Techniques and compositions are disclosed for three-dimensional printing with powder/binder systems including, but not limited to, metal injection molding powder materials, highly-filled polymer composites, and any other materials suitable for handling with various additive manufacturing techniques, and further suitable for subsequent debinding and thermal processing into a final object.

Cutting elements include a carbonate diamond-bonded body that is sintered under HPHT conditions in the presence of a carbonate material, where the body includes a matrix phase of intercrystalline bonded diamond with interstitial regions including the carbonate material, where the diamond-bonded body is sintered without a substrate. A matrix casting is formed and mechanically coupled to the body after the body is sintered, and a portion of the body surface is exposed along a surface of the matrix casting. The exposed body surface is thereafter intentionally treated to induce a compressive residual surface stress that is greater than a remaining portion of the body. The compressive residual surface stress is less than about 500 MPa, and from about 100 to 500 MPa, and a remaining region the body may have a residual stress of less than about 300 MPa, and less than about 100 MPa.

The invention relates to a method for producing structural components that have diamond particles embedded in a silicon carbide matrix, and to the structural components that can be obtained by this method.

An indenter is made of polycrystalline diamond and has a tip having a spherical surface with a radius of 10 to 2000 μm.

Cutting elements include a carbonate diamond-bonded body that is sintered under HPHT conditions in the presence of a carbonate material, where the body includes a matrix phase of intercrystalline bonded diamond with interstitial regions including the carbonate material, where the diamond-bonded body is sintered without a substrate. A matrix casting is formed and mechanically coupled to the body after the body is sintered, and a portion of the body surface is exposed along a surface of the matrix casting. The exposed body surface is thereafter intentionally treated to induce a compressive residual surface stress that is greater than a remaining portion of the body. The compressive residual surface stress is less than about 500 MPa, and from about 100 to 500 MPa, and a remaining region the body may have a residual stress of less than about 300 MPa, and less than about 100 MPa.

A method of producing a CMC having a smooth surface includes forming a fiber preform; rigidizing the preform with an interphase coating; infiltrating a ceramic slurry into the preform to form a green body; conducting secondary operations on the green body; applying a slurry-based layer onto a portion of the green body; and infiltrating the green body with a molten silicon or silicon alloy, such that the CMC exhibits a smooth surface. The application of the slurry-based surface layer onto the green body includes placing the green body into a tool fixture having upper and lower components, such that a gap is present between the green body and at least one of the upper and lower components; and delivering a surface layer slurry into at least one gap, such that the surface layer slurry forms the slurry-based layer on at least a portion of the green body.

A method of producing a CMC component that includes forming a preform having a plurality of ceramic fiber plies with each ply occupying a predetermined position; rigidizing the preform with a fiber interphase coating; inspecting the preform to determine which of the plies has partially or fully delaminated; reworking the delaminated plies in the preform; infiltrating a ceramic slurry into the preform to form a green body; optionally, conducting a secondary operation on the green body; and infiltrating the green body with a molten silicon or silicon alloy to form the CMC component. The step of reworking delaminated plies may also be applied to a green body formed after ceramic slurry infiltration into a rigidized fiber preform.

A polycrystalline diamond (PCD) construction has a first region of a first grade of PCD material; and a second region of a second grade of PCD material, the first region being at least partially peripherally surrounded by the second region, the first and second regions being bonded to each other by direct inter-growth of diamond grains to form an integral PCD structure and a substrate bonded to the first and/or second region(s) along an interface. The first grade of PCD differs from the second grade in one or more of diamond and metal network compositional ratio, metal elemental composition, or average diamond grain size, the first grade of PCD material having a larger average diamond grain size than the second grade of PCD material, and/or a smaller volume percentage of residual catalyst and/or binder in interstitial spaces between interbonded diamond grains than the PCD material of the second region.

Polycrystalline diamond may include a working surface and a peripheral surface extending around an outer periphery of the working surface. The polycrystalline diamond includes a first volume including an interstitial material and a second volume having a leached region that includes boron and titanium. A method of fabricating a polycrystalline diamond element may include positioning a first volume of diamond particles adjacent to a substrate, the first volume of diamond particles including a material that includes a group 13 element, and positioning a second volume of diamond particles adjacent to the first volume of diamond particles such that the first volume of diamond particles is disposed between the second volume of diamond particles and the substrate, the second volume of diamond particles having a lower concentration of material including the group 13 element than the first volume of diamond particles.

Bearing assemblies that include a plurality of polycrystalline diamond (“PCD”) bearing elements, bearing apparatuses including such bearing assemblies, and methods of operating and fabricating such bearing assemblies and apparatuses are disclosed. In an embodiment, the plurality of PCD bearing elements of one or more of the bearing assemblies disclosed herein include at least one first PCD bearing element. At least a portion of the first PCD bearing element exhibits a coercivity of about 125 Oersteds or more and a specific magnetic saturation of about 14 Gauss.Math.cm3/gram or less. The first PCD bearing element includes a bearing surface with at least one groove formed therein. In an embodiment, the plurality of PCD bearing elements also include at least one second PCD bearing element. The second PCD bearing element exhibits a coercivity that is less than and a specific magnetic saturation that is greater than the first PCD bearing element.