C UTTING T OOLS AND

A CCESSORIES

O ver the past three to four decades industry in the United States has been affected by intense global competition from industries using the latest technologies in their manufacturing methods. Superabrasive tooling, designed to increase productivity, produce better quality products, and reduce manufacturing costs, can cut and grind the hardest materials known.

The fundamental cutting processes in machining - those of bringing the work into contact with the cutting tool - should remain mainstays of the industry. One of the most important components in the machining process is the cutting tool and its performance determines the efficiency of the operation. Modern tooling systems that can accommodate increased spindle speeds, higher feed rates, increased radial loads, modular adaptability, and profitable short part runs are required by manufacturers to stay competitive.

QQC D IAMOND P ROCESS

(Steve Krar, Consultant – Kelmar Associates)

QQC, a revolutionary process, can deposit a uniform layer of diamond on almost any type of material ranging from glass and plastic to metals. It is done using the carbon dioxide from the air as the carbon source and subjecting it to a combination of lasers to do in seconds what takes conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes hours. This relatively new laser process creates pure diamond and bonds it to a surface of a material with the ease of paint on a brush. It is possible that this will change the manufacture of such objects as engines and transmissions parts, dies, sporting goods, consumer goods, and cutting tools.

Imagine having a pair of eyeglasses and windshields where the lens or surface never scratches or a kitchen knife that never dulls, Fig. 3-5-1. It is possible to coat the cutting edges of all types of tools so that they will last much longer and dull only after prolonged use. Consider valves and casings, and blades on rotating machinery that would be considered wear-resistant in comparison to today’s already high standards. Longer-lasting tools, instruments, windshields, and everyday goods are only a few of the applications for diamond coating available today.

Fig. 3-5-1 Diamond coating jet-fighter canopies provides resistance to pitting.

(QQC, Inc.)