Diamond vs CBN - What Material Does Each Work Best On
Today we’ll be looking at diamond and Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN is a super abrasive that has a similar crystal structure as diamond).
They are two of the more common types of abrasive that are applied to tools, such as diamond blades and profiling wheels, across various industries. However, there’s always a question of what to use on specific types of materials … this is what we’ll explore in today’s post.
Due to the nature of the crystals for CBN and diamond, each is best suited for certain materials. To make things clearer, we’ve provided a small table below which shows which abrasive works best on specific materials.
Now, of course, this chart can be further broken down based on how the abrasive is applied to the tool. There are several ways including electroplated, brazed, and metal bonded. We here at Diatrim Tools focus on nickel electroplating but can also offer the other methods, so feel free to reach us to see how we can help with your production.
Generally speaking , CBN works well on hard metals like steels with a hardness rating of at least 45-50 HRc whereas diamond is better suited for softer non-ferrous items like composites, glass, ceramics and quartz.
Also, CBN doesn’t react with iron which permits removal of more waste material and last longer than diamonds when grinding most harder metals. CBN also has a very high rate of thermal conductivity and can withstand very high temperatures before beginning to degrade.
Electroplated diamond works best for FRP and composite materials but can also be used on various other materials such as rubber and softer stones such as marble and limestone. Diamond is not recommended when cutting through metal or wood within the composite piece, usually called a sandwich.
Broadly speaking, both diamond and CBN offer advantages to many other abrasives and super-abrasives including:
Longer life expectancy
Improved and better consistency
Changing wheel less frequently
Less downtime
Cleaner cutting edges
Less likely to burn or otherwise damage the part
We offer both Diamond and CBN tooling so do not hesitate to call us at Diatrim Tools to see how we can help.