Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) is an ultra-hard synthetic material that is made of carbon in a crystal lattice structure with a metal binder. Made under extreme temperature and pressure and formed onto a tungsten carbide substrate. The PCD is then cut into segments, and those segments are brazed onto the body of a cutting tool. The end result is a cutting tool that is known for exceptional hardness, resistance to wear and excellent thermal conductivity. PCD tooling has numerous distinct features and qualities that make it a number one choice for large volume non-ferrous machining. Primarily, PCD tools offer incredible precision and speed, making them a revolutionary technology that has been the Flair mainstay for decades.

PCD is majorly used for cutting and machining non-ferrous materials such as aluminum, copper, titanium, green carbides, plastics, and composite materials. PCD cutting tools are not recommended for ferrous materials because the latter contain iron oxides that can adversely react with the PCD tool base and lead to accelerated corrosion and wear. Therefore, for ferrous materials, Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride (PCBN) tooling is employed. As the name suggests, it is essentially PCD tooling’s cousin for ferrous materials such as hardened steels, cast iron, powdered metals, and superalloys.