Annual Report

2015

Wetenschappelijk & Technisch Onderzoeks- Centrum voor Diamant

WTOCD Plaslaar 50, B-2500 LIER

Tel: (03) 488 06 09

Fax: (03) 488 30 18

www.wtocd.be

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WTOCD (Scientific and Technical Research centre for Diamond) is at the service of

the diamond sector since 1977. WTOCD was founded under the law De Grootte of 1947 describing the conditions for the establishment and operation of centres charged with the promotion and coordination of the technical progress of the different branches of the country's business community through scientific research. The mission statement of the research centre is outlined in the statutes of the centre:

“The scientific and technological research to enhance the tools, machines, equipment and

processing methods, the automation, the evaluation methods and the expansion of the

application possibilities of diamond”. The research topics therefore include all aspects of

planning, processing and grading.

The management organization of the research centre contains representatives of the di-amond sector and scientific personalities appointed by IWT (Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie). The scientific and technological research topics span the entire chain from rough to pol-ished, including measurement, evaluation and processing. Recent examples of develop-ments by WTOCD are D-Screen & M-Screen (screening for potential synthetic and HPHT-colour enhanced diamond), AvalonPlus (in-process measurement of zoetheid and geome-try of facets), EOSFancy (automatic bruting of fancy shapes), Reflex (ultra-accurate measurement of polished diamond), Morgana (fast and accurate alignment of polishing tools) and Grain Independent Polishing (fast, safe and grain independent polishing tech-nique).

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CCoonntteennttss 1 Management Organization of WTOCD ......................................................... 5

1.1 Members of the Algemene Raad (31/12/15) .............................................................. 5

1.2 Members of the Bestendig Comité ............................................................................. 6

1.3 Director of WTOCD ................................................................................................... 6

1.4 Commissioners ........................................................................................................... 6

2 Research and service ............................................................................................ 7

2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 7

2.2 Research projects ........................................................................................................ 9 2.2.1 Grain independent polishing ......................................................................................... 9 2.2.2 M-Screen ..................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.3 Lumisense ................................................................................................................... 13 2.2.4 EOSFancy ................................................................................................................... 14 2.2.5 Morgana ...................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.6 Polishing Tools ........................................................................................................... 17

2.3 Service-activiteiten (TAD) ....................................................................................... 19 2.3.1 Advice ......................................................................................................................... 19 2.3.2 Website ........................................................................................................................ 20

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1 Management Organization of WTOCD

1.1 Members of the Algemene Raad (31/12/15)

1.1.1 Fifteen members appointed by SBD

On behalf of "Syndicaat der Belgische Diamantnijverheid bv”:

Mr. P. VAN DER STEEN (President) E. DENCKENS W. OLLECH J. VAN EYCK B. DE HANTSETTERS A. VERHAERE S. FISCHLER (until 01/07/15) D. OSTE (from 02/07/15)

On behalf of "Vereniging van Kempische Diamantwerkgevers vzw": Mr. W. RUYTHOOREN

On behalf of "Antwerpsche Diamantkring cvba":

Mr. M. APSEL (until 01/07/15) Mr. E. VLEESCHDRAGER (from 02/07/15)

On behalf of "Beurs voor Diamanthandel cvba":

Mr. K. BAKHAI (until 02/12/15) Mr. M. VETS (from 03/12/15)

On behalf of "Diamantclub van Antwerpen cvba":

Mr. K. SMETS

On behalf of "Vrije Diamanthandel nv": Mr. J. DRYBOOMS

On behalf of "Belgische Vereniging van Handelaars, In- en Uitvoerders van

Geslepen Diamant bv": Mr. H. KEESJE (from 02/07/15)

On behalf of "Groepering der Industriediamantfirma's in België bv":

Mr. Ch. CYTO

On behalf of "Vereniging van Handelaars in Ruwe Diamant bv": Mr. R. STEIGRAD

1.1.2 One member manufacturer appointed by VKD

Mr. CHR. VAN EYNDT

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1.1.3 One member appointed by VEV (Vice-President)

Mr. P. MACKEN (from 08/10/15)

