Lara
Are you thinking of sawing control joints, enhancing the concrete with decorative scoring, or cutting out existing concrete for replacement or patching; an efficient saw blade will help you out for all this. Like a chef needs an assortment of knives and choppers, you would also need different types of saw blades for precision in cutting, sewing, slicing, and more. In this context, the diamond blade comes as the perfect solution with diamonds attached to the edges so that you get precise cuts on abrasive and hard materials.
The blade comprises steel-engineered metalcore, sharp-cutting synthetic diamond teeth, the metal matrix to hold the diamond particles in place, and the weld which attaches the cutting segments to the core.
Choosing The Blade Take Following Things Into Consideration
Materials To Cut
For best performance the diamond blade should be matched as closely as possible to the material it will cut. The materials categorized under hard, medium to hard, medium to soft and soft variants require different types of blades. Thumb rule is harder materials require softer bond to cut fast and freely while softer and abrasive materials require a harder bond to last longer.
The aggregate of materials within a compound slab can be determined by doing the Mohs test, Vickers and Knoop scales. Apart from this, material cost, thickness and density should also be considered before selecting the right kind of blade. Check the manufacturer description to check whether a blade is suitable for particular range of aggregate like limestone, flint, sand etc.
Equipment To Use
While choosing a diamond blade, you should check the physical condition of the equipment as it will decide the speeds (RPMs) and the coolants that you can use along with diamond blades. The tolerance of the equipment with the blade will determine its accuracy, durability and precision. The commonly used equipment for diamond blades are –
- Large section saw
- Tile saw
- Precision cut-off saw
- Dicing saw
- Surface grinder
- Precision Gang Saw
- Band Saw
- Sectioning or Wafering Saw etc.
Besides, choosing suitable diamond blade for particular equipment, you should also check the following features for the saw –
- Sufficient horsepower
- Superior speed (RPM)
- Steady surface or work table that triggers no side play
- A true-running sturdy spindle having proper bearings
- Flat flanges that are parallel to minimum one-third of the diamond blade diameter
- Proper alignment once you mount the blade between the flanges
Application Of The Blade
Not all blades are suitable for cutting in wet conditions and often the larger blades need cooling with water at regular intervals of the job. If your job requires both wet and dry applications, it is better to choose blades that are versatile. Dry-cutting blades are suitable for shallow cutting i.e. 1-2” deep and step cutting i.e. several shallow cuts to reach the required depth. While dry blades require airflow to cool down from overheating the wet blades require water or coolants during intermittent sawing to preventing heat build-up.
Blades To Choose And Not To Choose
The recommended diamond blade variants that you should consider are segmented blades, turbo blades and continuous rim blades. Segmented blades offer fast cutting speed, extract dust and the wide gullets cool down the blade during heavy work. Turbo blades are suitable for hard materials as they have soft bonds and feature serrated edged rims for aggressive cuts. In wet cutting, the continuous rimmed blades are suitable as they are durable and do not create chips while cutting hard materials. However, you should avoid combi blades as they tend to slow down and glaze up. The sintered blades and general purpose blades should also be avoided as they are not secure and overheating can make the segments to get detached.
Most common among the blades is the circular saw blade. The gang saw has diamond segments welded on a long plate and the band saw has diamonds electroplated on the edge of a closed flexible steel band. In the construction industry, the diamond blades are widely used for cutting concrete, stone, bricks, glass, metal, asphalt, ceramics and glass, while gem industry use it for cutting gemstones and diamonds.
Blade material
The Diamond edges of endurance blades come in both of two kinds of steel for example spotless or carbon. There is no clear answer regarding which is ideal.
In any case, it's significant that you know the principle contrasts between the two. Treated steel is indestructible and can serve you for quite a long time without rusting. In any case, it loses the edge quicker contrasted with carbon. Then again, carbon steel blades rust quicker and hold their edge longer.
