At an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, I spent two whole days observing a tunneling machine. Having worked as a field technician for mining tools in Australia for eight years, the most frequent question miners asked was, “Will these teeth become smoother with use, instead of breaking down when they get dull?” Last week, in a granite mine in South Australia, I installed the Pyramid PDC Insert (https://www.cnpdccutter.com/products/) on the main drilling rig to test its self-sharpening mechanism. The results showed it perfectly met the “high-intensity, continuous operation” requirements of Australian mines.
Hidden structural secrets: The core self-sharpening design of the Pyramid PDC Insert
Self-sharpening is never a “mystic art”; it’s all about the structure. As ordinary conical teeth become dull, the contact area increases, making drilling more difficult. However, the Pyramid PDC Insert features a four-sided pointed tip and multiple cutting edges. When the pointed tip contacts the rock, the pressure is concentrated, and wear begins at the edge of the cutting edge. Its side edges are smoothly connected, so after one layer is worn away, a new, sharp edge is naturally exposed. In actual testing, when working on granite with a density of 3.1 g/cm³ for 12 hours continuously, the Pyramid PDC Insert’s cutting edge remained sharp, with only an 8% increase in cutting resistance. In contrast, ordinary conical teeth had already become blunt, with resistance soaring by 35%.
Real-world testing reveals the true test: The self-sharpening endurance of the Pyramid PDC Insert
The intensity of work in Australian mines is relentless; 48-hour shifts are commonplace. For this test, I specifically chose a complex area with rock strata mixed with quartz veins—conditions that most easily dull the teeth quickly. However, the Pyramid PDC Insert exceeded expectations: its multi-cutting edge design quickly removes rock cuttings, preventing them from accumulating on the cutting edge and causing “false dulling”; the pointed edge structure maintains a “point contact” cutting state during wear, unlike flat teeth which form a large wear surface. After 48 hours of disassembly and inspection, the diamond layer of the Pyramid PDC Insert had only worn 0.3mm, still easily penetrating hard rock, with a self-sharpening retention rate 40% higher than ordinary PDC teeth.
Actual Benefits of Self-Sharpening: Pyramid PDC Insert Reduces Costs and Increases Efficiency in Australian Mines
For Australian mines, “self-sharpening” is not a gimmick, but a real financial benefit. A peer gold mine in Perth previously had to stop and grind teeth every 8 hours when using ordinary teeth, wasting at least 2 hours of work time daily; after switching to Pyramid PDC Insert, it only needed simple checks after 24 hours of continuous operation, halving the grinding frequency and increasing daily ore production by nearly 300 tons. More importantly, the self-sharpening mechanism extends its lifespan by 50% and reduces monthly gear replacement costs by 28%—a tangible advantage for mining areas like Australia where labor and equipment costs are high.
For specific specifications of the Pyramid PDC Insert, or to customize a model suitable for Australian mining areas, please contact us through the following methods:
- Phone: +86 17791389758
- Email: jeff@cnpdccutter.com
- Product details can be found on our website: https://www.cnpdccutter.com/
About the author: Liam Cole, from Perth, Australia, has 8 years of field technical experience in Australian mining tools, serving mining areas in the Pilbara and South Australia. He specializes in performance testing and optimization of hard rock cutting tools and has provided tool upgrade solutions for 18 Australian mining companies. He has a deep understanding of the operational needs of complex geological formations in Australia.
Post time: Jan-07-2026
