The Axe Ultra ridged diamond element builds on the AxeBlade cutting element bits from Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company. Launched in 2020, the ridged diamond element features a new interface between the diamond table and carbide substrate, resulting in increased cutting efficiency in hard and brittle rock types, while increasing cutter life and improving durability.

Since 2016, AxeBlade bits have been used in more than 13,000 runs in unconventional U.S. and Canadian shale basins. The ridged diamond cutting element was developed after a large volume of accumulated runs that enabled the review of thousands of used Axe cutting elements to better understand how the cutter could be further improved.

The new interface results in lower stress levels to increase its strength and reduce impact-related cutter damage such as breakage and delamination. Improving the overall strength of the Axe element ensures that bits drill for longer intervals and sustain higher levels of ROP to save drilling time and costs for operators.

A Permian Basin operator used a PDC bit with the ridged diamond element to drill a 2-mile, 63⁄4-inch lat- eral section across the Wolfcamp Formation and improved ROP by 18%.