Utah Business - Rob Galloway Succeeding from the ground upDeseret News - US synthetic founder’s hobby is to fight povertyDaily Herald - Louis Pope honored for InnovationUS Synthetic Unveils Award-Winning Bearing TechnologyUSS Wiredie will be attending the interwire trade exposition 2009Brady Mining will be attending the Longwall USA Exhibition & Conference 2009Brady Mining will be attending the Bluefield Coal Show 2009Brady Mining will be attending MinExpo International 2009US Synthetic Bearings will be attending ATCE 2009US Synthetic Bearings will be attending OTC 2009US Synthetic Bearings will be attending WOM 2009DiamondsNewsEmployment ApplicationNone at this timeCurrent PositionsCulture & BenefitsEmployment OverviewRob Galloway QuoteLouis Pope QuoteLending a Helping HandCorporate BrochureUS Synthetic MissionCompany HistoryWhy US Synthetic?US Synthetic Privacy PolicyWireDieMining BitsSidebar - Contact PageContact PageTechnical PapersProduct Testing & EvaluationPDC Drilling ApplicationsTechnologyOverviewDiamond BearingsOther ApplicationsDiamond Hammer Bit InsertsDiamond Rock Bit InsertsDiamond Fixed Cutter Bit InsertsOverviewRock bitsHammer BitsFixed CuttersCutting–Edge PerformanceSidebarWhat We DoWho We AreUS Synthetic Names Rob Galloway as Chief Operating OfficerUS Synthetic Signs Exclusive License Agreement with Los Alamos National LaboratoryUS Synthetic Signs Exclusive License Agreement with Mitsubishi Material

To apply for a position at US Synthetic, please complete form below.

US Synthetic is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunity for all people. Employment is based on qualification and ability. The following is a list of current employment opportunities at US Synthetic. If you find a position that interests you, please click here to apply online.

US Synthetic is dedicated to serving its employees and their families. It is a company with a unique culture dedicated to developing employees both personally and professionally. Employees enjoy working with one another, and often socialize and recreate together, making it one of the best companies to work for anywhere. This culture has been a critical factor in our success.

US Synthetic provides a very competitive benefits package for all eligible employees including paid medical and dental insurance, life and long term disability insurance, and a retirement savings plan (including IRA and 401(k) options) with company matching. In addition US Synthetic has established an educational assistance program to help employees develop their skills and upgrade their job performance. US Synthetic also awards a profit sharing bonus based on financial results.

US Synthetic is a family-oriented business with a unique company culture that values and encourages honesty, unity, respect, hard work, friendship, and an entrepreneurial spirit. We recognize the right of every employee to be properly trained, have access to the right equipment, tools, and materials, and work in a safe environment. This positive culture and our commitment to the well being of our employees makes US Synthetic an extraordinarily fun and rewarding place to work.

For information about specific career opportunities with US Synthetic, view our list of current positions.

Download Corporate Brochure

» Corporate Brochure, Low Resolution (1.2 MB PDF)

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At US Synthetic, we are committed to our customers’ success. We enable this success by making clearly superior diamond products and by demonstrating excellence in:

• Customized engineering
• Technology
• Delivery
• Quality
• Customer service

US Synthetic Values

US Synthetic is a family-oriented company with a unique culture that fosters innovation, service, and quality. The following are the top values that guide our employees:

• Service
• Respect for every person in the organization
• Employee development, both personal and professional
• Trustworthiness
• Unity
• Effectiveness
• Openness and honesty
• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Innovation

The US Synthetic story started in 1978, when Louis Pope founded a small diamond grit manufacturing company. Over the years, Louis and his team of synthetic diamond experts expanded and evolved the business—by developing innovative proprietary cubic press technology for high-pressure, high-temperature diamond synthesis and manufacturing polycrystalline diamond cutters (PDCs) for the oil and gas exploration industry.

Throughout the 1990’s, an unwavering commitment to innovation, quality, and personalized customer service fueled US Synthetic’s rapid growth and success. In 1993, US Synthetic became the first PDC manufacturer to become ISO 9000 certified. The company introduced many of the decade’s most significant innovations and advances in the use of diamond for oil and gas drilling. And by 1997, US Synthetic had become the industry’s leading supplier of diamond products.

Today, US Synthetic is actively expanding this leadership position by developing innovative new diamond solutions and exploring new uses for diamond both inside and outside the oil and gas drilling industry. This includes finding new uses for diamond inserts in downhole drilling equipment and exploring innovative new gem enhancement technology.

US Synthetic was recently acquired by Dover Corporation, joining the Energy Products Group within Dover Resources.

US Synthetic offers an absolute commitment to quality and innovation—combined with a personal "do whatever it takes" approach to customer service—that sets us apart from the competition and makes us your best choice for all kinds of diamond solutions.

