Polycrystalline diamond

A method for manufacturing a PCD element;

• the method including providing a PCD body having internal diamond surfaces, the internal diamond surfaces defining interstices, the PCD body containing a thermally stable porous region in which at least some of the interstices contain at least partly unfilled pores;
• introducing a mask or passivation medium proximate or into the thermally stable porous region to form a masked or passivated region extending a depth into the PCD element from a working surface of at least 100 microns;
• the PCD body further comprising an unmasked or unpassivated region, the unmasked or unpassivated region defining a boundary with another region or body and extending a depth of between about 5 microns and about 600 microns from the boundary;
• the method further comprising the steps of introducing at least one infiltrant material into the thermally stable porous region, the mask or passivation medium at least partly isolating diamond of the thermally stable porous region from chemical interaction with the at least one infiltrant material, wherein a controlled temperature cycle is employed in such a manner as to allow sufficient or a certain amount of the mask or passivation medium or its precursor to be introduced proximate or into the thermally stable porous region prior to the at least one infiltrant material melting and infiltrating into the thermally stable porous region.