Sharpening and machining PCD tools optimally

This results in:

• Longer service life (fewer sharpening operations required)
• Higher cutting speeds (faster machining)
• Highly abrasive materials can be machined (greater range of applications)
• Consistent quality (better tolerances, high surface quality, less scrap)

There are basically three types of eroding process: Sink erosion, wire erosion and disc/rotary erosion.

Wire erosion and disc/rotary erosion work according to the same erosion principle and achieve the best results in terms of precision and surface quality.
There are differences in the shape of the electrodes and their use. Therefore, some tooth and cutting edge shapes can only be machined by one of these two processes, e.g. no tooth flanks can be eroded with the wire erosion process, as this requires the finest contours and radii (both on the outside and inside).

In order to determine the position and size of the PCD cutting edges, a fully automated measurement of the workpiece clamped in the machine is carried out before every erosion operation. To do this, one point per cutting edge is specified for the erosion machine. The machine then scans several points on the cutting edge automatically in accordance with the set value. Even complex profiles can be measured in this way.

Eroding wire is used as an electrode during wire erosion. Copper and copper alloys are most suitable for this. Some of these wires are still coated with a layer of zinc, which results in better cutting power for certain materials.

Electric discharge removal takes place between the continuously self-renewing wire electrode and the PCD cutting edge at the most minimum of clearance. The wire electrode is guided along the tool using two prisms according to the cutting edges. The small radius of the wire allows it to produce up to 0.1 mm radii on the tool.
This results in the finest of contours and profiles.

Discover the highest levels of precision and performance. 

During disc/rotary erosion, removal takes place between the rotary electrodes and the PCD cutting edge at the most minimum of clearance.
Copper alloys are the most suitable for use in electrodes. However, the cutting material should be easy to machine in order to make dressing the disc electrodes easier.

In order to distribute the wear of the electrode over as large an area as possible and to keep its geometry constant for as long as possible, the disc performs a rotational motion during erosion. The rotary electrodes are clamped and dressed directly on the machine. This results in optimal concentricity as the dressed tool is attached directly to the machine stand. The advantage of disc erosion is that both the circumference and the end face of a rotary electrode can be used for erosion, and the flank surfaces can therefore also be machined.

Discover the possibilities:
Disc erosion machines for complete machining of PCD-tipped tools.