1.1.4 Two members appointed by ABVV Textiel, Kleding en Diamant

Mr. P. DE BACKER E. VERPLANCKEN

1.1.5 Two members appointed by ACV-Transcom

Mrs. M. DILLEN Mr. T. SIEMONS (until 02/12/15) Y. TOUTENEL (from 03/12/15)

1.1.6 Six members with exceptional knowledge in the field of scientific and

technological research

Three members appointed by Syndicaat der Belgische Diamantnijverheid: Mr. Prof. P. CLAUWS

Prof. G. VAN TENDELOO Prof. D. POELMAN

Three members appointed by IWT:

Mr. Prof. D. SCHOEMAKER Prof. J. VAN LANDUYT

Prof. L. VAN MEERVELT

1.2 Members of the Bestendig Comité

President: Mr. P. VAN DER STEEN Vice-President: Mr. P. MACKEN (from 08/10/15)

Mr. W. OLLECH W. RUYTHOOREN B. DE HANTSETTERS Prof. D. POELMAN

Mr. P. DE BACKER

1.3 Director of WTOCD

Mr. Y. KERREMANS

1.4 Commissioners

Mr. L. CORNELISSENS W. HENNEUSE

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From rough to polished

Development trajectory from lab version to commercial product

2 Research and service

2.1 Introduction

The activities of WTOCD can be divided in research and service. The service activities are an efficient means to offer solutions for questions coming directly from diamond compa-nies, but they also allow tuning of the research topics of WTOCD to the specific needs of the sector.

Within the framework of the research activities in 2015, following research topics can be identified:

screening (M-Screen), processing (Grain Independent Polishing, EOS Fancy and Polishing Tools); measuring and evaluation (Lumisense and Morgana);

In 2015 three projects were given priority: M-Screen, Grain Independent Polishing and Lumisense.

To optimize the transition from a lab version to a commercial product WTOCD uses so-called pre-prototypes. Those devices are already tuned to usage in a production environ-ment but do not yet contain all functionalities. The pre-prototypes are tested in the field and fine-tuned in close collaboration with a limited user group. The development trajec-tory from lab version to commercial product is shortened considerably by this early fine tuning to practical use in the diamond sector.

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In this annual report the research and service activities in 2015 are described. More in-formation can be found on www.wtocd.be.

The service activities (TAD) of the research centre are delivered in the form of an advice service, a patent service and the website. In 2015 WTOCD also supported the different departments of HRD Antwerp (Equipment, Diamond Lab and Research).

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2.2 Research projects

2.2.1 Grain independent polishing

Target Group Gem diamond industry and other industrial applications of diamond

Description In the classical polishing process, crystal orientation of the diamond determines the re-moval rate. Therefore, it is necessary to find the appropriate polishing direction, which requires special skills of the polisher. The classical polishing process also imposes tech-nical restrictions because of the substantial rise in temperature in the polishing zone.

The ultimate goal of the project Grain Independent Polishing (GIP) of Diamond is the de-velopment of industrial GIP-based polishing machines to rough and finish diamond auto-matically with the emphasis on a high removal rate and process safety because of a low processing temperature. In a first phase WOSCAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) will use the combination of the measurement of the rough diamond and the optimized model from a rough planning de-vice. With that information all necessary processing steps will be executed and controlled automatically.

Activities in 2015

In 2015 the development process of a fully automated WOSCAM pre-prototype was fin-ished and the production phase was initiated. The focus was put on the optimization of the different parts and on the production process according the experiences and wishes of the steering group.

Index head in production. Testing of the index head on deflection.

The production of the polishing device takes place in collaboration with Coborn Engineer-ing who supports WTOCD with their years of experience in the field of diamond polishing machines. At the end of 2015 WTOCD started with the first tests on the parts produced by Coborn for WOSCAM.

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Computer presentation of WOSCAM.

Also in 2015 the transfer of planning information from a commercial rough planner was developed. To that aim WTOCD developed a setting station that measures the glued stone, takes over the planning of the rough planner and refers to the physical diamond. In the future, one setting station will serve several automatic polishing machines.

Setting station to transfer from the rough planner to WOSCAM.

Moreover, in 2015 several GIP-operations on big, difficult-to-process carbonado’s and in-dustrial diamonds yielded very interesting results. Diamonds of more than 300 ct were processed with high removal rates and finished to the desired position of all facets.

