The high level of hardness of diamond in its various forms such as PCD, MCD, CVD-D or natural diamond and the resulting cutting edge sharpness may mean that a different approach to the one taken with conventional cutting materials may be required depending on the machining task in question.

Its high heat resistance combined with the high level of hardness, which is second only to diamond, makes PCBN (polycrystalline cubic boron nitride) the ideal cutting material for machining hardened steels. The different PCBN substrates vary in terms of their composition and the resulting mechanical and chemical properties. In addition to the machining of hardened steels (45-70 HRC), this cutting material group is also highly suited to the machining of cast materials and special alloys – an application where carbides and cutting ceramics often reach their limits.

The composition and/or structure of the various ultra-hard cutting materials are optimised for different tasks. Therefore, it is extremely important that the right type of cutting material in combination with the right cutting geometry is selected.

The recommended cutting parameters are the key data that enable an efficient result and/or chip break to be achieved. In each case, it is necessary to adapt the parameters to the machining situation as a whole.

In order to achieve the best results possible, the entire machine environment must be taken into account and brought to the highest level of stability possible. The structure of the machine, guides, spindles and the clamping systems for the workpiece and tools play a key role with respect to the result.