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ION™ 3D shaped polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters offer improved cutter life, high thermal resistance, and increased impact resistance. Using high-performance ION cutter technology as a base, ION 3D shaped cutters are designed to excel in interbedded formations that require both shearing for ductile formation and crushing action for brittle formations. Conventional cutters lack the diversity required for challenging brittle, interbedded formations.
We’ve combined our ION 3D cutters with a highly polished surface that allows the cuttings to glide across the diamond face without sticking, minimizing friction, generating less heat, and increasing drilling efficiency. By creating subsurface cracks that propagate to the rock surface, ION 3D shaped cutters allow for thin and uncondensed cuttings, making an efficient use of energy.
ION 3D PDC cutters are specifically engineered for:
- Sandstone and other clastic formations
- Carbonates requiring a cutter shape that can fracture and shear
Applications
- Directional
- Harsh rock
- Hard rock
- Horizontal
- Low angle
- Vertical
- Unconventional
Proven Cutter Performance
In this video, NOV’s Engineering Manager of PDC Development, discusses recent findings from a new study on PDC cutters, including the causes of PDC cutter failure and the variance in impact damage between round cutters and v-shaped cutters in hard rock.