In 2014 WTOCD granted Coborn Engineering Ltd. a license to use its grain independent polishing technology in a new polishing machine for industrial ultra-hard, diamond relat-ed materials. The results achieved in 2015 are important input for the development of that polishing machine for industrial applications.

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2.2.2 M-Screen

Target Group Gem diamond trade Description For the detection of synthetic and/or coloured enhanced diamond one relies on a certifi-cation lab that has the necessary specialist knowledge and equipment. Screening equip-ment allows in specific cases to distinguish quickly between natural, untreated diamond on the one hand and potentially synthetic and/or HPHT colour enhanced diamond on the other. The commercially available screening device are to be operated manually, were designed for diamonds starting from 10-20 points or are too slow to screen large parcels of diamond in an acceptable time. That makes them in practice not suitable for screening batches of small stones. Therefore, WTOCD was contracted at the end of 2013 to develop a fast, compact and fully automatic melee screener.

To that aim various aspects had to be addressed: feeding, detection of non-diamond, screening for potential synthetic and HPHT colour enhanced diamonds, separation and general conditioning of the working environment. For the aspect of the screening for po-tential synthetic and HPHT colour enhanced diamonds WTOCD could rely on its extensive expertise acquired during the development of D-Screen. WTOCD developed that manual screener for diamonds from 0.20 to 10 ct already in 2004, and the unit is still in-dispensable in manual screening. Screening identifies all diamonds exhibiting a specific characteristic, in the case of M-Screen the lack of a measurable quantity of nitrogen. Because all synthetic diamonds within a colour range possess that property, the screening is useful for that color range. Because there are also natural diamonds that feature that characteristic, screening will select more diamonds than only the synthetic ones, hence the wording 'potential synthet-ic’. To obtain a conclusive answer whether a diamond is actually synthetic, potentially synthetic stones are referred to more time intensive techniques. Melee screening reduces a large batch of diamonds to a much smaller parcel for which time intensive manual techniques are acceptable.

Functional scheme of M-Screen.

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Activities in 2015 The development of a working set-up of M-Screen spanned the period of January 2014 to March 2015. During the first quarter intensive in-house tests were performed and starting from April 2015 demos were organised in the Antwerp Diamond Tender Facility. Those demos proved that the device met the expectations: a compact set-up that can screen melee diamond starting from 1 point automatically and with a speed of at least 2 dia-monds per second.

Pre-prototype of M-Screen. Also for M-Screen the development process made use of pre-prototypes. During the last quarter of 2015 WTOCD produced four devices of which one was selected for the screen-ing service by HRD Antwerp. A second device is used by the Equipment department of HRD Antwerp for demonstration purposes in the framework of the commercialization of M-Screen. During the last quarter of 2015 Equipment was supported intensively with its start-up of the production and with the promotional presentation at the Hong Kong show of September. Finally, the optimization of the pre-prototypes was started based on the information from the demonstrations and the feedback of the users.

Example of a screening result with M-Screen: a parcel of 2806 1-pointers is in 861s (3,3 stones/s) automat-ically divided in 2714 ‘passes’ (diamonds that are certainly natural and not HPHT colour enhanced) and 92 ‘re-fers’ (diamonds that need further investigation). Synthetic and/or HPHT colour enhanced diamonds in the par-

cel will end up in the Refer bin. Simulants (non-diamonds such as CZ) will be put in the Sim bin.

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2.2.3 Lumisense

Target Group Gem diamond trade Description

Lumisense was developed for HRD Antwerp to automate the colour grading process of polished diamond. The classical method for colour grading is based on visual observation. By using state-of-the-art technologies, Lumisense produces an extremely high correlation with human col-our grading, avoiding the inherent restrictions of the human method. Lumisense is not restricted by fluorescence nor by the type of diamond and it can reveal the slightest changes in hues of colour. Precision and stability are key aspects of the de-vice optimized for laboratory use. Lumisence is functional in the HRD Diamond Lab since 2007. Activities in 2015 In 2015 the measuring software of Lumisense was adapted to the optimized method for other cuts than brilliant. The user-friendliness of Lumisense was strongly enhanced by the addition of a compre-hensive overview matrix, a simplified replacement procedure for the measurement cell and the switch to an interchangeable accompanying PC.

