Question:
Which ONE or MORE among the following work materials is/are NOT commonly machined using diamond cutting tools?
Which ONE or MORE among the following work materials is/are NOT commonly machined using diamond cutting tools?
Show Hint
Diamond tools react chemically with iron. Materials without iron (silicon, aluminium) are diamond friendly; ferrous metals are not.
Updated On: Aug 3, 2026
- Mild steel
- Stainless steel
- Silicon
- Aluminium alloy
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The Correct Option is A, B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: What is being asked:
The question wants us to pick the materials that are generally NOT cut with diamond tools, out of mild steel, stainless steel, silicon and aluminium alloy.
This is a tool material compatibility question from precision and non-traditional machining.
Step 2: Why diamond fails on ferrous metals:
Diamond is just crystalline carbon. When a ferrous material like iron or steel is cut, the high cutting temperature lets carbon atoms diffuse into the iron lattice.
This graphitises the diamond edge and burns the tool out very quickly, so diamond is avoided for any iron bearing material.
Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) is used instead for ferrous alloys because it does not react chemically with iron.
Step 3: Checking each option:
(A) Mild steel: ferrous, high carbon solubility in iron, diamond wears out fast, so this is correctly excluded.
(B) Stainless steel: also ferrous (iron based, alloyed with chromium and nickel), same graphitisation problem, excluded too.
(C) Silicon: non metallic, hard and brittle, diamond is actually the standard tool for slicing and dicing silicon wafers, so this IS commonly diamond machined.
(D) Aluminium alloy: non ferrous and soft, diamond (PCD) tooling is widely used here for a mirror finish without built up edge, so this IS commonly diamond machined.
Final Answer:
Only mild steel and stainless steel are NOT commonly machined with diamond tools. \[ \boxed{\text{(A) Mild steel and (B) Stainless steel}} \]
The question wants us to pick the materials that are generally NOT cut with diamond tools, out of mild steel, stainless steel, silicon and aluminium alloy.
This is a tool material compatibility question from precision and non-traditional machining.
Step 2: Why diamond fails on ferrous metals:
Diamond is just crystalline carbon. When a ferrous material like iron or steel is cut, the high cutting temperature lets carbon atoms diffuse into the iron lattice.
This graphitises the diamond edge and burns the tool out very quickly, so diamond is avoided for any iron bearing material.
Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) is used instead for ferrous alloys because it does not react chemically with iron.
Step 3: Checking each option:
(A) Mild steel: ferrous, high carbon solubility in iron, diamond wears out fast, so this is correctly excluded.
(B) Stainless steel: also ferrous (iron based, alloyed with chromium and nickel), same graphitisation problem, excluded too.
(C) Silicon: non metallic, hard and brittle, diamond is actually the standard tool for slicing and dicing silicon wafers, so this IS commonly diamond machined.
(D) Aluminium alloy: non ferrous and soft, diamond (PCD) tooling is widely used here for a mirror finish without built up edge, so this IS commonly diamond machined.
Final Answer:
Only mild steel and stainless steel are NOT commonly machined with diamond tools. \[ \boxed{\text{(A) Mild steel and (B) Stainless steel}} \]
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