*Diamond as a Precision Cutting Tool DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108557*

place of cast iron scaife. In thermo-mechanical lapping, material removal mechanisms of diamond are diffusion, graphitization and oxidization. Dominant mechanism is governed by the interface temperature which in turn depends on the lapping compression force and sliding velocity. At low temperature, the dominant mechanism is diffusion of C atoms into the iron matrix. With higher temperature, C atoms from the diamond cubic lattice structure forms dangling bonds and leads to graphitization. On further increased temperatures, oxidization of diamond carbon atoms takes place. The formation of carbon monoxide or dioxide consumes more energy. These deteriorated atomic structures from different mechanisms at different range of temperatures are further worn by the abrasion from the rotating scaife. The material removal rate is in atomic level and thus a highly sharp cutting edge radius of 10 nm or less can be achieved. Considering the machining efficiency and production cost, the mechanical lapping and thermo-mechanical lapping are the best choice to fabricate nanoprecision diamond cutting tools.
