Diamonds, Cutting Equipment, Parts and Repair

Factors Involving Concrete

How do Diamond Blades Work?

A Diamond Blade is a circular steel disc with a diamond bearing edge. The edge of the blade may be smooth or textured, continuous rim, or a segmented rim with smaller, individual sections. The blade core is a precision-made steel disc and may have a continuous or slotted rim. The slots (also called "gullets") provide faster cooling by allowing water or air to flow between the segments. The slots also allow the blade to flex under cutting pressure. Most blade cores are tensioned at the factory, so the blade will run straight at cutting speeds. Proper tension also allows the blade to remain flexible enough to bend slightly under cutting pressure and "snap" back into position. Diamond segments or rims are made up of a mixture of diamonds and metal powders. Diamond used in blades is almost exclusively manufactured and is available in various grit sizes and quality grades. In the manufacturing process, the metal powder and diamond grit mixture is melted at high temperatures to form a solid metal alloy (called the bond or matrix) in which the diamond grit is suspended. The segment or rim is slightly wider than the blade core. This side clearance allows the cutting edge to penetrate through the material.

To attach the diamond rim or segments securely to the steel core, several different processes are used.

1. Brazing - Silver solder is placed between the segment or rim and the core. At high temperatures, the solder melts and bonds the two parts together
2. Laser welding - The diamond segment and steel blade core are welded (fused) together by a laser beam
3. Mechanical bond - A notched, serrated or textured blade core may by used to "lock" the diamond rim or segments onto the edge of the blade. Mechanical bonds usually also include brazing or other metallurgical bonding processes to hold the rim or segments in place