FAQ
The hardest mineral on earth
- Diamond has high thermal conductivity and does not accumulate large amounts of heat during machining.
- Diamond cannot be used to cut iron because the two materials have a high affinity.
- The wear resistance of diamond tools is dependent on the crystallographic orientation.
As you may already know, diamond is a solid form of carbon.
Iron normally contains just under 2.0% carbon. When it is cut with a diamond tool, the carbon contained in the diamond becomes like an essential nutrient for the iron, which then absorbs the carbon diffused from the diamond as the temperature increases.
This means that, despite the fact that diamond is harder than iron, it can easily render diamond tools unusable.
Diamond tools must be handled with care as the material is extremely susceptible to the effects of static.
| Handling | ・ When working with diamond tools by hand a. Care must be taken to ensure that the blade does not come into contact with fingers, nails or metal. b. New cotton swabs and alcohol must always be used when cleaning. |
|---|---|
| Storage / carrying | ・ When storing a. Do not stack any items on top of the tools. In order to preserve the sharpness of the blades, store tools in special cases and ensure that used and unused tools are managed correctly. |
Diamond tools provide durability over a long lifespan.
| Cost | Reduced cost of capital investment Reduced cycle time |
|---|---|
| Quality | Improved machining precision |
One difference is the thickness of the growth layers.
Natural diamonds are formed in the Earth’s mantle when carbon crystallizes over the course of billions of years at extremely high pressure and temperatures. Synthetic diamonds are made from similar material to that found in natural diamonds, which is then crystallized by using machinery to apply pressure and heat. This substance is created by the work of humans. Both natural and synthetic diamonds have distinctive characteristics and are used in a variety of industries.
While natural diamond and synthetic diamonds have the same chemical structure, the thickness of their respective growth layers is one aspect that sets them apart. Natural diamonds generally grow gradually over an extended period of time, resulting in the creation of extremely thin layers on the surface of the crystal. Synthetic diamonds grow over a much shorter timescale, which means that each layer is thicker. Natural diamonds can have growth layers as thin as 5 angstroms or less, while synthetic diamond growth layers have thicknesses of several hundred angstroms.
Natural diamond provides the best sharpness for cutting blades. Synthetic diamonds excel in terms of consistent, reliable performance.
Natural diamonds are forged by nature. As a natural product, the quality of these diamonds can vary considerably. However, the unparalleled sharpness they provide as cutting blades is indispensable in the ultra-precision machining of items such as molds for aspherical lenses.
Synthetic diamonds are created by humans and provide a stable level of performance and can be used for some precision machining. However, they are yet to surpass the qualities provided by natural diamonds. Synthetic diamonds are also suitable for use in the machining of automobile-related parts and resin.
Ceramics not found in nature
Cubic boron nitride (CBN) is a ceramic that does not occur naturally. CBN powder is created by treating hexagonal boron nitride (HBN) at high pressure and temperature. It is then baked at a high pressure and temperature together with a binder material such as cobalt or tin to create sintered CBN.
CBN can withstand temperatures of up to 1300°C at atmospheric pressure before oxidizing
CBN does not react with iron because it can withstand temperatures of up to 1300°C at atmospheric pressure before oxidizing.
This means it is capable of cutting cast metal and hardened steel.
Diamond begins to graphitize at 700°C at atmospheric pressure.
It is easy to think that diamond will not break under any circumstances.
Diamond is generally considered to be the “hardest” material, and it is easy to think this means it will not break under any circumstances. If hardness is taken to mean the comparative resistance when subjected to a specified force, then diamond is the hardest material. The hardness of diamond is shown by its Mohs hardness and Knoop hardness. While diamond is extremely resistant to force applied to the surface, it is weak against impacts and can be broken by sudden forces applied along the surface. This means it is possible to shatter a diamond with a hammer or similar tool.
Scratch resistance and material hardness
| Mohs hardness | This scale of mineral hardness was devised by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs as a means of characterizing the scratch resistance of materials. Primarily intended for use in relation to minerals, it lists materials in order based on their ability to scratch one another. The scale has recently been expanded to include 15 levels. |
|---|---|
| Knoop hardness | While Mohs hardness scale is an comparative order of materials based on hardness, Knoop hardness is a numerical value that quantifies hardness. The testing method involves pressing a pyramidal diamond point into the material to be tested. Hardness is then measured based on the size of the resulting indentation. |
| Mohs hardness | Mineral | Knoop hardness | |
| 1 | Talc | 0 | Can be easily broken with human nails |
| 2 | Gypsum | 32 | Can be slightly scratched with human nails |
| 3 | Calcite | 135 | Can be easily scratched with a knife |
| 4 | Fluorite | 163 | Can be slightly scratched with a knife |
| 5 | Apatite | 430 to 490 | Equivalent to window glass |
| 6 | Orthoclase | 560 | Can be filed |
| 7 | Fused quartz | ||
| 8 | Quartz | 710 to 790 | Can be slightly scratched with a file |
| 9 | Topaz | 1250 | Cannot be filed |
| 10 | Garnet | ||
| 11 | Fused zirconia | ||
| 12 | Fused Alumina | 2100 | |
| 13 | Silicon carbide | 2500 | |
| 14 | Boron carbide | 2750 | |
| 15 | Diamond | 5500 to 6950 | |
The hardest mineral on earth
- Diamond has high thermal conductivity and does not accumulate large amounts of heat during machining.
