Diamond pastes

Diamond pastes are used for the finishing and polishing of ferrous and nonferrous metals, steels and semiconductors, alloyed steels, cast irons, ceramics, metal ceramics, carbide, sapphire, glass, semiconductors, and drawing dies.

Paste made of synthetic diamond ACH micropowders, grit size M40, with normal diamond volume content and washable by water would be marked as follows: ACH M40 N W L.

Diamond pastes act on the workpiece surface chemically and mechanically. They form fine-dispersion emulsions that allow for a smoother distribution of diamonds over the workpiece surface. The paste also contains active surface agents, which make washing easier and help to remove slightly flammable liquids, chips and slag generated by the lapping process.

Pastes are produced with normal (N), higher (H) and extra-high concentration (E), depending on the volume content of diamonds and their grit size.

Grit Size Diamond Powder

Diamond Powder	ACM	ACM	ACH	ACH	ACH	ACH	ACH	ACH	ACH	ACH	AC4	AC4	AC4
Grit Size [µm]	2/1	3/2	5/3	7/5	10/7	14/10	20/14	28/20	40/28	60/40	80/63	100/80	125/100

Volume Content of Diamond Powder in Diamond Pastes

Diamond Powder Grit Size	N (%)	H (%)	E (%)	Color of Paste and Label
D126-D76	40	60	–	Lilac
D64-D54	20	40	–	–
M63-M40	8	20	40	Red
M25-M16	15	30	30	Blue
M10-M4	4	10	20	Green
M2.5-M1	2	5	10	Yellow
1/0.5-0.1/0 mcm	2	5	10	Not colored

Grit Size and Corresponding Surface Finishes

Diamond Powder Grit Sizes	Surface Roughness Ra, Before (μm)	Surface Roughness Ra, After (μm)	Operation
D126-D54	0.4 – 0.2	0.195 – 0.155	Rough finishing
M63-M40	0.16 – 0.1	0.12 – 0.075	Semi-finishing
M25-M16	0.08 – 0.05	0.06 – 0.038	Fine finishing
M10-M4	0.04 – 0.025	0.03 – 0.02	Preliminary polishing
M2.5-M1	–	–	Polishing

Abrasive Capabilities of Pastes

Diamond Grit Size	N (mg, not less than)	High (mg, not less than)	Extra-High (mg, not less than)
M63	67	127	175
M40	62	123	163
M25	57	112	157
M20	52	102	153
M16	47	97	148
M10	42	93	143
M6.3	37	82	137
M4.0	32	65	108

Applications of Diamond Pastes

Type of Paste	Rinseability	Application
Γ (G)	O	Machining of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, alloys, non-metal materials, steels, and semiconducting materials.
Л (L)	BO	Machining of alloyed steels, cast iron, ceramics, cermet, tungsten carbide, ferrite, sapphire.
X (X)	B, BO	Machining of glass, semiconducting materials, carbide tools, dyes.
Э (E)	BO	Machining of glass, semiconducting materials, carbide tools.