In rotary oil and gas well drilling, wear resistance and toughness are the two most important properties in a suitable cutting element. PCD, with its ultimate hardness and high fracture toughness, make it the ideal material for such applications.
PCD is also used in mining bits in coring and non-coring applications.

D.A.C. offers two different PCD products for the drilling market: SYNDRILL and SYNDAX3.

SYNDRILL
SYNDRILL is a tungsten carbide-backed polycrystalline diamond composite material for drilling rock of soft to medium hardness. It consists of a thin layer of PCD integrally sintered at ultrahigh pressure and high temperature to a cemented tungsten carbide backing and is available in various configurations. SYNDRILL is used in bit bodies ranging from 2 to 17½ in.

SYNDAX3
SYNDAX3 is a freestanding polycrystalline diamond material with a silicon carbide matrix. SYNDAX3 is thermally stable up to 1200°C (2192°F) in a reducing atmosphere. SYNDAX3 is suitable for the drilling of medium and hard rock, including extremely hard quartzite formations. It is also used as gauge stones in PCD oil-well bits.