Technical Field.

The innovation relates to a system and method for processing diamond material in order to change its physical appearance or its functionality or its physical appearance as well as its functionality. The system and method relate more particularly to a method and process for controlling the dimensions, geometry, shape and function of a diamond material to form artefacts. In particular, the system and method relate to machining a diamond material work-piece that is processed according to the present claims by one or more machining processes that includes, but are not limited to thermo-chemical boring, carving, cutting, drilling, embossing, engraving, facing, milling, moulding, parting, planing, radius turning, reaming, sawing, scribing, scoring, sculpting, shaping, tapering, tapping, threading, trimming, turning and undercutting and any combination of the said processes to form a simple or a complex shape diamond work-piece. In particular, wherein said machining part that process the work-piece are copper, and the copper in the machining parts functionally interact with the oxygen in the atmosphere and with the carbon atoms in the diamond in a through the application of heat to thermo-chemically remove carbon atoms from the diamond in a controlled manner until the remaining diamond has been fashioned to have the dimensions, geometry, functionality, shape and surface texture according to the specification.

Background Ar

A rough natural diamond resembles a shard of broken glass that is transparent but lustreless. A rough diamond is processed by cutting it into a particular shape and then polishing it, facet by facet. The art of diamonds starts in 296 BC to the Indian book Arthasastra that described the taxonomy, trading, and taxing of diamonds and mentions the polishing of diamonds on a stone wheel. Shaping precious stones from rough diamonds was originally achieved by hand, by a tiny number of craftsmen. The drilling and engraving of diamonds are mentioned in the bible and the oldest form of shaped diamond, formed by polishing and known as cabochon, was known to the Egyptians and Chinese. The first major change to shaping diamond was established in 1375 in Nuremberg, where the first guild of diamond cutters used the natural cleavage planes in a rough diamond to split natures hardest stone and cut a rough diamond to remove excess material and get closer to the final desired form. A diamond is usually cleaved, splitting the diamond along one of its four cleavage planes, with a steel blade or a diamond blade along its weakest plane, the tetrahedral plane, to cut a rough diamond into parts of a manageable size. Having cleaved the diamond into approximately the desired form, its shape was refined by repeatedly striking the diamond with another diamond held in a stick. This process is called bruting. Another version of bruting, also known as girdling, is to affix diamonds onto two spinning axles that turn in opposite directions and grind one diamond against the other. In 1475 van Berkem invented a diamond-cutting and metal polishing wheel known as a scaif. The scaif method uses a rotating metal wheel (originally iron) whose surface was impregnated with diamond dust and olive oil to very slowly remove diamond material by grinding the surface of the diamond into facets. Although diamond polishing processes were known in antiquity, Van Berkem's polishing innovationenabled diamonds to fashioned into symmetrical aesthetically pleasing shapes and at angles that reflected the maximum amount of light. The aesthetic aspect of diamond processing was improved a young mathematician at the University of London, Marcel Tolkowsky, who devised a formula that could be used to calculate the 'ideal' proportions of a cut diamond. Tolkowsky's formula gave the optimum ratio between the angles of facets opposing one another in a diamond. A method for sawing a diamond was invented at the beginning of the twentieth century and consists of a circular steel blade that is continuously lubricated with oil and diamond powder, the sawing method extended the capability of diamond cutting by allowing diamonds to be cut 'against the grain' without shattering it. The introduction of phosphor-bronze blades and more recently lasers have increased the rate of the diamond cutting process; however, even these advanced methods needs hours to cut a diamond. In 2011 Mildren [R. P. Mildren, J. E. Downes, J. D. Brown, B. F. Johnston, E. Granados, D. J. Spence, A. Lehmann, L. Weston, and A., Characteristics of 2-photon ultraviolet laser etching of diamond, Opt. Mater. Express 1, 2011, pp 576-585] reported that material can be removed from diamond through the desorption process when exposed to intense pulses of ultra-violet light generated by a laser, in which excited carbon atoms can escape from the surface to leave a smoothly etched diamond behind with a removal rate of lO ^-6 - 10 ^~2 run per pulse with 1 - 60 J/cm ² of photon energy per pulse; however, the rate of this diamond cutting process is tiny. The past few decades have seen the first investigations into the principles underlying the diamond shaping methods, and those investigations have discovered that carbon atoms from the diamond diffuse the metal of the thermo-chemical polishing wheel and conventional polishing technologies employ an oxidizing agent such as potassium nitrate to the scaif. The art of diamond shaping has remained largely unchanged since Middle Ages, with the principle recent changes being an acceleration of the cutting processes by electro-mechanically technologies [S. Tolansky, The history and use of diamonds, The Shenval Press, Great Britain, 1962] and the advent of high power lasers [J. Bromberg, The Laser in America, 1950-1970, MIT Press., 1 91]. In 1965 the Western Electric Engineering Research Center reported a machining method which involved using laser cutting to drill holes into a diamond [J. Bromberg, The Laser in America, 1950-1970, MIT Press., 1991]. The capability of cutting using infra-red or optical or ultra-violet laser radiation has advanced substantially since then, particularly in recent years by combining computer aided design methods with laser cutting to enable the manufacture of diamond artefacts whose complexity and optical performance were previously unthinkable, for instance producing gems sculpted into the form of a horse-head. The main advantage of laser cutting is that diamond can be cut into an arbitrary shape with laser cutting whilst it cannot with mechanical cutting methods, and a secondary advantage is that contamination of diamond is small with laser cutting. The main disadvantages of laser cutting are a) very high power consumption, b) slow cutting rates, c) the precision of the cut is limited to about 10 μπι, d) the surface roughness is limited to about 10 μηι and d) laser cutting cannot be used to fabricate sub-micron features. Although free electron lasers that can generate short pulses of intense radiation in X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum they are still at an early stage of research and development and do not yet contribute to the art of diamond shaping.

The introduction of ion beam milling in the 1950's is currently used to remove small quantities of material f om a diamond by the sputtering process or the chemically assisted sputtering process. Focused ion beam milling offers an improvement in resolution and surface finish over laser cutting methods enabling micro- and nano-scale features to cut with nano-meter precision, limited by the accuracy and range over which the beam can be focused and positioned. Multi-axis rotation of the diamond work-piece may be used to sculpt micron-scale geometrically complex shapes into diamond. The main advantage focused of ion beam milling is the high resolution of cutting that enables very precise features to be cut at the micro- and nano-scale. The main disadvantages of focused ion beam milling a) the work-piece size is small, typically micro- engineering in scale and b) the cutting rates is very slow. The introduction of electrical discharge machining in 1947 is currently used to roughly shape or polish a diamond in which the carbon removal process is complex, being achieved by several mechanisms including: graphitization of diamond followed by the oxidisation of graphite, evaporation and explosive damage that result from the plasma interactions and extreme heat generated by the spark, and chemical reaction of interface to form carbide compounds. Electrical discharge machining offers an improvement rate of material removal over other diamond cutting methods, rates of fifty nano-meters a second being planed from dielectrically conductive polycrystalline diamond film samples having an area of several square centimetres. However, the electrical discharge machining method cannot achieve the typical requirements of the art for tolerance and surface finish.

Thermo-chemical polishing of thin diamond films, formed by the chemical vapour deposition process, as proposed by Yoshikawa in 1992 [Yoshikawa, M. 1990 Diamond Optics ΙΠ, SPIE 1325, p.210; and Yoshikawa, M. and Okuzumi, F. 1996, Surface & Coatings Technology, Vo.88, ppl97] is based on a thermo-chemical reaction between carbon atoms in the surface of a diamond and the metal atoms in the surface of a rotating hot metal plate in the interaction region where the diamond is pressed against the hot plate as it rotates. The thermo-chemical polishing method involves pressing the diamond surface against the surface of the metal plate with a force that is typically of the order of a Newton, where the metal plate rotates at typically speed of a few millimetres a second and the temperature of the metal plate is elevated above ambient temperature and may be as high as 950 °C. The rotating metal plate may be composed of various materials including iron, nickel, manganese and molybdenum. The physical processes involved in the removal of carbon atoms from the diamond are thermal activation, that may weaken the bonds of or liberate the atoms at each surface, and the diffusive adsorption of carbon atoms from the diamond surface into the hot metal plate [A. M. Zaitsev, G. Kosaca, A. A. Melnikov, R. Job, W. R. Fahrner, Thermochemical Polishing of CVD Diamond Films, Diamond and Related Materials, 7 (1998), pp 1108- 1117], where the diffusion removal rate increases with temperature according an Arrhenius relationship. The diffusion removal process requires good physical contact between the diamond and metal surface, whilst those carbon atoms form graphite on the diamond surface are removed by friction and adsorbed into the metal surface.