Constant innovation

• Advanced, state-of-the-art research, development, and testing facilities
• Experienced engineers and scientists with decades of collective experience
• Continuous field testing to understand and solve the biggest problems field engineers deal with every day

Personalized service

• Close, personalized relationships with every customer
• Diamond solutions that are customized and tailored to meet specific drilling requirements
• Knowledgeable, friendly people who are trained and capable of dealing with any situation
• An absolute commitment to on-time delivery every time an order is placed

Outstanding quality

• ISO 9000 certification
• Extensive quality controls that qualify US Synthetic to ship directly to customers’ manufacturing floors for immediate use without further inspection
• Rigorous product development testing that includes impact, abrasion, heavy wear, and downhole field testing

US Synthetic Corporation is committed to protecting any personal information that you may provide to us. In particular, we believe it is important for you to know how we treat information about you that we may receive from this Web site.

Information Collected

In general, you can visit this web site without telling us who you are or revealing any information about yourself. Our web servers collect the domain names, not the e-mail addresses, of visitors. Our web servers also seek (as many web sites do) to place a "cookie" (a small data file) on your computer's hard drive which allows the server to determine the computer when it visits again, in order to track statistical information about navigation to and throughout certain areas of our site. This cookie is not used to obtain your name or any personal data, and the information that is tracked is used only for internal purposes, such as to improve site navigation, and is not shared with anyone other than US Synthetic. However, if you prefer not to accept cookies, you can set your browser to reject them or to alert you before one is placed.

In addition, there are portions of this web site where we may need to collect personal information from you for a specific purpose, such as to provide you with certain information you request. The information collected from you may include your name, address, telephone, fax number, or e-mail address. We may also ask about your intended use of our products to more quickly make a recommendation, or otherwise serve you well.

Use of Collected Information

Domain name information that we collect is not used to personally identify you and instead is aggregated to measure the number of visits, average time spent on the site, pages viewed, etc. We use this information to measure the use of our site and to improve the content of our site.

When other information is collected from you, such as your name and e-mail address, we generally let you know at the time of collection how we will use the personal information. Usually, we use the personal information you provide only to respond to your inquiry or to process your request (such as to receive information about US Synthetic).

We do not share, sell, or lease personal information about you to any third-parties for their marketing use. We will release information about you if you direct us to do so, if we are required by law to do so, or in other legally limited circumstances (for example, to protect your account from fraud).

Links to Other Sites

The US Synthetic web site may contain links to other sites. While we try to link only to sites that share our high standards and respect for privacy, we are not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices employed by other sites.

Security of Collected Information

We maintain strict physical, electronic, and administrative safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized or inappropriate access. We restrict access to information about you to those US Synthetic workers who need to know the information to respond to your inquiry or request. Workers who misuse personal information are subject to disciplinary action.

Access to Collected Information

You may review and update the information that you provide to us through this web site by contacting us as described below.

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please use the Contact Us page. We welcome your questions and suggestions about our privacy policy.

Changes to this Policy

Please check this privacy policy periodically to inform yourself of any changes. Although we reserve the right to modify or supplement this privacy policy, we will provide notice to you on this web site of any major changes for at least 30 days following the change.

Download US Synthetic Technical Papers

Click to download detailed technical papers on PDC drilling.

Laboratory drill rig for PDC bearing and cutter development (2009)
» Download

The Role of Diamond Surface and Intrinsic Contaminants on Sintering of Polycrystalline Diamond Compacts (PDC) by M. Vail (2003).
» Download

Effects of Design and Processing Parameters on Performance of PDC Drag Cutters for Hard-Rock Drilling by J.L. Wise, D.W. Raymond, C.H. Cooley, and K. Bertagnolli (2002).
» Download

Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) Design Methodology Utilizing Strain Energy Capacity by K.E. Bertagnolli and C.H. Cooley (2001).
» Download

Understanding and Controlling Residual Stresses in Thick Polycrystalline Diamond Cutters for Enhanced Durability by K.E. Bertagnolli and R. Vale (2000).
» Download

Seven Steps to Reducing Failure and Cycle Time by Jason Wiggins
» Download

At US Synthetic, we subject our cutters to rigorous testing to ensure they meet the highest quality standards. This includes extensive impact, abrasion, and heavy wear tests in our testing facilities, as well as extensive downhole testing in the field. As a result, US Synthetic PDCs have gained a reputation, built and maintained over many years, for superior quality, durability, and performance.

Laboratory Testing

Laboratory tests help our product development staff transform several good ideas into one concrete solution, which we can then recommend to a customer. Comparing these new solutions to cutters already running successfully in the field minimizes the risk of downhole failure during field testing.

Impact testing

The drop impact test evaluates the impact strength of our cutters. This test emulates the type of loading that might be encountered when the bit transitions from one formation to another or experiences lateral and axial vibrations.

