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Diamond is routinely used for the preparation of most materials due to its high removal rate and low deformation depth. They are available in a wide range of micron sizes and two main diamond types. The micron size needed is determined by the material and end analysis goals.
Diamond types (Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline)
Material removal rate directly impacts the speed of each process step. A higher removal rate means moving on to the next step more quickly, allowing faster analysis and increasing throughput. Because of its multi-faceted shape, polycrystalline diamond removes material faster and produces less deformation than monocrystalline for ductile materials. The fewer facets on monocrystalline diamond make it best suited for preparing very hard materials such as ceramics. Always look for diamond suspension developed with strict quality control for particle size and shape to get a reproducible finish.
MetaDi | Monocrystalline
- Cost effective
- Sharp, blocky particles
- Best for ceramics
MetaDi | Polycrystalline
- Faster preparation times
- Reduced deformation
- Only small amount needed for high quality polish
Monocrystalline vs. Polycrystalline Diamond for Metallographic Polishing FAQs
Material removal rate directly impacts the speed of each step. A higher removal rate means moving on to the next step more quickly, allowing faster analysis and increasing throughput.
Because of its mutli-faceted shape, polycrystalline diamond removes materials faster and produces less deformation that monocrystalline.
- MetaDi | Monocrystalline
- Cost effective
- Sharp, blocky particles
- Best for ceramics
- MetaDi | Polycrystalline
- Faster preparation times
- Reduced deformation
- Only small amount needed for high quality polish
Need Help with your Sample Preparation?
Our application specialists can help you develop the right grinding and polishing process for your material and analysis needs.
Explore the Metallographic Grinding and Polishing Guide Series
Metallographic Grinding and Polishing Guide
Manual vs. Semi-Automatic Metallographic Grinding and Polishing
Colloidal Silica vs. Alumina for Metallographic Final Polishing
Final polishing suspensions are designed to remove the final layer of surface deformation. The removal of this deformation is essential for successful etching of sensitive materials and also when evaluating any sample with high magnifications, under polarized light or differential interference contrast, or for advanced analysis such as EBSD.
Electrolytic Metallographic Preparation and Etching: Traditional vs. NeoTerra
Historically, electrolytic polishing has been applied in metallographic process inspection, particularly for materials that are difficult to prepare using conventional mechanical or chemical methods, such as stainless steels and titanium. Soft metals also benefit from electrolytic techniques, as achieving high-quality mechanical polishing can be more challenging. Electrolytic approaches are typically more suited to homogeneous materials, although innovative processes such as NeoTerra are widening the applicability of the approach.
Vibratory Polishing for Metallographic Sample Preparation
Vibratory polishing is an advanced metallographic finishing technique that produces a deformation-free surface with minimal operator effort. It is widely used for applications requiring high-quality surface finishes, particularly where preservation of microstructural integrity is critical. It can be used on any material or combination of materials but is particularly effective for preparing sensitive, soft, or ductile materials that are prone to deformation during conventional mechanical polishing.