In 2000 Eberlein [W. Eberlenin, DE10039724C2 11/07/2002, Method for smoothing a layer of synthetic diamond] disclosed a method of thermo-chemically smoothing the surface of a synthetic layer diamond with copper oxide at an elevated temperature between 600 °C and 900 °C, where Eberlein's preferred embodiments are to 1) heat a part made of copper oxide and mould the shape of said part to that of the diamond by frictional interactions between the diamond material and the much softer copper oxide material, or to 2) impact the surface of the diamond with an abrasive jet of fine powder that contains copper or copper oxide that is at an elevated temperature that may erode material from the diamond by a thermo- chemical "sand-blasting" process. The main advantage of the powder blasting thermo-chemical machining of diamond that uses a jet of micro-powder contained within heated high speed gas or fluid that flows through a specialised nozzle to impact the surface of the diamond is that a good quality surface finish may be achieved, and the method may also be used to erode macroscopic features into the surface of the diamond. The main disadvantages of the copper-oxide sand-blasting method are that a) when machining features the cross-sectional area of the jet is small and consequently the rate of carbon material erosion from the diamond is small, b) at operational temperatures above about 709 °C in an atmosphere of air under STP conditions the diamond will spontaneously combust and erode carbon material from its surface in an uncontrolled manner which may decrease the quality of the diamond article, c) the tolerance for machining features with the copper-oxide sand-blasting method size is roughly 50 micrometres and cannot achieve standard engineering machining to sub-micron tolerances. The main advantages of the copper-oxide mould part method are 1) the high quality polishing of plane and non-planar shaped diamonds and 2) the diamond material removal rate may be a few microns each hour. The main disadvantages of the copper-oxide mould part method are that a) it is smoothing method only and not a cutting or moulding method in the engineering sense because the shape of the copper-oxide mould is defined by the dimensions, geometry and shape of the diamond article through a process of frictional contact - that is by pressing and rubbing the diamond and the heated copper-oxide together to smooth the surface of the diamond, b) the method cannot be used to machine specified features in the diamond article, and c) at operational temperatures above about 709 °C in an atmosphere of air the process contains an uncontrolled element as with the sand blasting method.

In 2006 Masahiro [H. Masahiro, S. Shimada and K. Kazushi, JP 2007230807 A, Production method of diamond products, 2006] disclosed a variant of the hot plate polishing method based on physical principles that are a different than the carbon diffusion methods. Masahiro et al. polished diamond material with the cyclic thermo-chemical reactions that may occur between carbon atoms from the diamond that are in relatively close proximity to copper oxide molecules on the surface of the copper plate in an atmosphere of air and at a temperature that is elevated above ambient. According to the thermo-chemical polishing method the atoms in the surface of a copper plate are first oxidised by oxygen in the air, then the molecules Cu ₂ 0 and CuO may be reduced by carbon atoms in the nearby diamond surface to form carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, leaving the copper atoms in the surface to be oxidised again completing the cycle. That is, the copper is first oxidised in air to form a copper oxide, and the Cu ₂ 0 and CuO may be deoxidised by nearby carbon atoms in the diamond surface and the carbon atoms are oxidised to form carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and unlike other polishing methods the copper is not poisoned by carbon diffusion into the metal. In addition, thermo-activated carbon atoms that jump briefly out of the surface of the diamond can react directly with oxygen molecules in the atmosphere to form carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and thereby remove carbon from the diamond. Furushiro reported an investigation into the temperature dependence of the cyclic thermo-chemical reactions between carbon atoms from the diamond that are in relatively close proximity to copper oxide molecules on the surface of the machining parts at a range of temperature elevated above ambient [N. Furushiro, M. Higuchi, T. Yamaguchi, S. Shimada and K. Obata, Polishing of single point diamond tool based on thermo-chemical reaction with copper, Precision Engineering, Vol. 33, No. 4, 2009, pp 486-491; and see also the conference presentation by Masahiro Higuchi, Tomomi Yamaguchi, Shoichi Shimada, and Kazushi Obata, Polishing of single point diamond based on thermo-chemical reaction with copper to remove carbon atoms from the surface of the diamond by reducing the copper oxide atoms,

http://www.aspe.net/Dublications Annual 2006/POSTERS/5PROCESS/2MACH 1973.PDF1. The main advantages of the thermo-chemical polishing of diamond with a rotating copper plate are a) the high quality surface finish that can be achieved, typically in the nano-meter range and b) the process can reduce the number of surface defects on the diamond. The main disadvantages of the disclosed method for the thermo- chemical polishing of diamond is that a) the rate of material removal is tiny, typically nano-meters per hour, and b) the surface of the copper polishing wheel degrades as the copper surface reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper oxide crystals which act as blemishes on the otherwise flat surface.

In 2009 Peng [H. Peng, M. P. D'Develyn and J. N. Nink, US 2010/0212175 Al, 2009, Diamond etching method and articles produced thereby] disclosed methods of reduction-oxidisation reaction etching one or more portions of a diamond that are in contact with a metal or metal oxide material that may be a powder or a foil or a plate or a wire in an atmosphere of air. The metal or metal oxide of choice may or may not dissolve carbon, and the metals elements that may be used include zinc, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese, lead, vanadium, chromium, silver, cadmium, platinum, tungsten, mercury, tin, molybdenum, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, cerium, and combinations of one or more of these. In the disclosure Peng asserts that the diamond etching method can be realized in an atmosphere of air at STP, using an operational temperature of between 400 °C and 800 °C, using any metal or metal oxide. Peng discloses that the method does not require application of a particular atmosphere and can produce diamond etching rates of between 2 and 5 micrometres per hour. Neglecting copper temporally, historically the thermo-chemical machining of diamond involves the interaction of diamond material with one or more metal at an elevated temperature to transform the sp ³ electron orbital configuration of carbon atoms in diamond into one of the sp ² electron orbital configurations, once transformed the non-diamond carbon is removed by friction or absorbed by a diffusion process into the metal lattice. During this process some of the atoms of the material in contact with the diamond may be absorbed by the diamond thereby contaminating or poising it. The rate of adsorption of the carbon atoms increases exponentially with increasing temperature, decreases exponentially with the relative speed between the diamond and hot metal surface, increases with increasing applied pressure, and decreases exponentially as the surface of both the metal and the diamond become contaminated or poisoned. The thermo-chemical carbon atom removal process is different when the metal is copper, where the atoms in the surface of a copper plate are first oxidised by oxygen in the air, then the molecules Cu ₂ 0 and CuO may be reduced by carbon atoms in the nearby diamond surface to form gaseous carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide with is then removed from the region of interaction by gas flow processes, leaving the copper atoms in the surface to be oxidised again completing the cycle, for example as disclosed by Masahiro. The increase in the thickness of copper oxide is governed by Fick's second law and is proportional to the square root of time at elevated temperatures, and the growth rate is typically smaller the carbon atom removal rate. In essence Peng et al. have inadvertently disclosed more than one method in their application, with one being governed by diffusive redox process that is subject to contamination limit to the machining process, and another being governed by a cyclic redox reaction that is not subject to a contamination limits. Peng et al.'s preferred examples use copper powder or nickel powder, of average grain size about 50 micrometres, to plane material from a thin diamond film deposited on a wafer to polish the surface and to remove surface defects that may adversely affect the properties of the diamond article. The main advantages of the diamond etching methods are that a) a good quality surface finish may be achieved, b) the methods can be used with planar or non-planar surfaces, c) the etching methods can use metals including: zinc, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese, lead, vanadium, chromium, silver, cadmium, platinum, tungsten, mercury, tin, molybdenum, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, cerium, or combinations of these metals, and d) a ceramic composition that contains metal or metal oxide particles fused into a frir. can be used to etch complex shapes or features into the diamond. The main disadvantages of the diamond etching method are that a) at temperatures above about 709 °C in an atmosphere of air under STP conditions the diamond will spontaneously combust and erode carbon material from its surface in an uncontrolled manner which may decrease the quality of the diamond article, b) the tolerance for machining features with the copper powder or frit etching method is roughly 50 micrometres etching and the method cannot achieve standard engineering machining to sub- micron tolerances, c) the cyclic etching method that uses copper powder operates in an atmosphere of air and the oxygen in the atmosphere reacts with the copper to grow copper oxide where the copper oxide growth is typically in the form crystals, and the morphology of this process will continuously degrade as the dimensions, geometry, shape, surface texture and surface features of the diamond article away from the desired specification and this degrading process limits the extent of machining operations that may performed by the method, d) the etching method is performed in air and does not require application of a particular atmosphere, and in particular the etching method does not include a reducing agent to control the rate of formation of copper-oxide on the surfaces of the copper metal, f) the etching method does not provide a means to guide and control the relative motion of the interaction regions between the diamond and the copper-oxide.

The principle differences between the system and method and the thermo-chemical polishing prior art are:

1) The growth of the copper oxide on the copper surfaces may be controlled in one or more ways, and different ways to control the copper oxide growth are available to the system and method.

2) The process and method are not limited to using a flat copper plate wheel that rotates at high speed or a metal-oxide powder or foil or wire or ceramic frit.

3) The geometry and shape of the copper machining parts may be arbitrary, and the motion of the machining parts may be arbitrary, and not merely controlled by gravity or by a jet of powder or by a rotating flat wheel.

4) The heat can be supplied to the interaction region in one or more ways, and different ways to heat the interaction region are available to the system and method.

5) The carbon removal rate of the thermo-chemical polishing art depends weakly on the mechanical force acting on the diamond raised to a power of the rotational speed of the wheel, whereas the system and method does not depend on the rotational speed of a wheel.

6) One consequence of the previous statement is that the system and method has different underlying physical principles to the thermo-chemical rotating wheel polishing art.

