MegaDiamond is the world's only company believed to have incorporated into its
manufacturing facilities the industry's three major high-pressure,
high-temperature (HP/HT) pressing technologies. These three press systems are
known as the cubic press, the belt press and the piston-cylinder press.
All three press systems are capable of generating the ultra-high pressures
(800,000 psi / 55 kbar) and high temperatures (2700°F / 1500°C) required to
sinter PCD and PCBN products. Each of these press designs has its own
particular advantages relating to sintering characteristics and properties
imparted to the product.
The mastery of these different technologies gives MegaDiamond the unique
advantage of optimizing sintering conditions for each particular product to
obtain the highest quality and maximum performance for any given application.
|
Cubic Press
The cubic press relies on six carbide anvils attached to massive hydraulic
cylinders converging simultaneously on a cube-shaped high-pressure capsule.
This tri-axial system generates an essentially iso-static high-pressure
condition, which is particularly suited to sintering products with complex
3-dimensional geometries. This press system, as with all MegaDiamond presses,
is integrated with computerized control systems to assure optimal and
consistent pressure, time, and temperature sintering conditions.
|
|
Belt Press
The belt press is the original HP/HT apparatus wherein diamond crystals were
first produced by man in the 1950's. The design consists of two carbide
"punches" converging upon a high-pressure capsule contained within a carbide
"die" to generate the extreme pressure required to sinter polycrystalline
products. Today's Belt presses offer a large reaction volume well-suited for
producing large diameter products or multiples of smaller products. The name is
taken from the concentric, shrink-fitted steel "belts" that pre-stress the
inner carbide die, allowing it to withstand the immense internal pressure.
|
|
Piston-Cylinder Press
The piston-cylinder press is the latest evolution in HP/HT press design.
Somewhat similar to the Belt press in its conception, the high-pressure capsule
is contained within the cylindrical bore of a carbide die. Two free-floating
carbide "pistons" engage within the bore, pressurizing the capsule when load is
applied by conical carbide anvils. The carbide die is supported by radial
hydraulic pressure rather than a series of steel belts. This allows
simultaneous pressurization of both the inside and outside of the die. Since
this press is essentially a "gasketless" system, there is very little material
movement within the pressure volume during pressurization and heating.
|
|
