Copyright © DiamondBladeSelect.com. All rights reserved.
Sintered Diamond Blades and Their Applications Common diamond blades consist of many diamond segments and a steel core. Depending on the method to fix the diamond segments to the steel core, the diamond blades can be categorized to sintered diamond blades and welded diamond blades. The diamond segments of welded diamond blades are welded to their steel core, while the segments of sintered diamond blades are sintered together with their steel core.
Sintered Diamond Blades and Their Features The basic steps to make a sintered diamond blade are usually like this: first, the steel core is put in the mold, and then the mixture of diamonds and metal bonding materials is poured at the segment position of the blade. Second, the mold is put into a pressing machine and these materials are pressed to form the blade’s blank. Last, the blank is put into a sintering machine and is sintered to become the diamond blade. In the last step, some sintering machines can exert press on the blank during the sintering process. The blades produced by these sintering machines are usually called hot‐pressed diamond blades, whose diamond segments are well alloyed and of high density, so they have a longer service life. While some other sintering machines cannot exert press on the blank when sintering. The produced blades are normally called cold‐pressed diamond blades, whose segments are of low density and high porosity. This can improve the blade’s cooling condition, but will also lead to a shorter service life. Normally, the diameter of sintered diamond blades is no bigger than 400 mm. One of the reasons maybe is for the limitation of the size of the sintering machines.
Application of Sintered Diamond Blades Sintered diamond blades are widely used in cutting granite, marble, concrete, asphalt, ceramics, bricks, and many other building materials. As their steel core is also put into molds and sintered, the steel core cannot be quenched. So its hardness and toughness are not high, and it may deform in high‐load and high‐intensity cutting processes. So sinter diamond blades’ cutting efficiency cannot be very high. But as sintered diamond blades can be produced in bulk, their prices are much lower than welded diamond blades. Diamond blades will have a longer service life if they are used with adequate water, so are the sintered diamond blades. Some of them can only be used in wet cutting (e.g. continuous rim diamond blades), while some of them can be used in both wet and dry cutting (e.g. segmented
Copyright © DiamondBladeSelect.com. All rights reserved. diamond blades, turbo diamond blades and turbo wave diamond blades). Sintered diamond blades are often used to cut various tiles. Both wet blades and dry blades have their advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wet Blades Advantages: z Allows for smooth, accurate cuts because the saw is not hand‐held. z Doesn’t require much physical strength for continued use. z Wet ceramic tile saw blades last longer because the water keeps them cool when in use. z Safer to use because continuous rims will not cut through skin as easily as other blades. Disadvantages: z Wet ceramic tile saw blades must be used with water, so you will need a water source. z Depending upon the quality and style of your wet saw you could easily get wet, too. z There may be a longer set up time.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Dry Blades Advantages: z Fast and easy to set up because all you need to do is plug it in. z Can also be used to tear out old tile. z Backer board can also be cut with it. Disadvantages: z Since the grinder is hand‐held, you will not have consistent control over the quality of your cuts. z Your edges may not be smooth and even. z Ceramic tile chips and dust will fly, so be prepared! z Very difficult to use as your only tile saw on large projects.