The basic issues in design and fabrication of diamond-cutting tools for ultra-precision and nanometric machining

Single-crystal diamond is considered as the preferred tool material in ultra-precision and nanometric cutting operation. Due to the well known and exceptional difficulty in shaping, the fabrication of diamond-cutting tools requires special processing methods. As a highly efficient and cost-effective solution, the mechanical lapping process has been extensively applied in tool-making industry. And therefore in this paper, the key enabling technologies to design and fabricate the diamond-cutting tools for ultra-precision and nanometric machining are presented and reviewed. The paper covers the mechanical lapping process, including the lapping machine, lapping mechanism and micro-mechanical strengths of the diamond crystal, optimization of lapping parameters, tool design criterions, ultimate sharpness as well as the evaluation of edge quality.