Diamond blades don't actually ‘cut’ like a knife...they grind. During the manufacturing process, individual diamond crystals are left exposed on the outside edge and sides of the diamond segments or rim, and it is these exposed diamonds that do the grinding work.
The metal bond locks each diamond in place. Trailing behind each exposed diamond is ‘bond tail’ which helps support the diamond.
With the blade rotating on the arbor shaft of the saw, the operator pushes the blade into the material. The blade begins to cut (grind) through the material, whilst the material begins wearing away the blade (segment).
HOW THE GRINDING PROCESS WORKS
- Exposed surface diamonds score the material, grinding it into a fine powder.
- Embedded diamonds remain beneath the surface.
- Exposed diamonds crack or fracture as they cut, breaking down into even smaller pieces. Hard, dense materials cause the diamonds to fracture even faster.
- The metal bond also begins to wear, allowing new layers of diamond exposure to continue cutting.
- This continuous grinding and wearing process continues until the blade is ‘worn out’.
- Sometimes a small, unusable part of the segments or rim may remain.
It is important to understand that the diamond blade and the material must work together for the blade to cut effectively.
In order for a diamond tool to work properly, the diamond type and the metal matrix must be matched to the material to be cut.
So it is important to pick the right diamond blade, drill or core for the material you wish to cut.
Choosing the right blade for the right material
