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Continuing the Search
Diamond Innovations' core technology and industrial processes have
continually evolved since 1955 when, after 4 years of intense research,
Diamond Innovations scientists were able to combine newly discovered transition metal
catalysts and novel high pressure equipment to routinely produce
diamond crystals from non-diamond carbon sources. Our current research
spans high-pressure nucleation phenomena and growth kinetics; crystal
modification; crystal characterization and selection processes;
high-pressure equipment design; and extreme pressure sintering of
novel materials. We continually seek new applications of these competencies,
exploring fields: new industrial abrasives, tribo-chemical interactions,
synthesis of new electronic or "difficult to process" materials.
Superabrasives advances technology though selected industrial collaborations.
If you believe Superabrasives' high-pressure competency can improve
your products or processes, we'd
like to hear from you. Forty years of continual improvements
highlight our technical strengths: 
- By 1957, Diamond Innovations was synthesizing industrial volumes of high performance
diamond crystals tailored to grinding tungsten carbide. This product
was called, and still is called, RVG* Diamond. With continued
research and commercial work, this new diamond cutting crystal
has been improved by coatings to enhance performance has almost
completely replaced natural diamond grits. These diamond grits
are now used to grind technical ceramics as well as tungsten carbide.
- Continuing development in high pressure chemical synthesis,
industrial scale equipment, and product performance provided a
stream of new technologies.
- Highly regular, faceted diamond single crystals up to 1/200th
of a carat with lower inclusion and asperity levels. These crystals
are routinely manufactured for ceramic grinding and glass grinding.
- Designed cubic-octohedral morphology diamonds for stone and
concrete cutting and drilling.
- Alkali metal catalysis and industrial scale synthesis of cubic
boron nitride crystals, the second hardest material known. This
material, available in many morphologies, effectively grinds hardened
steel and superalloys. The search for new abrasives continues.
- Sintered polycrystalline diamond and cubic boron nitride materials
for hard metal, composite cutting tools, and wire drawing dies.
- Impact resistant drilling cutters for oil and gas exploration.
Designed composites overcome diamond's brittle fracture mode.
- Crystal surface modifications to enhance physical properties.
Diamond adhesion improved by crystal shape, chemical modification,
and coatings.
 To
learn more about the history of superabrasive materials, see about
us. Diamond Innovations is developing other uses for its extreme
pressure technology, focussing on materials that benefit substantially
from (1) high-pressure densification or (2) new high-pressure metastable
phases. For example, we are working with partners to apply our high-pressure
equipment and know-how and improve sintering of refractory metals.
The expense of high-pressure, high temperature extreme pressure
processing limits the scope of application of these methods.
Routine process capabilities are presented in the table below.
Materials must be stable in air or encapsulated.
| Pressure |
500,000 to 1,250,000 psi |
33,000 to 85,000 bar |
| Temperature Limit |
4500 F |
2500 C |
| Process Duration |
< 1 hour |
< 1 hour |
| Process Volume = f(pressure) |
~ 7cubic inches |
~ 150 cubic cm |
Contact Diamond Innovations
Please provide non-proprietary information to help us understand
your needs.
Product:
Critical Product Requirements:
Product Problem that High Pressure Processing Can Solve:
Scale of Opportunity (volume of material processed, customers
served, revenue, quality costs):
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