Abrasion testing

Accurately testing resistance to abrasion is an important step in the development process of every new product. Our abrasion test involves cutting granite and comparing the amount of diamond wear to the amount of granite cut. Typically, several million times more granite than diamond wears away in such a test. Information from this test allows us to tailor the abrasion resistance characteristics of our cutters to the needs of specific applications.

Heavy wear testing

This long-term durability test is conducted on a vertical turret lathe and combines elements of both abrasion and impact testing. As the cutter cuts through miles of rock, we monitor temperature and cutting forces. This allows us to evaluate cutter aggressiveness, efficiency, and thermal stability.

Downhole field testing

Ultimately, we believe the field is the most important test, and we gear our lab tests to pass only the best cutters to the field testing stage of product development.

PDCs were first introduced decades ago as a replacement for natural diamonds. These early cutters lacked toughness, were generally limited to the softest drilling applications, and required very specialized bit designs and carefully controlled drilling parameters. Over the years, aggressive innovation and improvements to the process have steadily increased the durability, impact resistance and abrasion resistance of PDCs.

Today’s PDCs are effective in shale, limestone, and sandstone formations. Over time, the PDC-drillable zone will continue to grow and expand (see figure). For example, US Synthetic frequently cuts crystalline rocks for extended periods in a laboratory environment—and is working hard to extend these capabilities to an operating environment.

Today, PDC enhanced bits provide the fastest, most durable and most cost-effective drilling.

High-Pressure High-Temperature Technology

Diamond sintering requires the application of extreme heat and pressure. Typically, diamond is sintered at a temperature of around 1400°C (2550°F). At room pressure, these extreme temperatures would cause the diamond to revert to graphite. Maintaining extremely high pressure during the sintering process allows the diamond to remain in its natural form (see figure). This typically requires pressures of around 60 kbar (nearly 1,000,000 psi)—the equivalent of a 240 km (160 mile) high column of granite.

To achieve these extremely high temperatures and pressures simultaneously, US Synthetic uses proprietary cubic press technology. The cubic press consists of six large pistons, each of which is capable of supplying several thousand tons of force. Each piston pushes on a small tungsten carbide anvil, which in turn compresses a cubic pressure cell that contains the raw materials (carbide and diamond crystals). As soon as the cubic press reaches the desired pressure, electric current flows through a resistance heater embedded in the pressure cell to generate the required high temperatures. These conditions are maintained long enough to ensure complete diamond-to-diamond bonding of the individual crystals.

Research and Development at US Synthetic

A dedicated group of experienced scientists, engineers, and technicians drives US Synthetic's efforts to perfect and enhance our existing diamond solutions—and develop innovative new technology and designs for the future.

Three accomplished scientists with more than 50 years of combined diamond research experience lead our research and development efforts. A separate team of application engineers works directly with our customers to develop custom diamond solutions that make the best possible use of the latest technology. These engineers have years of experience with PDC design, and many have prior experience with bit companies. A staff of experienced technicians constantly evaluates and tests new products in the laboratory, so we know what to expect when we take our products into the field.

All of these experienced professionals work in state-of-the-art research and testing facilities. This includes a full metallurgical lab, an advanced computer-aided design center, and a sophisticated testing lab. These facilities allow our scientists and engineers to:

• Create and optimize new cutter designs using the latest solid modeling software.
• Model and analyze the thermal and mechanical performance of PDC cutters under simulated drilling conditions using finite element analysis tools.
• Quickly build prototype cutters in a dedicated R&D environment.
• Evaluate cutters using scanning acoustic microscopy (C-SAM), optical and scanning electron microscopy, and metallurgical analysis.
• Monitor and improve cutter performance with abrasion, impact resistance, and vertical turret lathe (VTL) testing.



At US Synthetic, all of these advanced research, development, and testing capabilities come together to produce the most advanced, innovative, and effective PDCs in the world.



US Synthetic uses diamond to solve important problems today, but we also realize that we’ve only begun to explore the possibilities. Synthetic diamond has many unique properties that make it ideal for a wide range of uses both inside and outside the oil and gas exploration industry, and we are continually exploring new possibilities and opportunities. If you have ideas or suggestions for using diamond in new ways, please contact US Synthetic business development. We welcome the opportunity to put synthetic diamond to work for your business.

The Unique Properties of Diamonds

• Hardest known material
• Highest thermal conductivity
• Highest wear resistance
• Excellent electrical insulator
• Extremely low thermal expansion
• Low coefficient of friction
• High sonic velocity
• Optically transparent
• Wide band-gap semiconductor
• Chemically inert
• Biologically compatible


Traditionally, diamond hammer bits have not been widely used for oil exploration, but they are very effective in certain hard rock situations, and they are increasing in popularity. Since 1995, US Synthetic has been enhancing hammer bits with diamond inserts that make them more durable, effective, and capable of withstanding the punishment of hammer drilling in the most demanding hard rock conditions. Our hammer bit inserts range in size from 13mm to 25mm in diameter and 19mm to 35mm in length, and we can design and manufacture hammer bit products with different diameters, lengths, shapes, and chamfers to meet your unique specifications.