7) The carbon removal rate of the thermo-chemical diffusive redox etching method that involves almost all metal oxides is that the process is limited by build-up of carbon and carbon compounds in the surface of the metal oxide, whereas the system and method does not depend on the diffusive process to absorb carbon atoms in the surface layers of the diamond.

8) One consequence of the previous statement is that the cyclic redox etching method and the system and method have different underlying physical principles to the thermo-chemical diffusive redox etching method.

9) The powder or frit thermo-chemical etching method is in air and does not require application of a particular atmosphere, whereas the system and method includes a reducing agent that is used to control the rate of formation of copper-oxide on the surfaces of the copper metal in order to preserve the integrity of the dimensions, geometry, shape, surface texture, surface features and function of each copper part, which is particularly important when machining features into the diamond to manufacture an article that may be complex. 10) The thermo-chemical etching method does not provide a means to guide and control the relative motion of the interaction regions between the diamond and the copper-oxide, whereas the system and method provides means to guide and control the relative motion of the machining parts and the diamond article.

To summarise, the main advantages and disadvantages of the prior art include:

The main advantages of laser cutting are 1) that diamond can be cut into an arbitrary shape with laser cutting whilst it cannot with mechanical cutting methods, 2) laser machining can be performed at room temperature and the rate of material removal in close proximity to the laser spot may be high, up to millimetres per hour.

The main disadvantages of laser cutting are a) very high power consumption, b) slow cutting rates, c) the precision of the cut is limited to dimensions of about 10 μπι, d) the surface of the diamond may be contaminated during cutting, d) laser cutting cannot be used to fabricate sub-micron features and e) each diamond has to be scanned and analysed before cutting.

The main advantage focused of ion beam milling is the high resolution of cutting that enables very precise features to be cut at the micro- and nano-scale.

The main disadvantages of focused ion beam milling a) the size of the focused ion beam is very small with the consequence that work-piece size is small, typically micro-engineering in scale, b) the cutting rates is very slow, c) diamond cutting must be performed in a high vacuum, the focused ion beam apparatus is complex and expensive.

The main advantage of the hot-metal-plate thermo-shemical polishing of diamond is the high quality surface finish that can be achieved, typically a few nano-meters.

The main disadvantages of the thermo-chemical polishing of diamond is that a) the rate of material removal is small, up to micro-meters per hour, b) the surface of the copper polishing wheel degrades copper oxide crystals grow on the surface, c) the surface of the other hot-metal-plates degrade as carbon atoms diffuse into the metal surface and may bond to form metal-carbon alloys, and d) the method is limited to flat surface applications.

The main advantage of the copper-oxide sand-blasting method is that a good quality surface finish may be achieved, and the method may also be used to erode macroscopic features into the surface of the diamond. The main disadvantages of the copper-oxide sand-blasting method are that a) when machining features the cross-sectional area of the jet is small and consequently the rate of carbon material erosion from the diamond is small, b) at operational temperatures above about 709 °C in an atmosphere of air under STP conditions the diamond will spontaneously combust and erode carbon material from its surface in an uncontrolled manner which may decrease the quality of the diamond article, c) the tolerance for machining features with the copper-oxide sand-blasting method size is roughly 50 micrometres and cannot achieve standard engineering machining to sub-micron tolerances.

The main advantages of the copper-oxide mould part method are 1) the high quality polishing of plane and non-planar shaped diamonds and 2) the diamond material removal rate may be a few microns each hour.

The main disadvantages of the copper-oxide mould part method are that a) it is smoothing method only and not a cutting or moulding method in the engineering sense because the shape of the copper-oxide mould is defined by the dimensions, geometry and shape of the diamond article through a process of frictional contact - that is by pressing and rubbing the diamond and the heated copper-oxide together to smooth the surface of the diamond, b) the method cannot be used to machine specified features of a standard engineering tolerance in the diamond article, and c) at operational temperatures above about 709 °C in an atmosphere of air the process contains an uncontrolled element as with the sand blasting method.

The main advantages of the diamond etching methods are that a) a good quality surface finish may be achieved, b) the methods can be used with planar or non-planar surfaces, c) the etching methods can use metals including: zinc, copper, nickel, cobalt, iron; manganese, lead, vanadium, chromium, silver, cadmium, platinum, tungsten, mercury, tin, molybdenum, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, cerium, or combinations of these metals, and d) a ceramic composition that contains metal or metal oxide particles fused into a frit can be used to etch complex shapes or features into the diamond.

The main disadvantages of the diamond etching method are that a) at temperatures above about 709 °C in an atmosphere of air under STP conditions the diamond will spontaneously combust and carbon material will be eroded from its surface in an uncontrolled manner which may decrease the quality of the diamond article, b) the tolerance for machining features with the copper powder etching method is roughly 50 micrometres etching and the method cannot achieve standard engineering machining to sub-micron tolerances, c) the ceramic frit embodiment of the method is limited in the tolerance of features of roughly 10 micron and cannot achieve standard engineering sub-micron tolerances, d) the cyclic etching method operates in an atmosphere of air and the oxygen in the atmosphere reacts with the copper to grow copper oxide where the copper oxide growth is typically in the form crystals, and the morphology of this process will continuously degrade as the dimensions, geometry, shape, surface texture and surface features of the diamond article away from the desired specification, this degrading process limits the extent of machining operations that may performed by the method, e) the etching method is in air and does not require application of a particular atmosphere, and in particular the etching method does not include a reducing agent to control the rate of formation of copper-oxide on the surfaces of the copper metal, f) the etching method does not provide a means to guide and control the relative motion of the interaction regions between the diamond and the copper-oxide.

In particular, and in the context of the proposed system and method, the disadvantages of the prior art include but are not limited to:

The diamond machining methods of the art are limited in sense that they do not presently produce artefacts required for general engineering applications, a nut and bolt for example.

Advantages of the innovation include, but are not limited to:

The innovation enables thermo-chemical diamond machining to standard engineering tolerances using techniques that include but not limited to: the thermo-chemical equivalent of boring, broaching, carving, cutting, drilling, embossing, engraving, facing, milling, moulding, parting, radius turning, reaming, sawing, scribing, scoring, sculpting, shaping, tapering, tapping, threading, trimming, turning and undercutting and any combination of the said processes to form a simple or a complex shape work-piece.

According to the innovation engineering scale diamond artefacts and components can be manufactured to have features that are macroscopic or microscopic in dimension.

Disclosure of the Invention.

The present system and method seeks to ameliorate any one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art by solving the problem of processing a diamond to have the dimensions, geometry, shape, surface texture and function defined in the specification through controlled material-removal that allows the machining of diamond material with processes including, but not limited to, thermo-chemical equivalent of boring, broaching, carving, cutting, drilling, embossing, engraving, facing, milling, moulding, parting, planing, radius turning, reaming, sawing, scribing, scoring, sculpting, shaping, tapering, tapping, threading, trimming, turning and undercutting and any combination of the said processes to form simple or complex shape parts. It should be understood that there are many innovations described and illustrated herein. Indeed, the claims of the system and method are neither limited to any single aspect nor embodiment thereof, nor to any combinations and/or permutations of such aspects and or embodiments. The following presents a simplified summary of the innovation in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview of the innovation. It is not intended to identify the key or critical elements of the innovation or to delineate the scope of the innovation. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the innovation in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. Moreover, each of the aspects of the present system and method, and/or embodiments thereof, may be employed alone or in combination with one or more of the other aspects of the present system and method and/or embodiments thereof. For the sake of brevity, many of those permutations and combinations will not be discussed separately herein.

One object of the system and method is, inter alia, to provide a new and improved system and method for processing a surface of a diamond article to remove carbon atoms that interact through a redox reaction with copper oxide molecules on a surface of one or more machining part that are copper or substantially composed of copper, to machine or cut or sculpt or shape or mould or fashion said diamond into an artefact according to a predetermined specification of manufacture by the means of thermo-chemical reactions between carbon atoms at the surface of the diamond and the nearby copper oxide molecules in the nearby copper machining par Thermo-activation is a natural process in which an atom or molecule that is on or in close proximity to the surface may jump out of the surface for a brief time, and whilst out of the surface it may interact with or react with nearby atoms or molecules. In the thermo-chemical machining process the carbon atoms in close proximity to the surface of a diamond at an elevated temperature may jump out from the surface and interact with nearby atoms or molecules. In particular, the carbon atoms may react with the oxygen molecules, 0 ₂ , in the atmosphere to form carbon monoxide, CO, or carbon dioxide, CO2, or may interact with copper oxide, Cu ₂ 0 or CuO, at the surface of the one or more machining part to deoxidise the copper oxide and to form CO or C0 _2j the copper atoms may subsequently be oxidised through reactions with the reducing agent introduced into the atmosphere, and the oxygen in the atmosphere is replenished thereby allowing the carbon removal process to continue. The growth of copper oxide crystals on the surface of said one or more machining part to extend the life of the one or more machining part made of copper or substantially made of copper and to preserve the dimensions, geometry, shape and function of said one or more copper machining part can be controlled in one or more ways, and different ways to control the copper oxide growth are available to the system and method including, but not limited to providing a reducing agent or by controlling the time of heating. The relative motion of the one or more machining part and the diamond may be controlled to remove diamond material in a systematic manner until the diamond work-piece conforms with the dimensions, geometry, shape, surface finish and functionality specified by the predetermined specification.