Blue Flame and Love100 in Lumisense.

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2.2.4 EOSFancy

Target Group Gem diamond industry History In 2004 WTOCD developed the EOS bruting machine for bruting round diamonds. The EOS machine operates according to a cutting princi-ple developed by WTOCD, wherein the pro-cessing is achieved in a constant optimal con-dition without the use of electrolysis and its drawbacks. By careful selection of the grinding disc characteristics, machine parameters and bruting characteristics all types of diamond can be finished with high quality at fast removal rates. The disk stays sharp and flat throughout its lifetime without any need for out of process dressing. This condition is inherent in the set -up and is therefore guaranteed by the applica-tion. The EOS bruting machine provides high quali-ty: the achieved roundness is unmatched, the bruted girdle has a satin sheen, the occurrence of beard definitely belongs to the past and the risk of damages as a result of bruting are high-ly reduced. Description At the end of 2010, partly at the request of the Antwerp dia-mond sector, started the extension of EOS to bruting of fancy shapes. To brute the round shape of a brilliant cut, there is only need for a feed motion, perpendicular to the reciprocal movement of the disk and independent of the rotational posi-tion of the diamond. By making a coupling between said ro-tation angle of the diamond and the feed motion of the disk other contours than circles can be described. This addition makes it possible to brute fancy shapes automatically and without mechanical centering. The design of the EOS bruiting machine in 2004, already took into account this coupling. Consequently, the mechanical adjustments needed for the bruting of fancy shapes with EOS, were rather limited. The focus of this project lies therefore on the adjustment of the process control and the development of the software and re-lated algorithms for cutting fancy shapes.

The EOS-bruting machine (top)

and the satin girdle (bottom).

Fancy shapes bruted

with EOSFancy.

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Activiteiten in 2015 Initially, EOSFancy was fitted with a link to the Helium roughscanner of Octonus. In 2013, a transfer function was developed from the Sarine Advisor planning software to EOSFancy software, and in the last quarter of 2014 contacts were made with OGI Sys-tems Ltd to develop a similar transfer function from the OGI planning software. Beginning 2015, the export function was developed for the OGI scanner. In collaboration with OGI Systems Belgium tests were carried out in an Antwerp company that uses both technolo-gies. The result of these tests was favorable, and resulted in the launch of the export function beginning of May. In the second and third quarter of 2015 work was conducted on an update of the EOSFancy software. The contents of this update was defined in consultation with HRD Equipment and is based on customer feedback. In addition to some bug fixes, several new features were added to the EOSFancy software. An export of a generic form was de-veloped to meet the demand of many customers to export custom models and models from measured stones from their scanner to EOSFancy. Another important new function makes it possible to better follow-up the operation in an intermediate stage. On the basis of a plunjer measurement, the bruted girdle (girdle mantle) is calculated and drawn on top of the live video image of the diamond. The operator can now compare the drawn girdle with the bruted girdle and make a correction if necessary. Other new features include among others a restart function, a finish mode and several GUI enhancements. The beta version of this update was put in test in Antwerp and in Indian companies start-ing from the third quarter of 2015. The final release of the update is planned for the first quarter of 2016.

The calculated girdle on top of the live video image (left) and the virtual 3D-

representation of the bruted rough and the optimized model (right).

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2.2.5 Morgana

Target Group Gem diamond industry Description Traditionally a level is used to align tang plates to the scaife. Polishing tangs are also equipped with a level to monitor the position of the grain axis. This working method is not only cumbersome but also inaccurate leading to a waste of precious time. WTOCD developed the Morgana product group that offers a series of tools to the polisher. Four applications can be identified:

the alignment of tang plates relative to the polishing scaife; the monitoring of the grain axis during the polishing process; the alignment of a facet on the polishing scaife; the checking of the setting of the stone in the tang.

