US Synthetic Inks License Agreement with Los Alamos National Laboratory

Veteran polycrystalline diamond company adds nanostructured thermally stable diamond technology to innovative line of products.

US Synthetic, an operating company of the Dover Corporation (DOV: NYSE) and the leading provider of polycrystalline diamond cutters (PDCs) for oil and gas exploration, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, N.M., a multidisciplinary research institution operated by Los Alamos National Security LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy, today announced an exclusive license agreement that will grant US Synthetic rights to nanostructured thermally stable diamond silicon carbide, originally developed at LANL.

Through this agreement, US Synthetic can utilize and develop thermally stable diamond silicon carbide across a broad range of applications, including industrial bearings, wire drawing dies, mining applications, oil and gas wear parts, heat sink devices used in silicon-based electronic devices, and other industry applications. Through this exclusive agreement, US Synthetic customers will now have access to innovative technology that is thermally stable, tough, and extremely wear resistant under high temperatures.

"The thermal stability, high thermal conductivity, overall toughness, and extreme durability of diamond silicon carbide makes it a perfect solution for extending the functional life of any tool," said Dr. Yusheng Zhao, a staff scientist and team leader at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) at LANL. "US Synthetic has been a tremendous partner to work with in developing an ultra-strong, diamond-based material that has toughness similar to tungsten carbide."

The diamond silicon carbide material is prepared under high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) liquid-phase sintering using proprietary US Synthetic technology. The early stages of development are showing positive results in thermal stability and wear resistance. The nanostructured diamond silicon carbide is formed by utilizing a novel composite structure that consists of diamond particles embedded in a matrix of nanocrystalline silicon carbide. The nanostructured matrix halts the growth of cracks that lead to fracture--greatly strengthening the resulting material. 

"As a company, our goal has always been to focus on researching and developing the best technology for our customers--to help them succeed in their respective industries," said Dr. Ken Bertagnolli, vice president of research and development at US Synthetic. "This license agreement, with one of the most recognized research and development laboratories in the world, represents our continued commitment to finding the best technologies and delivering the best solutions to our customers."

US Synthetic is also at the Offshore Technology Conference this week, at Booth #3732.

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