Another object of the system and method is to provide a method of machining the surface of a diamond work-piece with planing or moulding or embossing machining parts that are copper or substantially composed of copper, through the process of thermo-chemical reactions of thermally activated carbon atoms which jump out of the surface of the diamond for a brief time. Thermal-activation of the atoms and molecules occurs naturally when the diamond article and the one or more machining part are heated to a predetermined temperature. The carbon atoms may interact with oxygen molecules, 0 ₂ , in the atmosphere to form carbon monoxide, CO, or carbon dioxide, C0 ₂ , or may interact with copper oxide, Cu ₂ 0 or CuO, at the surface of the one or more machining part to deoxidizing the copper oxide and to form CO or C0 ₂ , the copper atoms may then be oxidised through reactions with the reducing agent introduced into the atmosphere, and the oxygen in the atmosphere is replenished an allow the carbon removal process to continue until the diamond work-piece has been planed or patterned and where the relative motion of the one or more machining part and the diamond are controlled to remove diamond material in a systematic manner until the diamond work-piece conforms to the predetermined specification.

Another object of the system and method is to provide a method of fabricating holes in diamond material with copper boring or drilling machining parts that are copper or substantially composed of copper, through the process of thermo-chemical reactions of thermally activated carbon atoms which jump out of the surface of the diamond for a brief time. Thermal-activation of the atoms and molecules occurs naturally when the diamond article and the one or more machining part are heated to a predetermined temperature. The carbon atoms may interact with oxygen molecules, 0 ₂ , in the atmosphere to form carbon monoxide, CO, or carbon dioxide, C0 ₂ , or may interact with copper oxide, Cu ₂ 0 or CuO, at the surface of the one or more machining part to deoxidizing the copper oxide and to form CO or C0 ₂ , the copper atoms may then be oxidised through reactions with the reducing agent introduced into the atmosphere, and the oxygen in the atmosphere is replenished an allow the carbon removal process to continue until the diamond work- piece has been bored or drilled and where the relative motion of the one or more machining part and the diamond are controlled to remove diamond material in a systematic manner until the diamond work-piece conforms to the predetermined specification.

Another object of the system and method is to provide a method of making one or more cuts into a diamond material with copper, cutting or carving or engraving or scribing or trimming machining parts that are copper or substantially composed of copper, through the removal of carbon atoms from the diamond through the process of thermo-chemical reactions of thermally activated carbon atoms which jump out of the surface of the diamond for a brief time. Thermal-activation of the atoms and molecules occurs naturally when the diamond article and the one or more machining part are heated to a predetermined temperature. The carbon atoms may interact with oxygen molecules, 0 ₂ , in the atmosphere to form carbon monoxide, CO, or carbon dioxide, C0 ₂ , or may interact with copper oxide, Cu ₂ 0 or CuO, at the surface of the one or more machining part to deoxidizing the copper oxide and to form CO or C0 ₂ , the copper atoms may then be oxidised through reactions with the reducing agent introduced into the atmosphere, and the oxygen in the atmosphere is replenished an allow the carbon removal process to continue until the diamond work- piece has been cut or carved or engraved or scribed or trimmed and where the relative motion of the one or more machining part and the diamond are controlled to remove diamond material in a systematic manner until the diamond work-piece conforms to the predetermined specification.

In accordance with another aspect of the claims, another object of the system and method is to provide a method of thermo-chemically machining the surface of a diamond work-piece with one or more machining part made of copper or composed substantially of copper, to turn or face or mill or part or shape or taper or undercut or radius turn or thread the work-piece, through the process of thermo-chemical reactions of thermally activated carbon atoms which jump out of the surface of the diamond for a brief time. Where the cutting part of said turning or facing or milling or parting or shaping or tapering or undercutting or radius turning or threading machining parts is copper or substantially composed of copper, that is supplied with electrical power that heats heating elements in said machining parts. The temperature of the cutting surface may be controlled by adjusting the electrical power to change the temperature of the cutting surface to have a predetermined temperature. The interaction area on the surface of the diamond is heated by conduction from the hot surface of the one or more machining part to those areas of the diamond that are in contact with the one or more machining parts. Thermal-acti ation of the atoms and molecules occurs naturally when the diamond article and the one or more machining part are heated to a predetermined temperature. The carbon atoms may interact with oxygen molecules, 0 ₂ , in the atmosphere to form carbon monoxide, CO, or carbon dioxide, C0 ₂ , or may interact with copper oxide, Cu ₂ 0 or CuO, at the surface of the one or more machining part to deoxidizing the copper oxide and to form CO or C0 ₂ the copper atoms may then be oxidised through reactions with the reducing agent introduced into the atmosphere near the cutting surface of each one or more machining prats, and the oxygen in the atmosphere is replenished an allow the carbon removal process to continue until the diamond work-piece has been planed or patterned and where the relative motion of the one or more machining part and the diamond are controlled to remove diamond material in a systematic manner until the diamond work-piece conforms to the predetermined specification. The reducing agent is introduced in a controlled manner in the atmosphere in the proximity of the cutting face of the tool by any means known to the art, thereby decreasing the amount of reducing agent needed to perform the machining. The motion of the diamond article and the one or more machining part is achieved by fixing said diamond article and said one or more machining part into a multi-axis numerically controlled electro-machining device, such as a computer controlled lathe or milling machine known to the art.

Another aspect of the claims of the system and method is to provide a method of rapidly machining micro or nano features into the surface of a diamond work-piece with one-time-use one or more machining part in an atmosphere that contains oxygen but where no specific reducing agent is introduced, through the process of thermo-chemical reactions of thermally activated carbon atoms which jump out of the surface of the diamond for a brief time. Where the processing method is one or more of the methods previously described further comprising; a reducing agent is not introduced which has the consequence that the machining process must be relatively short, typically less than a few hours, after which time the integrity of the shape and surface of the one or more machining part is lost through the growth of copper oxide crystals across the surface. Thermal-activation of the atoms and molecules occurs naturally when the diamond article and the one or more machining part are heated to a predetermined temperature. The carbon atoms may interact with oxygen molecules, 0 ₂ , in the atmosphere to form carbon monoxide, CO, or carbon dioxide, C0 ₂ , or may interact with copper oxide, Cu ₂ 0 or CuO, at the surface of the one or more machining part to deoxidizing the copper oxide and to form CO or CO2 the copper atoms may then be oxidised through reactions with the reducing agent introduced into the atmosphere near the cutting surface of each one or more machining prats, and the oxygen in the atmosphere is replenished an allow the carbon removal process to continue until the diamond work-piece has been planed or patterned and where the relative motion of the one or more machining part and the diamond are controlled to remove diamond material in a systematic manner until the diamond work-piece conforms to the predetermined specification. The reducing agent may be introduced in a controlled manner in the atmosphere in the proximity of the cutting face of the tool by any means known to the art, thereby decreasing the amount of reducing agent needed to perform the machining.

The specification discloses a new and improved system, processing methods and combinations said methods for machining diamond material in according to the specification with the specified dimensions, geometry, shape and function through the removal of carbon atoms from the diamond through the thermochemical reactions with the nearby copper oxide molecules in the nearby copper machining parts, where the machining parts may be applied individually on in to remove sufficient diamond material to form a final diamond that conforms with the dimensions, geometry, shape, surface finish and functionality specified by the specification.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the innovation can be employed and the subject innovation is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the innovation will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the innovation when considered in conjunction with the drawing.

In general, the system and method is directed to processing diamond material; in particular to thermochemical equivalent of boring, broaching, carving, cutting, drilling, embossing, engraving, facing, milling, moulding, parting, planing, radius turning, reaming, sawing, scribing, scoring, sculpting, shaping, tapering, tapping, threading, trimming, turning and undercutting and any or all combinations of the said diamond machining processes. The innovation is related to the manufacture of diamond artefacts that may have utility in a machine or in a process or in a system or in a manufactured artefact or have an aesthetically pleasing shape or have manufactured features that change the functional behaviour of the diamond artefact.

In particular, processed diamond material components and artefacts offer substantial improvements in performance, lifetime and manufacturing productivity over components having equivalent functionality made from other standard engineering materials.

Brief Description of the Drawings.

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a processing assembly 110, containing an example sample holder 180, an example machining part 120, and a wafer 130, with a diamond film 160, that is to be machined by planing using thermo-chemical reactions a temperature that is elevated in a furnace 210, that is with a gas mixture that contains at least oxygen and a reducing agent is provided through the inlet 230 and is provided to the void in the assembly in the proximity of the interaction region by holes 170, and where the relative motion between the diamond film 160 on the silicon oxide layer 150 grown on the silicon 140 of the silicon wafer 140, and the planing machining part is provided by gravity. The inventive device is in this example is arranged to remove carbon atoms in a controlled way from the surface of the diamond to produce a film that is flat to a predetermined flatness and has a predetermined thickness.

Figure 2 is a cross section of a processing assembly 220, placed into a temperature controlled furnace 210 that has an inlet 230, into which a gas mixture is provided, and an outlet 240, out of which exhaust gas is removed.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of an example mould part 310, and a moulded diamond article 330, that is machined using the assembly and furnace described in Figures 1 and 2, in which said mould part is placed between the machining part 120, and a diamond work-piece, which is not shown, is placed in the holder 180. The inventive device is in this example is the copper oxide atoms that form on the surface of the copper machining part interact with the carbon atoms from the diamond in a controlled way to produce a diamond article with the dimensions, geometry, shape and function in the predetermined specification of the diamond artefacts. More than one moulding process may be performed on a diamond work-piece to machine complex diamond articles.

