DK Holdings’ sales & marketing manager, John Emptage discusses the diamond and cubic boron nitride super-abrasive tooling ‘strip and replate’ process, and why it could be the Holy Grail for composites manufacturing companies.
With manufacturers continuously looking to improve their green credentials while also focusing on innovative improvements with production processes, as well as reducing production costs, DK’s strip and replate services for diamond tooling have become a very popular choice, particularly for those working with composite materials.
So why strip and replate? Using a strip and replate service can save up to 40% in tooling cost alone compared to buying a new product. Additionally, the turnaround of a strip and replate service is a lot quicker than manufacturing a new bespoke tool. This can present a massive advantage when using the tools on production runs, ultimately meaning less tools required in the system and subsequently saving money. Let’s not forget the ever prominent subject that is climate change and environmental issues, which are at the forefront of everybody’s minds as companies strive to reduce their carbon footprint.
Recycling at its best
By stripping and replating a diamond tool, the old bodies can be reused meaning no more throwing away piles of perfectly good steel bodies - recycling at its best. DK Holdings has offered the service for over 60 years out of our production facilities in Staplehurst, but has certainly seen a huge increase in demand for the service across its composite material manufacturing customers in recent years.
John Emptage, sales & marketing manager of DK Holdings
So, who uses it? Companies within the engineering and medical industry are using DK Holdings’ strip and replate service for diamond tools in automated production runs of profile forms. These wheels need to be extremely accurate and have to be specially inspected every time within our accredited quality control dept.
Customers in the composite industry have predominantly used the service for replating large saws, bespoke hole saws or multi-bore step drills. More recently, enquiries for standard tools have seen a sharp increase too which DK Holdings puts down to the global shortage of raw materials, making this option more attractive. The team is adapting accordingly. Manufacturers in the ceramic and stone industries - where large volumes of material need machining - are also using our strip and replate service rather than buying from new.
So, how does it work? Firstly, a specialised chemical solvent developed by the company breaks the galvanic bond between the diamond or cubic boron nitride (CBN) grit and the steel body releasing the abrasive from the tool or wheel. Once removed, the diamond or CBN is collected, cleaned, checked, processed and re-graded by the company’s in-house lab. The diamond will be sorted and re-used for other applications which ensures the further reduction of waste.
After the stripping process, a thorough inspection of the tool is undertaken within DK Holdings’ quality control department before moving into our workshop for the replating to be carried out. The replated wheel or recoated tool is now restored and has a new production life.
You can strip and replate any electroplated/galvanic-bonded super-abrasive diamond or CBN wheel, tool, or saw to its original condition by stripping the existing worn diamond coating and replacing it with new diamond or a CBN grit layer, providing the used tool is undamaged.
What’s next for strip and replate? DK Holdings is keen to get the word out about this service as the company feels passionately about climate change. Additionally, with supply chain issues and raw material shortages still firmly a global issue, the team is keen to ensure their customer’s production lines keep rolling. Anyone visiting JEC World in Paris from the 3-5 May should pop by DK Holdings stand, F70 in hall 5, and find out what it’s all about.
