and field comparison tests on nickel-base thermal sprays, BZN Compacts cutting tools have delivered up to 10x greater productivity than carbide tools, along with a minimum of 2-5x improvement in surface finish, flatness and dimensional control. BZN Compacts tools also generated lower cutting forces, leaving higher bond strengths in the part.

GE – Leader in Diamond Coating Technology

GE has also introduced three new premium series of coated saw diamond products designed to improve tool performance in demanding sawing and drilling applications, where crystal retention and/or oxidation have traditionally been problems. A titanium-coated product is generally suitable for cobalt bonds containing iron, steel, and/or bronze.

While the chromium-coated product is suitable for cobalt or tungsten carbide bonds containing low levels of iron and/or bronze. These thinly coated diamond products provide toolmakers the opportunity to manufacture tools with improved performance and enhanced diamond retention through chemical bonding and suppression of diamond degradation by oxygen and bond constituents. Silicon coated diamonds enhance crystal retention successfully in bonds with high iron content.

Helping to Shape the World of Tomorrow

Today there is a superabrasive product tailored for literally every application or material. As workpiece materials get lighter, stronger, and more abrasive, and machines get more complex, superabrasives will play an expanded role in production operations.

With all these achievements in the past 40 years, superabrasive technology continues to evolve with frequent new product innovations. Of course, these new product developments require process innovations to support them. The result is higher quality and productivity for the diamond tool manufacturer and end user. The Technology Department in Ohio, in conjunction with Corporate Research and Development in New York, continues to push superabrasives evolution to meet the demands of tool fabricators as they strain to provide products that will cut and grind the numerous new materials emerging as we move through the 21st century.

by
Stephen Hayden, Ph.D.
MBS Diamond Product Technical Manager
GE Superabrasives
Worthington, Ohio

Coated MBS Ti2 Diamond	Coated MBS-CMD Diamond	Coated Borazon CBN 420

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