Figure 4 is a graph of the Arrhenius relationship for diamond in contact with a copper surface that may be oxidised in an atmosphere of air. Figure 5a is a plan view of an example heated copper machining part 510a for machining diamond material. Electric power is provided through the electric cables and a resistive element 530a that responds to the electrical power by heating the machining part holder 520a, which in turn heats the machining part 520a. The temperature of the machining part is measured with a sensor that responds to temperature 550a, and the temperature sensor receives electrical power through the cables 540a. The electrical power the flows through the resistor is operated by a switch, not shown, when the switch is closed the resistor heats up thereby heating the machining part holder 520a, which in turn heats the machining part 510a. The switch is controlled by the control unit 570b. The copper machining part 510a, is fixed to the machining part holder 560a, by screws or bolts or similar mechanical means or bonded by brazing or welding. Figure 5b is a side elevation view of a heated machining part 520b, which is fixed to a machining part holder 510b. The inventive device is in this aspect of the example is to heat both the copper machining part and the interaction area on the diamond work-piece to a predetermined temperature in an atmosphere that contains at least oxygen and a reducing agent to thermo-chemically remove carbon atoms from the surface of the diamond to produce a diamond article with the dimensions, geometry, shape and function in the predetermined specification of the diamond artefacts. The heated tool comprises of a copper machining part 510a that is connected to a source of electrical power 560b via a conduit 580b that contains more than one conductor 520a and 520b, a switch which is not shown, one or more resistor, a measurement sensor 530a that is connected to a source of electrical power 570b. The sensor 550a, responds to the temperature of the machining part holder and is connected to a measurement converter, not shown, that converts the electrical measurement into a temperature measurement, and to a source of electrical power 570b via a conduit 580b that contains more than one conductor. For the sake cf clarity, those conductors that are connected to the heated machining part and the sensor are not shown in Figure 5b. The device further comprises a control unit 570b which is electrically connected to the sensor 550a and the electrical cables and resistor 530a via a conduit 580b that contains more than one conductor. The heated tool further comprises, providing a supply of gas 535b that provides at least oxygen and is provided with a reducing agent, wherein said reducing agent is carbon monoxide or hydrogen or other, where the gas supply may be controlled and switched on and off, not shown, in dependence of the temperature of said machining part in contact with said diamond article. The oxygen in the gas mixture provides a means to oxidise atoms and molecules in the interaction region, whilst the reducing agent provides a means to deoxidise atoms and molecules in the interaction region. The inventive device in this aspect of the example is to remove carbon atoms in a controlled way from the surface of the diamond, and at the same time to control the growth of copper oxide crystals on the copper machining part thereby preserving and extending the life of the tool and also accurately preserving the shape and geometry of said machining part which would be degraded were the copper oxide crystals allowed to grow. Many machining processes may be performed on said diamond work-piece with a heated tool to machine complex diamond articles. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an example heated tool 652, mounted on a computer controlled lathe 610.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an example heated copper machining part 720; in particular an example machining g part that can be used to turn diamond material. Electric power is provided through the electric cables and resistor 732 to a resistive element that responds to the electrical power by heating the machining part holder 735, which in turn heats the machining part 720. The temperature of the machining part is measured with a sensor 736 that responds to temperature, and the temperature sensor receives electrical power through the cables 734. The electrical power the flows through the resistor is operated by a switch, not shown, when the switch is closed the resistor heats up thereby heating the machining part holder 735, which in turn heats the machining part 710. The switch is controlled by the control unit, which is not shown. The copper machining part 710 is fixed to the machining part holder 735, by screws or bolts or similar mechanical means or bonded by brazing or welding. The lathe is used to move the diamond work- piece relative to said machining part holder 735 and machining part 710 with feed speed 750 and rotational speed 795. The inventive device is in this aspect of the example is to provide a machining part that can remove material across a substantial length of the work-piece, thereby substantially increasing the speed of production. The heated tool comprises of a copper machining part that is connected to a source of electrical power via a conduit that contains more than one conductor, a switch, one or more resistor, not shown, and a measurement sensor that is connected to a source of electrical power. The sensor responds to the temperature of the machining part holder and is connected to a measurement converter that converts the electrical measurement into a temperature measurement, and to a source of electrical power via a conduit that contains more than one conductor. The device further comprises a control unit that is electrically connected to the sensor and the electrical cables and resistor via a conduit that contains more than one conductor. The heated tool further comprises, providing a supply of gas that provides at least oxygen and a reducing agent, wherein said reducing agent is carbon monoxide or hydrogen or other, where the gas supply may be controlled and switched on and off, not shown, in dependence of the temperature of said machining part in contact with said diamond article. The oxygen in the gas mixture provides a means to oxidise atoms and molecules in the interaction region, whilst the reducing agent provides a means to deoxidise atoms and molecules in the interaction region. The inventive device in this aspect of the example is to remove carbon atoms in a controlled way from the surface of the diamond, and at the same time to control the growth of copper oxide crystals on the copper machining part thereby preserving and extending the life of the tool and also accurately preserving the shape and geometry of said machining part which would be degraded were the copper oxide crystals allowed to grow. The heated copper machining part may be designed to perform accelerated machining processes on said diamond work-piece to produce complex diamond articles. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an example heated copper machining part 810; in particular an example machining g part that can be used to turn diamond material. Electric power is provided through the electric cables and resistor 832 to a resistive element that responds to the electrical power by heating the machining part holder 835, which in turn heats the machining part 810 which has a cutting edged 820 that is designed to machine a thread into a diamond work-piece. The inventive device is in this aspect of the example is to provide a machining part that can remove material across a substantial length of the thread, thereby substantially increasing the speed of production.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an example heated tool 652, mounted on a computer controlled milling machine 910.

Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of a complex work-piece 1060 being machined by a heated a heated copper machining part 1010. The machining part is held in the chuck 1020 of the milling machine. Figure 11 shown an example heated machining part 1110. Electric power is provided through the electric cables and resistor 1130 to a resistive element that responds to the electrical power by heating the machimng part holder 1120, which in turn heats the machining part 1110. The temperature of the machining part is measured with a sensor 1150 that responds to temperature, and the temperature sensor receives electrical power through the cables 1140. The electrical power flows through the resistor 1130 and is operated by a switch, not shown, when the switch is closed the resistor heats up thereby heating the machining part holder 1120, which in turn heats the machining part 1110. The switch is controlled by a control unit. The copper machining part 1110, is fixed to the machimng part holder 1160, by a thread or screws or bolts or similar mechanical means or bonded by brazing or welding. The inventive device is in this aspect of the example is to heat both the copper machining part and the interaction area on the diamond work-piece to a predetermined temperature in an atmosphere that contains at least oxygen and a reducing agent to thermo- chemically remove carbon atoms from the surface of the diamond to mill or shape a diamond article with the dimensions, geometry, shape and function in the predetermined specification of the diamond artefacts.

Modes for Carrying Out Examples of the Invention.

Several example applications of the system and method are now discussed in detail. Reference to details of the embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves enumerate the features of the innovation. While the innovation has been described and illustrated with reference to certain embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications and substitutions can be made therein without diverging from the claims. For example, effective specifications other than the dimensions, geometries and distributions set forth hereinabove may be applicable as a consequence of variations in the responsiveness of the material being machined and of variations in the particular applications of the micro-tools. Likewise, the specific material response observed may vary depending upon the particular dimensions, geometry and distribution of the micro-tools and may vary in the particular application of the micro-tools, and such expected variations or differences in results are contemplated in accordance with the objects and practices of the present invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the innovation herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the innovation and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the innovation in any way, as this example and other equivalents thereof will become apparent to those versed in the art and in light of the present disclosure, drawings, and the accompanying claims.

It is intended that each particular illustration of the innovation described here convey an understanding of the principles of the innovation. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the system and method herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the innovation. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject innovation. It is evident, however, that the innovation may be practiced without these specific details. The specification discloses diamond material removal with one or more tools for machining where said tools contain copper atoms that can be oxidised. The amount of diamond material is decreased in a structured manner until it has the geometry, dimensions, shape, surface finish and functionality prescribed in the specification. The removal process may be achieved with one or more diamond machining methods including, but not limited to, boring, broaching, carving, cutting, drilling, embossing, engraving, facing, milling, moulding, parting, planing, radius turning, reaming, sawing, scribing, scoring, sculpting, shaping, tapering, tapping, threading, trimming, turning and undercutting and any combination of the methods. In the process the cutting part of the tool moves relative to the work-piece sweeping out the volume of removed diamond material. A successful removal process needs the relative velocity of each machining part and the work-piece to be less than the rate at which the diamond material is removed. When this condition is not satisfied the tool and work-piece may collide and may cause damage to said tool. The volume swept out by the relative motion can be described by one or more methods available to the art including the theory of the envelope that is commonly used to design generalised cutting systems. The rate of material removal depends on the temperature of the interaction region and the provision of oxygen to said interaction region. The methods of heating the interaction region to the operating temperature include but are not limited to placing the diamond work-piece and one or more machining part into an environment that can be heated, such as an oven or a furnace, or the interaction region can be heated by heating the machining parts directly, for example by electrical power, and transferring heat to the diamond work-piece substantially by the process of conduction.

