News | June 7, 2000

Norton to Focus CVD Resources on Thick-Film Diamond

Source: Norton Diamond Film

Norton Diamond Film (Northboro, MA) is exiting the business of selling CVD-diamond coated round tools.

The company will instead focus on using its substantial CVD reactor resources to produce Diamapak, Polyturn, and Polydress products for cutting tool and grinding applications, plus diamond products for heat spreading and optical applications, a spokesperson says.

Norton's Diamapak CVD thick-film diamond tooling can substantially increase tool life vs. PCD in nonferrous and nonmetallic machining applications.

The decision to drop diamond-coated carbide end mills, routers, and drills, which have proved effective in machining of composite materials and other nonmetallics, was purely an economic one, according to the spokesperson. It simply made no sense to run the company's million-dollar CVD reactors to coat round tools at $50-60 per tool when the same resources could be used to produce diamond wafers that can be sold into higher-end applications, she said.

So Norton for the time being will cede the market for CVD diamond-coated carbide tools to competitors who operate smaller, less expensive reactors. But the company will continue to monitor the market with an eye toward possible re-entry later.

Norton's Diamapak diamond products consist of a 0.3mm or 0.5mm layer of CVD diamond brazed to carbide to make a 1.6mm overall thickness. Designed for easy fabrication by tool fabricators, the product consists of an outer layer of pure CVD diamond and a carbide substrate or backing. The tips are pre-brazed in various geometries, finished to size to meet standard industry requirements, and delivered to tool fabricators ready for mounting.

Unlike polycrystalline diamond (PCD), DiamaPak is pure diamond with no porosity or metal binders. Norton says CVD diamond tools significantly outperform PCD in many nonferrous and nonmetallic machining operations, offering longer tool life and better surface finishes.

For tool fabricators, the tool tips are available directly from Norton as well as from distributors around the world. Users can purchase finished Diamapak tools from multiple vendors, including Valenite (Madison Heights, MI), the CITCO Operations of Landis Gardner (Chardon, OH), Fansteel/VR Wesson (Plantsville,CT), Vertex Diamond Tool Co. Inc. (San Dimas, CA), J&M Diamond Tool Inc. (East Providence, RI), and other vendors across the United States.

Norton Diamond Film, Goddard Road, Northboro, MA 01532. Phone (800) 336-6115; fax (508) 393-8670.