Using diamond inserts in traditional rock bits can boost performance, increase durability, and dramatically improve drilling economics. Diamond-enhanced rock bits also make it possible to drill formations that are too difficult for traditional tungsten carbide inserts. Since 1994, US Synthetic has been designing and manufacturing some of the most technically advanced and innovative diamond rock bit products in the industry.

This includes using diamond inserts in many different strategic bit locations, from inner row use to gauge protection on the cones or bit body. We can design and manufacture bit inserts that meet virtually any size or shape requirement, including ovoids, conicals, and chisels, and we’re constantly searching for new shapes that make more effective use of diamond. Our rock bit inserts range in size from 5mm to 25 mm in diameter and 3mm to 35mm in length. And of course, we’re always ready to design and manufacture rock bit inserts to match your unique specifications, including customized diameters, lengths, shapes, and chamfers.



US Synthetic first began manufacturing diamond cutters for fixed cutter drill bits in 1983. Since then, we have developed this technology aggressively, and a number of significant US Synthetic innovations have made it possible to use fixed cutter bits in harder, more demanding formations. Thanks to these continuous advancements in design, materials, processing, manufacturing, and testing, US Synthetic leads the industry in fixed cutter diamond products—with some of the fastest, longest lasting, and best-made cutters in the world.

Nearly all of our fixed cutter inserts are designed and manufactured to meet specific project requirements. Inserts range in size from 5 mm to 25 mm in diameter and 3 mm to 25 mm in length. They can be manufactured in many different shapes—from basic cylindrical cutters to inserts with customized angles, diamond thickness, chamfers, and sizes. When we design and manufacture your diamond cutter insert, we’ll work closely with you to find the optimum combination of abrasion and impact resistance for your specific drilling application. This customized approach, combined with our meticulous attention to quality, make US Synthetic PDCs the ideal solution for almost any drilling application.



Meet the Toughest Diamond Cutters You'll Ever Use

The oil exploration business demands speed, durability, and toughness. And there's no place where those three things matter more than where diamond meets rock at the bottom of a hole.

That's why US Synthetic has spent more than a decade perfecting polycrystalline diamond cutters (PDCs) that drill faster and last longer—especially in tough conditions that test the limits of the most durable drilling equipment.

Today, US Synthetic leads the industry in the development and production of innovative, top-quality PDC inserts that meet the highest standards and match the requirements of the most demanding oil exploration and development projects.

This absolute, no compromises commitment to superior quality and constant innovation sets us apart from the crowd and makes US Synthetic your best choice for all kinds of diamond solutions.

Diamond Sintering

The extreme hardness, wear resistance, and thermal conductivity of diamond make it an ideal cutting tool material. However, individual diamond crystals cleave quite easily when struck parallel to certain planes (the process used to facet diamond gemstones takes advantage of these relatively weak planes). As a result, individual diamond crystals do not make good cutting tools—unless they are meticulously oriented.

Diamond sintering overcomes the problem of weak planes in diamond gemstones by bonding a mass of small diamond particles onto a larger, coherent structure. Sintered diamond provides greater toughness and durability than single crystals because the individual crystals in a sintered body are randomly oriented. This prevents cracks from propagating along the weak planes where traditional diamond crystals cleave most easily. Sintered diamonds also provide more uniform wear than a single crystal, while maintaining similar thermal conductivity and hardness properties. All of these factors combine to make sintered diamond the preferred material for cutting rock.

At US Synthetic, the sintering process begins with premium saw-grade diamond crystals. These crystals are sintered together at temperatures of approximately 1400°C and pressures of around 60 kbar in the presence of a liquid metal catalyst. Typically, the diamond is bonded to a tungsten carbide substrate during the same high-temperature, high-pressure process. This sintered diamond and tungsten carbide composite is known in the industry as a polycrystalline diamond cutter (PDC).

Diamond Finishing

The extreme hardness of diamonds presents obvious machining and finishing challenges. In typical machining situations, the finishing tool is harder than the work piece. With diamond inserts, this isn't possible, since diamond is the hardest known substance. This makes machining diamond analogous to cutting through a wooden beam with a wooden saw. As a result, US Synthetic uses millions of carats of industrial diamond each year to machine and finish PDCs to their final dimensions. Over the years, we have developed specialized techniques and machines for lapping, grinding, polishing, brazing, and cutting PDC inserts. These techniques make it possible for us to finish PDCs to exacting specifications, despite the inherent challenges of machining sintered diamond.