EXAMPLE 1.

Figure 1, referenced numeral 100, denotes a view of one example of a process designed to thermo- chemically plane, that is to remove material and to make smooth, substantial amounts of material from a diamond film grown onto a wafer. In the simple planing method the diamond work-piece, reference by the numeral 130, remains fixed in a holder, referenced by the numeral 180, and in this example the copper planning machining part, referenced by the numeral 120, and is composed of a silicon substrate, referenced by the numeral 140, a silicon oxide film, referenced by the numeral 150, and the diamond film, referenced by the numeral 160, is pressed down by gravity onto the diamond film, 160, to remove material. The wafer is placed or fixed into the base part of an assembly, referenced by the numeral 110, and the copper planing part, referenced by the numeral 120, is placed onto the wafer as illustrated. The assembly containing the wafer is placed in a furnace, referenced by the numeral 200 that is heated to a temperature that is elevated into the range from 300 °C up to just below the auto ignition temperature of the reducing agent, in an example where the reducing agent is carbon monoxide gas the upper temperature should be limited to about 600 °C, and the ratio of air to carbon monoxide should be about 100 to 1.5. The predetermined dependence of temperature of the furnace with time is controlled with the furnace controller. A gas mixture enters the furnace via an inlet, referenced by the numeral 230, and exits the furnace via an outlet, referenced by the numeral 240. The gas mixture has access to the interior of the assembly through the vents, referenced by the numeral 170, in the planing part, referenced by the numeral 170. The gas mixture that contains the reducing agent is hazardous the machining apparatus should be enclosed in a fume chamber, not shown, wherein the exhaust gasses from the fume chamber can be treated to remove the hazardous components. The rate of material removal at any predetermined temperature may be calculated from the Arrhenius relationship, shown in Figure 4, for the reaction of a diamond material in contact with copper in air at standard temperature and pressure. The planing part is caused by gravity to move in downward in a direction that substantially the same as a longitudinal axis of the assembly. The relative speed of the interacting materials, v m s ^"1 , is limited by the material removal rate. According to the innovation the interaction speed v at which the copper planing part can move relative to the diamond work-piece will be limited to be less than or equal to the rate at which material can be removed from the surface, R m s ^'1 , such that v < R . The copper planing part, referenced numeral 120, and more particularly the copper atoms at the surface of the contact region of the copper planing part react with the oxygen in the atmosphere to form copper oxide, which in turn may react with those carbon atoms that are thermo-activated to leave the surface of diamond work-piece and thereby remove carbon atoms from the contact region of the diamond work-piece. The work-piece may be specified in terms of a coordinate system so that the initial and final and removal surfaces may be parameterised throughout the removal process. According to the specification, diamond material may be removed by one or more mould parts in most any sequence of process operations. As the thermo-chemical removal process does not generate solid waste material the mould parts and the motion of said mould parts relative to the work-piece may be designed for optimal material removal for any particular set of operating conditions. The force that causes the relative motion between the one or more machining part and the diamond work-piece could be generated by one or more methods known to the art.

EXAMPLE 2.

Figure 3, referenced numeral 300, denotes a view of the best mode of the method of processing diamond material by a moulding process. Other similar examples of the system and method include but are not limited to an embossing process. In this simple example of the moulding method the diamond work-piece, reference by numeral 330, remains fixed and has a longitudinal axis defined, referenced by the numeral 340, and in this example the mould is operated in a manner analogous to a 'pastry cutter' to reduce the loss of valuable waste material. The mould is caused to move in a direction that is substantially the same as a longitudinal axis with a velocity, v m s ^"1 , and this relative speed of the interacting materials is referenced by the numeral 350, which is produced by applying a force to said mould machining part. According to the innovation the interaction speed v, referenced by the numeral 350, at which the mould part can move relative to the work-piece should be less than or equal to the rate at which material can be removed from the surface, R m s ^" \ such that v < R . The mould machining part, referenced numeral 310, and more particularly the mould surface parts, referenced by the numeral 320, of having dimensions of lateral extent Di, referenced by numeral 380, and length Li, referenced by the numeral 380, interact with the diamond work-piece, referenced as numeral 330, at an elevated temperature and in air or in an atmosphere that contains oxygen to remove carbon atoms from the diamond work-piece through their interaction with copper oxide atoms in the mould surface. The assembly containing the wafer is placed in a furnace, referenced by the numeral 200 that is heated to a temperature that is elevated into the range from 300 °C up to just below the auto ignition temperature of the reducing agent, in an example where the reducing agent is carbon monoxide gas the upper temperature should be limited to about 600 °C, and the ratio of air to carbon monoxide should be about 100 to 1.5. The gas mixture that contains the reducing agent is hazardous the machining apparatus should be enclosed in a fume chamber, not shown, wherein the exhaust gasses from the fume chamber can be treated to remove the hazardous components. The predetermined dependence of temperature of the furnace with time is controlled with the furnace controller. The work-piece may be specified in terms of a coordinate system so that the initial and final and removal surfaces may be parameterised throughout the removal process. In one embodiment of a simple moulding process the carbon atoms at the surface of the diamond material, referenced by numeral 330, interact at an elevated temperature with the copper oxide atoms in the surface of the mould part where the geometry, dimensions and shape of the active surface of the mould part, referenced by numeral 320, is substantially the same as the geometry, dimensions and shape of the final form of the work-piece as defined in the specification. As the mould, referenced by numeral 310, moves in a direction that is substantially parallel to the axis, referenced to as numeral 340, the thermo-chemical reaction processes at the points of interaction remove carbon atoms until the work-piece reaches the shape defined in the specification, having dimensions of lateral extent D ₂ , referenced by numeral 360, and length L2, referenced as numeral 370. According to the specification, diamond material may be removed by one or more mould parts in most any sequence of process operations. As the thermo-chemical removal process does not generate solid waste material the mould parts and the motion of said mould parts relative to the work-piece may be designed for optimal material removal for any particular set of operating conditions. The applied force that causes the relative motion may be generated by one or more methods known to the art.

It should be clear to one skilled in the art that the removal rate, and consequently the allowed motion of the one or more machining part and time taken to remove material, may be controlled by the temperature parameter and by the oxygen parameter and the reducing agent parameter. It should also be clear to one skilled in the art that the removal rate, and consequently the allowed motion of the one or more machining part and time taken to remove material from a diamond work-piece that is of an arbitrary form may be calculated. It should be clear to one skilled in the art that the system and method disclosed in Example 1 and Example 2 can be modified to perform other machining tasks on the diamond work-piece including but not limited to the thermo-chemical equivalent of boring, carving, cutting, drilling, embossing, engraving, moulding, planing, sawing, scribing, scoring, sculpting, shaping, trimming, and any combination of the said processes to form a simple or a complex shape diamond work-piece. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the examples of the system and method herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the innovation. According to the system and method the diamond is brought into contact with the surface of one or more copper machining part and material may be removed from the interaction region in a manner that depends on the temperature parameter, the oxygen parameter, the reducing agent parameter; and to a lesser extent on the mechanical force that is applied to ensure contact. The means of heating the interaction region can be achieved by heating the one or more machining parts, for instance by passing electrical power through one or more resistances. The following examples use this means of heating the interaction region. As the rate of material removal by the system and method is extremely slow, cutting operations on electrical cutting machines such as a lathe or milling machine will be tricky because the slowest speed available on the machine may not be slow enough. There are methods known in the art that may be used to slow the cutting operation sufficiently by methods including, but not limited to, gear or pulley shaft and bearing systems rates that can, for instance, reduce the rotation to one revolution per hour or one revolution per day.

EXAMPLE 3.

