By the late 1980s, however, scientists had found ways to speed up the rate of deposition by over 100 times, so that a layer a couple thousandths of an inch thick could be achieved in an hour. This still sounds like a long time to build up such a thin layer, but it's fast enough to open many commercial opportunities. Diamond is so hard and durable that only a very thin layer is needed to defeat wear and greatly increase the life of a piece of equipment.