China is the country that manufactures the most synthetic diamonds by far – some four billion carat annually or around 90 percent of world production. By comparison, only 120 million carat of natural diamonds are recovered worldwide. The raw material for the production of synthetic diamonds such as PCD is graphite, which, like diamonds, is composed of pure carbon. Some 600,000 tons of graphite are extracted each year in China. Under around 60,000 bar of pressure and at temperatures of 1500 degrees Celsius, grey-black graphite turns into crystal-clear diamonds in just a few hours.

“We too are part of the success story that China is writing about graphite and diamonds,” says Xinjie Wu, CEO of Chongqing Dai Beier Diamond Tools. “We have been manufacturing top-quality PCD rotary tools for more than 15 years, mainly for use in the automotive industry.”

Chongqing Dai Beier Diamond Tools has some 125 employees and, alongside its top-quality diamond tools, manufactures carbide drilling and milling tools. The company is based in Chongqing, a city in Southern China with a robust economy. Many of the company's customers come from the region and use PCD rotary tools to manufacture car parts such as cylinder heads, gears and ABS systems. The operating life of the rotary tools is increased by their PCD-tipped cutting edges, and they also enable the precise machining of aluminium, steel or highly abrasive composites, which are increasingly used in the automotive industry.

“Thanks to synthetic diamonds, we are able to develop innovative PCD tools for numerous applications,” says Xinjie Wu. “We decided on a VOLLMER eroding machine for machining the PCDs back in 2007. We now have three of them, and we will also be choosing VOLLMER quality in the future, especially in the area of tool grinding, so that we can become the number one in China in our sector.”

Chongqing Dai Beier Diamond Tools uses disc erosion machines from the QXD range and the QWD 750 and QWD 750H wire erosion machines. The QXD enables PCD tools to be machined with precision because it measures, erodes, grinds and polishes the edges of a tool in a single clamping operation. This full machining is based on six CNC axes which control the eroding process and make manual intervention superfluous. Its integrated tool changer and versatile workpiece guide enable unattended machining around the clock.

The QWD 750 and QWD 750H are primarily used for precision manufacturing of PCD-tipped milling and turning tools. These machines take information and values directly from the design drawing for a tool. This allows manufacturers to benefit from a fully automated production process in which the tool can be measured and eroded without having to be clamped in more than one position. The machine features a diagnostics system that monitors it continuously whilst work is in progress, to ensure that there are no malfunctions.

"China and the entire Asian region represent important markets for us, and our sharpening machines contribute to the work of numerous tool manufacturing firms there," explains Dr Stefan Brand, CEO of the VOLLMER Group. "In order to provide the best possible support for our customers in China specifically, we founded a subsidiary more than ten years ago in Taicang, where we not only manage sales and servicing, but also produce machines."