Cutter assembly with at least one island and a method of manufacturing a cutter assembly

Abstract

A cutter assembly and a method of making the cutter assembly are disclosed. A method of fabricating a cutting element having at least one island in at least one pocket of a substrate may comprise steps of providing the substrate with at least one pocket, and the at least one substrate is in a final state of the substrate; providing the at least one island, wherein the at least one island is in a final state of the island, wherein in the final state, chemical composition, shape, phase distribution and content, density and mechanical properties are finalized without changes; disposing the at least one island in the at least one pocket of the substrate; and securing the at least one island to at least one substrate.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of fabricating a cutting element having at least one island in at least one pocket of a substrate, comprising:
 providing the substrate with at least one pocket, and the at least one substrate is in a final state of the substrate;   providing the at least one island, wherein the at least one island is in a final state of the island, wherein in the final state, chemical composition, shape, phase distribution and content, density and mechanical properties are finalized without changes;   disposing the at least one island in the at least one pocket of the substrate; and   securing the at least one island to at least one substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is at least one of WC, polycrystalline diamond, single crystalline diamond, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, single crystalline boron nitride, cermet, ceramics, thermally stable diamond, and diamond composite. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the island is at least one of WC, polycrystalline diamond, single crystalline diamond, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, single crystalline boron nitride, cermet, ceramics, thermally stable diamond, and diamond composite. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one pocket in the substrate is formed by at least one of EDM, EDG, milling, drilling, grinding, turning, laser ablation and laser cutting. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one pocket in the substrate is formed by removal of a pre-formed displacement part in the substrate after a fabrication process. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the pre-formed displacement is made of at least one of graphite, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), salt, ceramics, minerals. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the removal includes at least one of dissolving soluble displacement materials, milling, and grinding insolvable materials. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the fabrication process includes sintering. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one pocket in the substrate is pre-formed in the substrate green body before the securing step. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the substrate green body with at least one pocket is pre-formed with at least one method of pre-compaction, die-pressing, extrusion, slurry casting. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the at least one pocket in the substrate green body is pre-formed with at least one method of milling, drilling, turning, grinding, coring. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the at least one island is formed from HPHT process with a separation barrier between islands. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the separation barrier comprises at least one of refractory metal, stainless steel, graphite, and minerals. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the at least one island is machined from a piece of pre-made island material. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the pre-made island material is made from HPHT sintering, atmospheric pressure sintering, pressurized sintering, press sintering, CVD, and PVD. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the machining methods include one of wire EDM, EDG, sawing, coring, slicing, drilling, turning, grinding, milling, and laser cutting. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a pre-formed substrate with the at least one pocket and the at least one island are assembled via brazing, welding or soldering. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the pre-formed substrate with the at least one pocket or at least one island is coated. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein coating comprises at least one of tungsten, silicon, titanium, silver, copper, chromium, tantalum, vanadium, niobium, zirconium, molybdenum, iron, nickel, and cobalt. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the brazing, welding, soldering agent contains at least one of gold, silver, copper, zinc, tin, silicon, titanium, chromium, vanadium, nickel, cobalt, iron, platinum, palladium, and tungsten. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the brazing, welding, soldering temperature is in the range of 500° C. to 1500° C. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the brazing, welding, soldering is at least one of radiation heating, microwave heating, torch heating, laser heating, electrical arc heating, infrared heating, induction heating, electrical resistance heating, conduction heating, ultrasonic heating, convection heating. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the brazing, welding, soldering atmospheric condition includes inert gas, reforming gas, reducing atmosphere, ambient atmosphere, oxidizing atmosphere, high-pressure atmosphere, or vacuum atmosphere. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein the pre-formed substrate with the at least one pocket and the at least one island are assembled via press fitting. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein coating is on an intermediate layer between the substrate and the island. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the pre-formed substrate with the at least one pocket and the at least one island are assembled via a mechanical locking. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the mechanical locking is realized via geometric designs on the substrate and the island like trenches, steps, slopes, or curves. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 26 , wherein the mechanical locking is at least one of a pin, a screw, or a cap.