ELECTROPLATED NICKEL IN THE MANUFACTURE OF DIAMOND TOOLS

Electroplated nickel is used extensively in the production of diamond cutting and grinding tools. It is used to produce both coatings and fr ee. standing electroforms containing diamond particles. The methods of producing simple coatings containing diamond are outlined these may b e used in the manufacture of cutting discs, files and similar tools. E xamples of more complex manufacturing routes are then described, inclu ding the production of hollow glass drills, precision rotary truers an d a proprietary flexible diamond cloth. These techniques demonstrate p rocesses such as multilayering of diamond within a growing electroform removal from conducting and non-conducting mandrels and the productio n of dimensionally accurate forms.