5 Benefits of PCD Tooling

It is no secret that polycrystalline diamond tooling (PCD tooling for short) comes at a higher price than other options, such as solid carbide tooling. The question is, why buy these tools if they are more expensive than the alternatives? Here are the 5 benefits of PCD tooling you need to know about!

Benefits of PCD Tooling

• PCD Toling Provides High-Speed Performance
  • PCD tools can run up to 10 times faster than solid carbide tools when at their peak efficiency, resulting in higher feed rates and reduced cycle time. This means you can offer shorter lead times than your competitors.
• Tighter Tolerances
  • PCD tooling is much more accurate and produces tighter tolerances than solid carbide tools. Secondary operations like grinding and deburring can severely hurt your bottom line, costing a lot of time, energy and money. With PCD tooling, you can finish more parts in less time while improving quality and accuracy.
• Longer Life Span/More Consistent Results
  • Solid carbide tools wear out very quickly, sometimes only lasting as much as a few days or weeks, even after regrinding. PCD tooling, on the other hand, is made to work for months on end, meaning less downtime in your manufacturing facility. This makes PCD tooling a good match for both high-yield production facilities and smaller shops, because the initial investment will pay for itself from better workflows and no need for replacements and/or sharpening’s.
• Better Surface Finish Achieved
  • PCD tools have the ability to provide excellent surface finishes without the need for secondary operations. Without the need for these operations, manufacturers can save a significant amount of time and money, while still providing the same quality.
• Material Versatility
  • In its infancy, PCD tooling was considered to be niche equipment because they could only be used for select materials. However, advances in manufacturing materials and processes have allowed PCD tooling to be used for a wider range of materials, including aluminum, metal-matrix composites, and abrasive plastics.

These five benefits of PCD tooling give it the potential to be the future for many manufacturers. As PCD tooling becomes applicable to more and more materials, it will help manufacturing engineers control their costs, offer shorter lead times, and produce better parts. Our team of hole finishing experts can help you decide if PCD tooling is the right fit. Our production partner, UC Tools, offers unmatched quality and specializes in PCD Tooling. Contact us today or request a quote to start improving quality and reducing cycle times.