Decatur Diamond: High-Performance Cutting Tools for Composite Materials

by Bernard Martin

Unlock the full potential of your composite machining with Decatur Diamond's high-performance cutting tools! From carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced polymers to metal matrix composites, their extensive range includes versatile routers, honeycomb routers, compression routers, diamond cut routers, and drilling products.

Engineered for precision, durability, and efficiency, their tools minimize delamination and fiber pullout while ensuring clean, precise cuts and extended tool life. Discover why Decatur Diamond is the industry leader in advanced tooling solutions for composite materials.

Decatur Diamond offers a broad range of tools for matching composites. Show here from right to left:End mIlls, Compression Router, Honeycomb Router, Diamond Coated Turning Inserts, Router and Drills.

Decatur Diamond offers an extensive range of high-performance cutting tools optimized for machining composite materials, including carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), and metal matrix composites (MMC).

​These advanced tools allow for the efficient machining of large parts, reducing tooling changeovers and overall costs. By tailoring super hard materials such as coated CVD, CVD, and PCD fabricated tools, Decatur Diamond meets the unique challenges of machining composites. Below is an overview of our specific product lines that make Decatur Diamond's tools unique in the industry.

Decatur Diamond's Diamond Coated End Mills

Diamond Coated End Mills
Decatur Diamond 's Diamond Coated End Mills are designed for high-performance machining of non-ferrous materials. With potentially the best diamond adhesion in the coated tool industry, these tools offer coating thickness and crystal size options to meet various application requirements. Available in square, corner rounding, ball, and profiling geometries, these end mills ensure superior performance and tool life. Sizes start from 0.015” (1mm) and can be customized for special applications.

• ​All standard grade D25 endmills are produced to +0.000/-0.001 on diameter, -0.0001/-0.0003 on the shank, 0.001 runout,+0.060/-0.000 on flute length and +/-0.060 on OAL.
• All standard grade D27 endmills are produced to +0.001/-0.001 on diameter, -0.0000/-0.0003 on the shank, 0.002 runout, +0.060/-0.000 on flute length and +/-0.060 on OAL.
• All Ultra Premium grade D25 endmills are produced to +0.000/-0.0005 on diameter, -0.0001/-0.0003 on the shank, 0.001 runout, +0.060/-0.000 on flute length and +/-0.060 on OAL.
  

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Decatur Diamond's Diamond Coated Inserts

Diamond Coated Inserts
Decatur Diamond 's Diamond Coated Inserts are available in common ISO & ANSI standards, as well as in milling insert forms. These inserts come with various coating thickness and crystal size options to meet different application needs, ensuring high performance and durability. Geometries include CCMT, CNMP, DCMT, DNMP, TCMT, TPG, TPGH, VBMT, VBMW, and VNMP styles

• DIAbide inserts are either purchased from traditional insert manufacturers or ground to Decatur Diamond specifications.
• The industry standard ISO and ANSI tolerance protocols are followed and insert size and tolerance are established before coating is applied. The thickness of the diamond coating will affect the insert size. 

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Decatur Diamond’s Versatile Router

Versatile Router
Decatur Diamond’s Versatile Router is designed for a wide range of composite materials, providing excellent performance and durability.

These routers are particularly effective in minimizing delamination and fiber pullout, ensuring clean and precise cuts.

​The versatile design allows for adaptability in various applications, reducing the need for multiple tools and streamlining the machining process.

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Decatur Diamond’s Honeycomb Router

Honeycomb Router
Decatur Diamond ’s Honeycomb Router is specifically engineered for machining honeycomb structures, which are common in aerospace and other high-performance industries. These routers are designed to maintain the structural integrity of the honeycomb material while providing smooth and accurate cuts. The unique geometry and cutting edge design minimize fraying and ensure a longer tool life.

Decatur Diamond Compression Router

Compression Router
The Compression Router from Decatur Diamond is optimized for machining layered composite materials. It features a unique compression design that pushes the material toward the center of the tool, preventing delamination on both the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece. This tool is ideal for applications requiring high surface finish and precision.

Decatur Diamond's Diamond Cut Router

Diamond Cut Router
The Decatur Diamond Diamond Cut Router is known for its exceptional cutting capabilities and long tool life. With diamond-coated edges, this router offers superior wear resistance and performance when machining abrasive composite materials. It is perfect for high-volume production environments where tool longevity and consistent performance are critical.

Diamond Coated Drills

Diamond Coated Drills
Decatur Diamond offers a comprehensive line of diamond-coated carbide drills designed for non-ferrous and composite material applications. These drills, available in a variety of geometries and coating thickness options, ensure superior performance and extended tool life. 

The optimized tool geometries ensure superior performance and extended tool life, making them ideal for drilling precise holes in challenging materials.  

With diameters ranging from 0.028” to 0.750” (1mm to 12.50mm), including most letter, #, and wire sizes, they are ideal for precision drilling in challenging materials.
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• All standard grade D25 drills are produced to +0.001/-0.000 on diameter, +0.060/-0.000 on flute length and +/-0.060 on OAL.
• All standard grade D27 drills are produced to +0.0025/-0.000 on diameter, +0.060/-0.000 on flute length and +/-0.060 on OAL.
• Decatur Diamond  drills are industry standard 2 flute spiral jobber drills with a 118 degree four facet point. All drills over .042 diameter are furnished with back taper for clearance.
  

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Decatur Diamond’s commitment to innovation and quality makes our tools the preferred choice for machining composite materials. With tailored solutions and a focus on reducing operational costs, our high-performance tools help you achieve superior results in your machining processes.