Editing Diamond (section)

=== Industrial-grade diamonds ===
[[File:Dia scalpel.jpg|thumb|alt=A diamond scalpel consisting of a yellow diamond blade attached to a pen-shaped holder|A [[scalpel]] with synthetic diamond blade]]
[[File:Diamond blade very macro.jpg|thumb|alt=A polished metal blade embedded with small diamonds|Close-up photograph of an [[angle grinder]] blade with tiny diamonds shown embedded in the metal]]
[[File:Diamond Knife Blade Edge.jpg|thumb|A diamond knife blade used for cutting ultrathin sections (typically 70 to 350&nbsp;nm) for transmission [[electron microscopy]]]]

Industrial diamonds are valued mostly for their hardness and thermal conductivity, making many of the gemological characteristics of diamonds, such as the [[4 Cs]], irrelevant for most applications. Eighty percent of mined diamonds (equal to about {{convert|135000000|carat|kg}} annually) are unsuitable for use as gemstones and are used industrially.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minerals.net/mineral/diamond.aspx|title=Diamond: The mineral Diamond information and pictures|publisher=minerals.net|access-date=September 24, 2014|archive-date=October 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023195127/http://www.minerals.net/mineral/diamond.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to mined diamonds, synthetic diamonds found industrial applications almost immediately after their invention in the 1950s; in 2014, {{convert|4500000000|carat|kg}} of synthetic diamonds were produced, 90% of which were produced in China. Approximately 90% of diamond [[Grinding (abrasive cutting)|grinding grit]] is currently of synthetic origin.<ref name=usgs>{{cite web|title=Industrial Diamonds Statistics and Information|url=http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/diamond/|work=[[United States Geological Survey]]|access-date=May 5, 2009|archive-date=May 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506221551/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/diamond/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The boundary between gem-quality diamonds and industrial diamonds is poorly defined and partly depends on market conditions (for example, if demand for polished diamonds is high, some lower-grade stones will be polished into low-quality or small gemstones rather than being sold for industrial use). Within the category of industrial diamonds, there is a sub-category comprising the lowest-quality, mostly opaque stones, which are known as [[bort]].<ref name=spear>{{cite book| vauthors = Spear KE, Dismukes JP |title=Synthetic Diamond: Emerging CVD Science and Technology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RR5HF25DB7UC|page=628|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley]]–[[IEEE]]|year=1994|isbn=978-0-471-53589-8}}</ref>

Industrial use of diamonds has historically been associated with their hardness, which makes diamond the ideal material for cutting and grinding tools. As the hardest known naturally occurring material, diamond can be used to polish, cut, or wear away any material, including other diamonds. Common industrial applications of this property include diamond-tipped [[drill bit]]s and saws, and the use of diamond powder as an [[abrasive]]. Less expensive industrial-grade diamonds (bort) with more flaws and poorer color than gems, are used for such purposes.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Holtzapffel C |title=Turning And Mechanical Manipulation |url= https://archive.org/details/turningandmecha01holtgoog|publisher=Holtzapffel & Co |pages= [https://archive.org/details/turningandmecha01holtgoog/page/n192 176–178]|year=1856|isbn=978-1-879335-39-4}}</ref> Diamond is not suitable for machining [[ferrous]] [[alloy]]s at high speeds, as carbon is soluble in iron at the high temperatures created by high-speed machining, leading to greatly increased wear on diamond tools compared to alternatives.<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Coelho RT, Yamada S, Aspinwall DK, Wise ML |title=The application of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tool materials when drilling and reaming aluminum-based alloys including MMC|journal=International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture|volume=35|issue=5|pages=761–774|year=1995|doi=10.1016/0890-6955(95)93044-7}}</ref>

Specialized applications include use in laboratories as containment for [[Pressure experiment|high-pressure experiments]] (see [[diamond anvil cell]]), high-performance [[bearing (mechanical)|bearings]], and limited use in specialized [[window]]s.<ref name=spear/> With the continuing advances being made in the production of synthetic diamonds, future applications are becoming feasible. The high [[thermal conductivity]] of diamond makes it suitable as a [[heat sink]] for integrated circuits in [[electronics]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Sakamoto M, Endriz JG, Scifres DR |title=120&nbsp;W CW output power from monolithic AlGaAs (800&nbsp;nm) laser diode array mounted on diamond heatsink|journal=[[Electronics Letters]] |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=197–199 |year=1992 |doi=10.1049/el:19920123 |bibcode=1992ElL....28..197S}}</ref>