I. Development History: From "Diamond Machine" to "Universal Platform"
The hinge-type cubic press has been in existence for over forty years. Over these four decades, it has been regarded not just as a piece of equipment, but as a "pyramid" of China's superhard material industry.
1. Early Positioning (Single-Purpose): In the early stages of development, this equipment was long named the "Man-made Diamond Hydraulic Press". This name accurately reflected its singular function at the time, which was primarily to solve the production problem of man-made diamond single crystals.
2. Technological Maturity and Application Expansion (Universalization): Through the efforts of generations of scientists and technicians, the technology of this equipment has matured significantly, and its application fields have expanded drastically. It is no longer limited to synthesizing ordinary diamond single crystals but has become "universal equipment" for synthesizing various superhard materials.
     Product Dimension: Expanding from ordinary abrasive-grade diamond to gem-grade large single crystals (>3mm), sawing-grade fine/ultra-fine grits, Diamond Compacts (PCD), and Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN/PCBN) tool inserts.
    Field Dimension: Extending from traditional grinding to oil drilling, coal mining, precision machining, and even special fields like rare earth metals and optoelectronic materials.
Therefore, the literature suggests that its name should be changed to "Superhard Material Cubic Press" to more accurately cover its current wide range of uses.
II. Future Trends: Specialization, Large-Scale, and Intelligence
Facing the differentiated demands for temperature, pressure, and stability from different synthetic materials, the future hinge-type cubic press will exhibit the following three major development trends:
1. Equipment Specialization and Structural Innovation (Targeted Design) Future designs will no longer pursue a "one size fits all" approach, but will instead create dedicated equipment tailored to specific material characteristics.
    Targeting Fine Grain Synthesis: For sawing-grade fine grits, ultra-fine grits, and type-I single crystals with extremely high production frequencies, the equipment will adopt forged hinge beams to replace cast beams. This is to significantly improve fatigue resistance and adapt to high-frequency alternating loads.
    Targeting Large Cavity Needs: To break through the limitation of the carbide anvil diameter on the synthesis cavity, future designs will attempt to integrate the strengths of "two-sided press" (belt press) technology. For example, transplanting the multi-layered ring die structure of the two-sided press onto the six-sided press to achieve a cylindrical cavity design. This "hybrid" design aims to achieve the ideal pressure and temperature fields of a two-sided press at the lower cost of a six-sided press.
2. Intelligent Control Systems (Precision Control) To cope with complex synthesis processes (such as the drastic thermal resistance changes during PCD synthesis), hydraulic and electrical controls will be comprehensively upgraded.
    Introduction of electro-hydraulic proportional, hydraulic servo, field bus, and intelligent fuzzy control technologies.
    Realization of multi-curve and multi-function process control for each step, thereby improving the stability and consistency of synthesis quality.
3. High-End Manufacturing Processes With the advancement of forging technology in China, the cost of forging has decreased. The forging process, which was previously not widely adopted due to cost constraints, will be more frequently applied to hinge beam manufacturing. This will allow domestic equipment to catch up with international advanced levels (such as early American designs) in terms of structural strength.

The hinge-type cubic press is in a critical transition period: Hardware-wise, it is becoming stronger and larger by absorbing two-sided press technology and introducing forging processes; Software-wise, it is becoming "smarter" by introducing advanced electronic control technologies. It possesses both unique Chinese characteristics and serves as the core equipment supporting the future development of high-end superhard materials.