Figure 5a, referenced numeral 500a, denotes the plan view of one example of the system and method of processing diamond material by means of a heated machining part. The heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 510a, is fixed into a machining part holder, referenced by the numeral 520a, by means including, but not limited to, one or more screws or bolts or welded or brazed or bonded. The machining part holder further comprises a heating element, referenced by the numeral 530a, and a sensor, referenced by the numeral 550a, that depends on temperature that is connected to a power source and control unit by means of electrical cables, referenced by the numerals 540a. Figure 5b, referenced by the numeral 500b, denotes a side view of the heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 520b, affixed to a shank or tool holder, referenced by the numeral 510b, by means that include, but are not limited to, clamping or screwing or bolting. The gas mixture, referenced by the numeral 535b, is provided by means of a nozzle, referenced by the numeral 530b, that is connected to a pipe, referenced by the numeral 540b, which is fixed to the machining part holder by a fixture, referenced by the numeral 550b, and the pipe is connected to a gas handling system, not shown. The gas mixture that contains the reducing agent is hazardous the machining apparatus should be enclosed in a fume chamber, not shown, wherein the exhaust gasses from the fume chamber can be treated to remove the hazardous contents. The heating element in the heated machining part holder is connected by means of electrical cables via a conduit, referenced by the numeral 580b, to a power source and controller, referenced by the numeral 570b. The sensor in the heated machining part holder is connected by means of electrical cables via a conduit, referenced by the numeral 580b, to a power source and controller, referenced by the numeral 560b. Figure 6, referenced by the numeral 600, shows a schematic side view of the heated tool, referenced by the numeral 652, with the gas pipe and nozzle, referenced by the numeral 654, mounted on the tool post, referenced by the numeral 650, of the lathe, referenced by the numeral 610, which moves at a feed speed v, referenced by the numeral 750. The diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 640, is clamped into the chuck of the lathe which provides a means to rotate the diamond work-piece with a tangential speed of v _t , referenced by the numerals 680 and 795, about its longitudinal axis, referenced by the numeral 760. The tool post, referenced by 650 and heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 652 and 720, may move radially or longitudinally with respect to the axis of the lathe n on the movable tables, referenced by the numerals 670 and 680. Figure 7, referenced numeral 700, shows a schematic plan view of one example of the system and method of turning a diamond material on a lathe by means of a heated machining part. The lathe may be of the type that include, but is not limited to, lightweight bench engine lathes or gap lathes or precision tool lathes or multi-axis lathes. The heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 710, is fixed into a machining part holder, referenced by the numeral 735, be means including, but not limited to, one or more screws or bohs or welded or brazed or bonded, referenced by the numerals 738. The shape and geometry of the end of the machining part that interacts with the diamond work-piece includes, but is not limited to a thermo-chemical cutting single point tools or bevel tools or curved cutting tools or radius turning tools or rounded tools or side facing tools or tapering tools or external threading tools or internal threading tools or other shapes that have the angle of the cut or roughing tools or finishing tools or left handed tools or right handed tool or parting tools or facing tools or necking tools or grooving tools or specially shaped-formed cutting tools specifically shaped for special operations. The machining part holder further comprises a heating element, referenced by the numeral 732, and a sensor, referenced by the numeral 736, that depends on temperature that is connected to a power source and control unit by means of electrical cables, referenced by the numerals 734. The cutting edge of the machining part, referenced by the numeral 720, is bought into contact with the diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 730, and can move with a feed velocity, that has a component parallel to the axis of the lathe, v, referenced by the numeral 750. In addition the cutting tool is moved in a direction that is orthogonal to the rotational motion of the work-piece to remove diamond material to a depth, d=D _r D ₂ , and this depth is referenced by the numeral 790. The cutting edge of the heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 720, is composed substantially of copper atoms. The diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 730, may be specified in terms of a Cartesian coordinate system so that the initial and final surface may be parameterised throughout the removal process. In a simple turning process a diamond of initial diameter D ₁₍ referenced by numeral 760, and length L, referenced as numeral 770, a thickness of material, referenced by the numeral 790, is removed through the interaction between the diamond work-piece, 730, and the copper atoms in the surface of the heated machining part, 720, until the work-piece diameter is decreased to D ₂ , referenced by the numeral 780, thereby satisfying the specification. The electrical power provided through the electric resistor, referenced by the numeral 732, heats the heated machining part, which in turn heats up the interaction region of the diamond work-piece via the process of conduction. The heated machining part holder is heated to a predetermined temperature, which in turn heats the heated machining part and the interaction region of the diamond work-piece to the substantially the same predetermined temperature. Carbon atoms are removed from the interaction region at the elevated temperature, thereby removing material from the diamond work-piece. The gas mixture provides the oxygen for the removal reactions and provided the reducing agent for de-oxidising the copper oxide that will grow on the surface of the copper machining part. To be an efficient process the removal of material by the interaction between the cooper atoms in the cutting tool and the diamond work-piece must be at an elevated temperature. In this example, the linear feed speed v, referenced by the numeral ⁷ 50, and the tangential speed v _t , referenced by the numeral 795, at which the cutting surfaces of the machining tool can moves relative to the work-piece surfaces should both be less than or equal to the rate at which material can be removed from the surface, R, such that V, V _t < R . According to the innovation the relation between the surface removal rate, R, and one thousand times the inverse of the temperature is determined by the Arrhenius relationship for diamond in contact with copper oxide in which the removal rate is proportional to the exponential of the inverse

-En

temperature, R ⁼ A e ^{ks T} . Carbon atoms are removed from the diamond at a rate of R m s ^"1 when the elevated temperature is fixed at T K, which provides a limit for the linear feed speed of v < R and the v R

tangential speed of v _t < R and the angular rotation speed of = _L < _ radians s" ¹ · These limits on

' D, D,

the process allow the cutting time per pass, t _c , for this simple cutting example to be estimated using where L is the length of the cut, O is an offset, and <¾ is the rotational speed of the

work-piece. In example 1 the path that the heated machining part makes when the work-piece rotates at the same time as the machining part moves at a linear feed speed is a left handed helix traced out on the surface of a right circular cylinder, which can be designated to have a radius R, and a pitch b, . The path that the machining part traces out can be parameterised as a locus in Cartesian coordinates with f_A_ is the angle of pitch of the cut into the diamond such that a full revolution of 2π in ζ will result in an increase in z direction of b,=2flR, tan (a) Assuming that the pitch b, and the radius if the work-piece R _[ remain constant the path of the cut can be expressed as r( ")=R, cos( ^" )e _x + R, sin(4")e _y + R, tan(a) "e _z .

The distance L that the helical cut extends in the direction of the z-axis after 2n π rotations of the work- piece is I = n b, , the total length of material cut into the work-piece after rotating through an angle ς = 2πη is 3 _2η)Γ = Ιπη-^Κ + b, ² , and the total volume of material removed from the work-piece after rotating through an angle ζ = 2πη is

V _2njr = 2;mA- /R ² +b, ² , where A is the interaction area between the tool part and the work-piece, and the total time taken to remove material from the work-piece to cut through an angle ζ = 2πη is t, = ^ . ~ ^xnA ₊ . 2 _ 2πΓύ^,Α +^i _G \ _WNERE R j _{s me} material removal rate R per unit 2 R R R

on the interaction surface, and the time taken to remove material from the work-piece to cut through an angle ζ = 2π , one revolution, is t, the distance that the cut moves

parallel to the z-axis in one revolution may be expressed in terms of the feed rate and the time to cut one revolution with b _t = V Χ _2π . The material removal rate, R , may be used to estimate the critical feed velocity, v _c . For velocities above the critical value, v _c , the processing cuts grooves or threads into the material, whilst below, v _c , the processing removes all material between Di and D ₂ .

A wide cutting surface on the heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 720, will speed up the material removal process, thereby improving the system and method.

It should be clear to one skilled in the art that the removal rate, and consequently the allowed motion of the one or more machining part and thereby the time taken to remove all of the material, may be controlled by the temperature parameter and by the oxygen parameter and the reducing agent parameter. It should also be clear to one skilled in the art that the removal rate, and consequently the allowed motion of the one or more machining part and time taken to remove material from a diamond work-piece that is of an arbitrary form may be calculated. It should be clear to one skilled in the art that the system and method disclosed in Example 3 can be modified to perform other machining tasks on the diamond work-piece including but not limited to the thermo-chemical equivalent of carving, cutting, drilling, facing, parting, radius turning, reaming, sculpting, shaping, tapering, tapping, threading, trimming, turning and undercutting and any combination of the said processes to form a simple or a complex shape diamond work-piece. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the examples of the system and method herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the innovation. EXAMPLE 4.

Figure 8, referenced numeral 8, denotes the plan view of one example of the system and method of cutting threads or grooves into a diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 830, by means of a heated machining part. The heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 810, is fixed into a machining part holder, referenced by the numeral 835, be means including, but not limited to, one or more screws or bolts or welded or brazed or bonded, referenced by the numerals 838. The machining part holder further comprises a heating element, referenced by the numeral 832, and a sensor, referenced by the numeral 836, that depends on temperature that is connected to a power source and control unit by means of electrical cables, referenced by the numerals 834. The cutting edge of the machining part, referenced by the numeral 820, is bought into contact with the diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 830, and can move with a feed velocity, that has a component parallel to the axis of the lathe, v, referenced by the numeral 850. In addition the cutting tool is moved in a direction that is orthogonal to the rotational motion of the work- piece to remove diamond material to form a thread of depth, d=Di-D ₂ , and this depth is referenced by the numeral 890. The cutting edge of the heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 820, is composed substantially of copper atoms. The diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 830, may be specified in terms of a Cartesian coordinate system so that the initial and final surface may be parameterised throughout the removal process. In a simple turning process a diamond of initial diameter D _t , referenced by numeral 860, and length L, referenced as numeral 870, up to a thickness of material, referenced by the numeral 890, is removed through the interaction between the diamond work-piece, 830, and the copper atoms in the surface of the heated machining part, 820, until the work-piece is threaded with an inner diameter of ¾ referenced by the numeral 880, thereby satisfying the specification. The electrical power provided through the electric resistor, referenced by the numeral 834, heats the heated machining part, which in turn heats up the interaction region of the diamond work-piece via the process of conduction. The heated machining part holder is heated to a predetermined temperature, which in turn heats the heated machining part and the interaction region of the diamond work-piece to the substantially the same predetermined temperature. Carbon atoms are removed from the interaction region at the elevated temperature, thereby removing material from the diamond work-piece. The gas mixture provides the oxygen for the removal reactions and provided the reducing agent for de-oxidising the copper oxide that will grow on the surface of the copper machining part. To be an efficient process the removal of material by the interaction between the cooper atoms in the cutting tool and the diamond work-piece must be at an elevated temperature. In this example, the linear feed speed v, referenced by the numeral 850, and the tangential speed Vt, referenced by the numeral 895, at which the cutting surfaces of the machining tool can moves relative to the work-piece surfaces should both be less than or equal to the rate at which material can be removed from the surface, R, such that V, V _t < R . According to the innovation the relation between the surface removal rate, R, and one thousand times the inverse of the temperature is determined by the Arrhenius relationship for diamond in contact with copper oxide in which the removal rate is proportional