- Diamond cannot be used to cut iron because the two materials have a high affinity.
- The wear resistance of diamond tools is dependent on the crystallographic orientation.
As you may already know, diamond is a solid form of carbon.
Iron normally contains just under 2.0% carbon. When it is cut with a diamond tool, the carbon contained in the diamond becomes like an essential nutrient for the iron, which then absorbs the carbon diffused from the diamond as the temperature increases.
This means that, despite the fact that diamond is harder than iron, it can easily render diamond tools unusable.
Diamond tools must be handled with care as the material is extremely susceptible to the effects of static.
| Handling | ・ When working with diamond tools by hand a. Care must be taken to ensure that the blade does not come into contact with fingers, nails or metal. b. New cotton swabs and alcohol must always be used when cleaning. |
|---|---|
| Storage / carrying | ・ When storing a. Do not stack any items on top of the tools. In order to preserve the sharpness of the blades, store tools in special cases and ensure that used and unused tools are managed correctly. |
Diamond tools provide durability over a long lifespan.
| Cost | Reduced cost of capital investment Reduced cycle time |
|---|---|
| Quality | Improved machining precision |
One difference is the thickness of the growth layers.
Natural diamonds are formed in the Earth’s mantle when carbon crystallizes over the course of billions of years at extremely high pressure and temperatures. Synthetic diamonds are made from similar material to that found in natural diamonds, which is then crystallized by using machinery to apply pressure and heat. This substance is created by the work of humans. Both natural and synthetic diamonds have distinctive characteristics and are used in a variety of industries.
While natural diamond and synthetic diamonds have the same chemical structure, the thickness of their respective growth layers is one aspect that sets them apart. Natural diamonds generally grow gradually over an extended period of time, resulting in the creation of extremely thin layers on the surface of the crystal. Synthetic diamonds grow over a much shorter timescale, which means that each layer is thicker. Natural diamonds can have growth layers as thin as 5 angstroms or less, while synthetic diamond growth layers have thicknesses of several hundred angstroms.
Natural diamond provides the best sharpness for cutting blades. Synthetic diamonds excel in terms of consistent, reliable performance.
Natural diamonds are forged by nature. As a natural product, the quality of these diamonds can vary considerably. However, the unparalleled sharpness they provide as cutting blades is indispensable in the ultra-precision machining of items such as molds for aspherical lenses.
Synthetic diamonds are created by humans and provide a stable level of performance and can be used for some precision machining. However, they are yet to surpass the qualities provided by natural diamonds. Synthetic diamonds are also suitable for use in the machining of automobile-related parts and resin.
Ceramics not found in nature
Cubic boron nitride (CBN) is a ceramic that does not occur naturally. CBN powder is created by treating hexagonal boron nitride (HBN) at high pressure and temperature. It is then baked at a high pressure and temperature together with a binder material such as cobalt or tin to create sintered CBN.
CBN can withstand temperatures of up to 1300°C at atmospheric pressure before oxidizing
CBN does not react with iron because it can withstand temperatures of up to 1300°C at atmospheric pressure before oxidizing.
This means it is capable of cutting cast metal and hardened steel.
Diamond begins to graphitize at 700°C at atmospheric pressure.
It is easy to think that diamond will not break under any circumstances.
Diamond is generally considered to be the “hardest” material, and it is easy to think this means it will not break under any circumstances. If hardness is taken to mean the comparative resistance when subjected to a specified force, then diamond is the hardest material. The hardness of diamond is shown by its Mohs hardness and Knoop hardness. While diamond is extremely resistant to force applied to the surface, it is weak against impacts and can be broken by sudden forces applied along the surface. This means it is possible to shatter a diamond with a hammer or similar tool.
Scratch resistance and material hardness
| Mohs hardness | This scale of mineral hardness was devised by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs as a means of characterizing the scratch resistance of materials. Primarily intended for use in relation to minerals, it lists materials in order based on their ability to scratch one another. The scale has recently been expanded to include 15 levels. |
|---|---|
| Knoop hardness | While Mohs hardness scale is an comparative order of materials based on hardness, Knoop hardness is a numerical value that quantifies hardness. The testing method involves pressing a pyramidal diamond point into the material to be tested. Hardness is then measured based on the size of the resulting indentation. |
| Mohs hardness | Mineral | Knoop hardness | |
| 1 | Talc | 0 | Can be easily broken with human nails |
| 2 | Gypsum | 32 | Can be slightly scratched with human nails |
| 3 | Calcite | 135 | Can be easily scratched with a knife |
| 4 | Fluorite | 163 | Can be slightly scratched with a knife |
| 5 | Apatite | 430 to 490 | Equivalent to window glass |
| 6 | Orthoclase | 560 | Can be filed |
| 7 | Fused quartz | ||
| 8 | Quartz | 710 to 790 | Can be slightly scratched with a file |
| 9 | Topaz | 1250 | Cannot be filed |
| 10 | Garnet | ||
| 11 | Fused zirconia | ||
| 12 | Fused Alumina | 2100 | |
| 13 | Silicon carbide | 2500 | |
| 14 | Boron carbide | 2750 | |
| 15 | Diamond | 5500 to 6950 | |