In order to assist the users of this new alignment technology, the Morgana software con-tains an extensive and clear on-screen manual. Activities in 2015 During 2014 WTOCD developed a setting station as add-on for Morgana. The setting sta-tion takes into account the material that still has to be removed. The pre-prototype was put in test at several diamond processing companies in Antwerp. The evaluation turned out to be positive and in 2015 the setting station was implemented in the software and three devices were delivered to diamond processing companies. At the request of users, the application range of Morgana was extended with two new functions:

the polishing of plan-parallel plates; the inclination of a facet over an angle relative to a temporary reference.

Morgana The setting station as add-on on Morgana

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2.2.6 Polishing Tools

Target Group Gem diamond industry Description The requirements for the polishing process of gem diamonds increases continuously. To meet the required accuracies, the polishers need optimized tools for the polishing process as well as to evaluate and follow up the polishing results. In order to achieve the required accuracy, the workshops have to be equipped with optimally aligned tools. WTOCD researches two topics to reach an optimal situation in a production environment:

a tang plate with improved alignment options and limited wear;

scaifes with improved flatness for material removal and for “zoeten”.

Activities in 2015 - Tang plates CAMLANN

In 2015, the focus was on the development of an industry-ready product. Based on the evaluation of the results of long-term industrial testing in different Antwerp companies, several corrections were made to the construction and the dimensions of the tang plates. Following a positive assessment of the industry WTOCD has carried out extensive re-search to locate potential suppliers of the necessary components and interesting price levels in greater numbers. The proposed product and the corresponding price are posi-tively assessed by the users and has resulted in the production of the first set of proto-types; their delivery took place in July 2015. From the monitoring of the use of those prototypes in the production environment, it was found that the polishers need more freedom of movement for the feet of the tangs when processing larger stones. It was de-cided to develop - in addition to the standard CAMLANN tang plate - a larger XL version which is also useful for American type tangs.

CAMLANN (left) and CAMLANN XL (right).

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Activities in 2015 - Scaifes As a result of the reconditioning process diamond grinding scaifs run conical towards the center, complicating the polishing process. WTOCD has developed and tested an alterna-tive processing method for the scaifs. In the course of 2015 prolonged and extensive testing took place in collaboration with the industry. The achieved high flatness of the scaifs was evaluated very positive. The inclusion of the abrasive medium (eg. zoetpasta) requires further optimization due to the closed structure of the processed discs. Until the end of 2015 WTOCD analyzed several options to correct the problem. In the course of 2016 industry testing of adjusted discs will take place.

Comparison of the flatness of a scaif before (blue) and after (red) optimization.

[mm]

[mm]

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2.3 Service-activiteiten (TAD)

2.3.1 Advice

Description Through its TAD service WTOCD not only advises the diamond industry on technological issues, but also on diamond related intellectual property. This helps diamond companies applying for and obtaining patents, trademarks and design patents, and advises in cases of possible infringement of intellectual property rights. Activities in 2015 In 2015 approximately 1 FTE was spent on the TAD-activity. Questions from the sector were answered in the form of technological and patent related advices.

An important aspect of the TAD activity is the introduction and support of new technolo-gies. In 2015 most of the TAD time was spent on M-Screen.

More information http://www.wtocd.be/en/TAD/tad-main.html

Introduction of M-Screen at the Hong Kong show of September 2015

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2.3.2 Website

Description

The website of WTOCD informs on current research projects and the results of previous projects that led to ready-to-use solutions or services. Some projects are extensively documented, others have a non-disclosure status and are only described by an identity kit. Activities in 2015 In 2015 work was conducted on a new website that will be tested and finished in 2016. The visitor activity can be grouped according to two periods: the period before and the one after July 2015. In the first half of 2015, an increase of 5 % compared to 2014 was recorded. Due to an attempt of hacking the website in July 2015, the website was offline for a while. After a number of adaptations and an increased security, the website was put back online by mid-August. This break is partly responsible for the decline in the number of visitors in the second half of 2015 by 25 % compared to the same period in 2014. On an annual basis a slight decrease of 7% is recorded. It is expected that this will recover in 2016 after the launch of the new website. The most consulted topics still remain Hearts&Arrows, D-Screen and Lumisense.

www.wtocd.be – Monthly number of visitors

www.wtocd.be - Geographical distribution of visitors

Research and Innovation

in all its facets

www.wtocd.be