-En

to the exponential of the inverse temperature, R=A e ^{kB T} , where k _B is Boltzmann's constant, T is the temperature in degrees K, E-, is the energy per molecule and A is the pre-exponential constant. Carbon atoms are removed from the diamond at a rate of R m s ^'1 when the elevated temperature is fixed at T K, which provides a limit for the linear feed speed of 20 μκι s ^-1 and the tangential speed of v _t < 20 //m s ^"1 and the angular rotation speed of radians s ^-1 ■ These limits on the

example for the cutting time per pass, t,., for the simple cutting process given in this example to be

_ 2 r(L + 0)

estimated using t _c , where L is the length of the cut, O is an offset, f _r =v is the feed rate and where fij^ = -^- ^L is the rotational speed of the work-piece in revolutions per unit second. The path that the cutting tool makes when the work-piece rotates and the tool moves at a linear feed speed is a left handed helix, which can be designated to have a radius R ₁ and a pitch b, . The path that the tool takes can be parameterised as a locus in Cartesian coordinates with X(£")=R, cos(^), Y( )=R, sin( ) and

Ζ(ζ) = b, ζ = R,tan(a) , where b, is the angle of pitch of the cut into the diamond such

2/rR _{i y}

that a full revolution of 2π in ζ will result in an increase in z direction of b,=2^R, tan(a) . Assuming that the pitch b, and the radius if the work-piece R, remain constant the path of the cut can be expressed as r( ^" )=R, cos( ^" )e _x + R, sin(4 ^" )e _y + R, tan(a) e _z . To cut a thread distance that the machining part moves when the work-piece makes a single revolution must be equal to the pitch of the thread. The distance L that the helical cut extends in the direction of the z-axis after 2n π rotations of the work-piece is i _2wt = n b,, the total length of material cut into the work-piece after rotating through an angle ζ = 2πη is

3 _2ηΛ . = 2πη^Κ, + b, ² , and the total volume of material removed from the work-piece after rotating through an angle ζ = 2πη is V _2n)r - 2;roA^R ² + b, ² , where A is the interaction area between the tool part and the work-piece, and the total time taken to remove material from the work-piece to cut through an angle ζ = 2πη is

V,„ 2ΛΉΑ ^ cr,—- Γr ₌ ¾ 2^

t,„ = T nR,AA ^j^^ , where R is the material removal rate R per unit

R R R

on the interaction surface, and the time taken to remove material from the work-piece to cut through an angle ζ = In , one revolution, is t, =—— = — ^! — , so that the distance that the cut moves

R R

parallel to the z-axis in one revolution may be expressed in terms of the feed rate and the time to cut one revolution with b, = V t _2)r . The material removal rate, R , may be used to estimate the critical feed velocity, v _c . For velocities above the critical value, v _c , the processing cuts grooves or threads into the material, whilst below, v _c , the processing removes all material between Di and D ₂ . A wide cutting surface on the heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 820, will speed up the material removal process, thereby improving the system and method.

EXAMPLE 5.

Figure 9, referenced numeral 900, denotes the schematic view of one example of the system and method of milling a diamond work-piece by means of a heated machining part this is fixed or clamped onto a milling machine of the type that include, but is not limited to, keen or horizontal or ram or swivel cutter head ram or multi-axis. The heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 952 in Figure 9 and also in Figure 10 by 1010 and in Figure 11 by 1100, is fixed into a machining part holder, referenced by the numeral 1020, be means that include, but are not limited to, one or more screwing or bolting or welding or brazing or bonding, referenced by the numeral 1160. The machining part holder further comprises a heating element, referenced by the numeral 1130 in Figure 11, and a sensor, referenced by the numeral 1150 in Figure 11, that depends on temperature that is connected to a power source and control unit by means of electrical cables, referenced by the numerals 1140 in Figure 11. The shape and geometry of the end of the machining part that interacts with the diamond work-piece includes, but is not limited to the thermo-chemical tool equivalent to end-mill or side-mill or ball-end-mill or T-slot mill or Woodruff key-slot mill or angle mill or gear head mill or convex mill or concave mill or corner rounding mill or specially shaped-formed mill cutters specifically shaped for special operations. The gas mixture, referenced by the numeral 1035 in Figure 10, is provided by means of a nozzle, referenced by the numeral 954 in Figure 9 and 1030 in Figure 10, that is connected to a pipe, referenced by the numeral 1040 in Figure 10, which is fixed to the machining part holder by a fixture, referenced by the numeral 1050 in Figure 10, and the pipe is connected to a gas handling system, not shown. The gas mixture that contains the reducing agent is hazardous the machining apparatus should be enclosed in a fume chamber, not shown, wherein the exhaust gasses from the fume chamber can be treated to remove the hazardous contents. The heating element in the heated machining part holder is connected by means of electrical cables via a conduit, not shown, to a power source and controller, not shown. The sensor in the heated machining part holder is connected by means of electrical cables via a conduit, referenced by the numeral 1140 in Figure 11, to a power source and controller, not shown. Figure 10, referenced by the numeral 1000, shows a schematic view of the diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 1060, and the heated machining part, referenced by the numeral 1010, with the gas pipe and nozzle, referenced by the numeral 1030, mounted on the tool post, referenced by the numeral 950, of the milling machine, referenced by the numeral 910. The diamond work-piece, referenced by the numeral 940, is clamped onto the table of the milling machine which provides a means to move the diamond. The tool post, referenced by 950 and heated machining part, referenced by the numerals 952 and 1010 and 1110, may rotate or move along the x or y or x axes with respect to the axis of the heated tool. Figure 9, referenced numeral 900, shows a schematic plan view of one example of the system and method of milling a diamond material by means of a heated machining part. The heated machining part, referenced by the numerals 952 and 1010, is fixed into a machining part holder, referenced by the numeral 1020, be means including, but not limited to, one or more screws or bolts or welded or brazed or bonded, referenced by the numeral 1160. The machining part holder further comprises a heating element, referenced by the numeral 1140, and a sensor, referenced by the numeral 1150, that depends on temperature that is connected to a power source and control unit by means of electrical cables, referenced by the numerals 1140. The cutting edge of the machining part is bought into contact with the diamond work-piece, referenced by the numerals 940 and 1060, and can move relative to the work-piece. The cutting edge of the heated machining part is composed substantially of copper atoms. The diamond work-piece, referenced by the numerals 940 and 1060, may be specified in terms of a Cartesian coordinate system so that the initial and final surface may be parameterised throughout the removal process. Carbon material is removed through the interaction between the diamond work-piece, 1060, and the copper atoms in the surface of the heated machining part, 1010, until the dimensions and geometry of said work-piece satisfying the specification. The electrical power provided through the electric resistor, referenced by the numeral 1050, heats the heated machining part, which in turn heats up the interaction region of the diamond work-piece via the process of conduction. The heated machining part holder is heated to a predetermined temperature, which in turn heats the heated machining part and the interaction region of the diamond work-piece to the substantially the same predetermined temperature. Carbon atoms are removed from the interaction region at the elevated temperature, thereby removing material from the diamond work-piece. The gas mixture provides the oxygen for the removal reactions and provided the reducing agent for de-oxidising the copper oxide that will grow on the surface of the copper machining part. To be an efficient process the removal of material by the interaction between the cooper atoms in the cutting tool and the diamond work-piece must be at an elevated temperature. In this example, the relative speed between the heated machining part and the diamond work piece along any component direction should limited to be less than or equal to the rate at which material can be removed from the surface, R. According to the innovation the relation between the surface removal rate, R, and the inverse of the temperature is determined by the Arrhenius relationship for diamond in contact with copper oxide in which the removal rate is proportional to the exponential of the

-En

. k T

inverse temperature, R=A e ^B It should be clear to one skilled in the art that the removal rate, and consequently the allowed motion of the one or more machining part and time taken to remove material, may be controlled by the temperature parameter and by the oxygen parameter and the reducing agent parameter. It should also be clear to one skilled in the art that the removal rate, and consequently the allowed motion of the one or more machining part and time taken to remove material f om a diamond work-piece that is of an arbitrary form may be calculated. It should be clear to one skilled in the art that the system and method disclosed in Example 3 can be modified to perform other machining tasks on the diamond work-piece including but not limited to the thermo-chemical equivalent to boring, carving, cutting, drilling, engraving, facing, milling, parting, planing, reaming, scribing, scoring, sculpting, shaping, tapering, tapping, threading, trimming, turning and undercutting and any combination of the said processes to form a simple or a complex shape diamond work-piece.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the examples of the system and method herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the innovation.

Expected variations or differences in the results are contemplated in accordance with the objects and practices of the present invention. It is intended, therefore, that the innovation be defined by the scope of the claims which follow and that such claims be interpreted as broadly as is reasonable. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the innovation herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the system and method. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.