GeoGem's advanced factory unit is well-equipped for manufacturing diamond bits. Production facilities include Oil Country hollow spindle and CNC centre lathes, multi-axis machining centres, hot and cold presses, furnaces for temperatures up to 1400 deg. C and specialized welding, brazing and metal treatment facilities.

To make surface set crowns individual diamonds are set into the mould, but for impregnated crowns diamonds are mixed into the powder matrix before further processing takes place.

Two processes are used to manufacture the matrix

The Sintering Process
The constituent powders for the desired alloy are first mixed together to obtain an intimate blending of the alloy components. After loading into the mould, a cold-pressing operation is used to compact the powder into a semi-solid state. A heating-cycle then follows, to temperatures at which fusion occurs between partcles with the lowest melting point. A hot-pressing operation usually follows the heat treatment. In this process there is no molten phase.

The Infiltration Process
The powder which is to form the major component of the matrix is cold-pressed in the mould, prior to placement of the alloying element. Heat treatment in this case occurs at a temperature sufficient to melt the alloying elements, which then infiltrates through the compact to become the binder. This operation may then be followed by hot-pressing.

After heat-treatment, the bit is then stripped from the mould for machining of the thread, grinding to guage (where necessary) and final ultrasonic testing and inspection.