Oil & gas drilling

Oil & gas drilling

Element Six has the full portfolio of materials that can deliver the drilling performance the industry demands.

Element Six has a full portfolio of materials that deliver the drilling performance demanded by the oil & gas industry. Element Six solutions reduce drilling time and minimise costly down-time by offering faster and longer drilling.

We work in partnership with leading industry players to constantly innovate to develop customised products that evolve with the changing requirements of the energy industry. Our range of oil and gas drilling materials include polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters, synthetic diamond grit impreg drill bits and carbide inserts.

Polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter solutions
Element Six designs and manufactures a range of standard and customised polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutters for use in oil and gas drill bits in hard-rock applications. The comprehensive range of standard and special products offers the widest possible range of drilling solutions to meet the challenging requirements of oil and gas production and exploration.

Polycrystalline diamond cutters - also known as polycrystalline diamond compacts (PDC) - are a polycrystalline diamond top layer sintered to a tungsten carbide substrate using a high-pressure, high-temperature process. This layer combination allows a consistently high drilling performance to be maintained. The polycrystalline diamond layer offers controlled wear and the retention of a sharp cutting edge, while the tungsten carbide substrate provides a strong and tough support for the polycrystalline diamond layer while facilitating attachment to the drill bit body. The chamfer details on both the polycrystalline diamond table and the tungsten carbide layers can be manufactured to customer requirements. We use the latest advances in materials technology coupled with optimised engineering design to achieve superior drilling performance across a broad range of environments. Learn more about polycrystalline diamond (PCD).

Synthetic diamond grit segment solutions
When rock formations get too hard for effective drilling with PDC cutters, Element Six offers synthetic diamond-impregnated drill bits which utilise synthetic diamond grit segments as their cutting surface to wear away the rock. We offer a comprehensive range of synthetic diamond by size and strength, and we also have coating and encapsulation technologies which can further enhance cutting performance.Learn more about synthetic diamond grits and powders.

Carbide insert solutions
The choice of drilling method and equipment, together with the condition of the rock formation, tends to dictate whether a relatively low-wear resistant tungsten carbide insert with very high toughness fracture properties, or a very wear resistant but lower fracture toughness tungsten carbide insert is required. Element Six has specialised in the development of rock cutting inserts since the 1950s, and through the development of specific grades and designs, we have helped the drilling industry to consistently extend performance and productivity levels. Learn more about tungsten carbide products.