What is the diamond cutting disc? --- Csdiamondtools.com

Sep 29,2020

Diamond is the hardest materials known to people. Because of its high abrasion and resistant nature it makes ideal for cutting and grinding applications. Diamond tools and diamond cutting disc find a series of applications in stone and concrete industries.

How diamond cutting disc works?

One diamond cutting dis cconsists of 2 parts, the steel blade core and diamond segment(some people call it diamond tips). For this article we will focus on diamond segment, where all diamonds are sintered in.

Diamond segment:The cutting Part

Diamond segment is made up of diamond, cobalt, Si, Fe, Cu, tungsten and more metal powder.

a.Diamond Crystals - The diamonds used on tools are synthetic (man made) because their crystal shape, size, and strength can be controlled through the manufacturing process. This control allows for accurate prediction of cutting speed, cutting disc life and consistent repeatability. Of course, the synthetic diamond is quite cheaper compare with natural diamonds. The most important factors to consider about a diamond cutting disc are:

Amount of diamond in the segment

Quality of the diamond in the segment

Size of the diamond in the segment

1.Amount of Diamond - As more diamond is added to the diamond segment more horsepower is needed to make the cutting disc turn around, so diamond cutting disc designed for high horsepower saws will have more diamond in the diamond segment.

2.Quality of the Diamond - The quality of the diamond determines the ability to resist heat and maintain a sharp point. Better diamonds can hold a point longer at higher temperatures.

3.Size of the Diamond - In practical application finer diamond is used for critically-hard material like glass, quartz , ceramic or porcelian while the larger more coarse diamond is used for soft materials like asphalt and red bricks. Of course, larger diamond cutting disc need larger diamond size.

Bonding System

The bond is a mixture of metal powders used in various combinations to achieve specific wear rates. A correctly-formulated bond holds the diamond in place, just long enough to get maximum use from the diamond points before releasing the stone and exposing the next layer of diamond. The hard bonds are mostly made up of hard metals like Tungsten Carbide.

How does the diamond cutting disc work?

Diamond cutting disc does not actually cut, they grind. The exposed diamond crystals do the grinding while the bond holds the diamonds in place. Behind each exposed diamond is a “bond tail” which helps to support the diamond. As the disc rotates through the material the exposed surface of the diamonds grind the material being cut into a fine powder.

After several thousand passes through the material being cut, the exposed diamonds begin to crack and fracture. The matrix holding the diamond also begins to wear away.

As the diamond wears and fractures, controlled erosion of the metal bond containing the diamond exposes new sharp diamond points. This cycle of erosion and exposure continues until all of the diamond and metal bond section of the diamond segment is gone.

Some of the uses of diamond cutting disc are:

Diamond cutting discs- They are used in handheld grinders, high speed gas cut-off saws, bridge saws, tile saws, wall saw, etc.

PCD Cutting Tools- They are mostly used for the machining of non-metallic and non-ferrous materials and are used widely in automotive and aerospace industries.

Diamond grinding cup wheel- They are used on hand grinders for grinding concrete or stone.

Diamond wire saw- They are wires equipped with diamond crystals for cutting purposes.

Diamond saw chains- They are used for cutting stones, bricks and concrete

Dry vs. Wet

DRY diamond cutting discs require sufficient airflow to prevent overheating of the steel core. This is best accomplished by intermittent cuts of the material along with periods of free-spinning for several seconds to maximize the cooling process.

In WET cutting applications, water acts as a coolant to support the cutting effectiveness and longevity of the WET blade. Additionally, using water adds to the overall safety of cutting operations by keeping the dust down.

Types of diamond cutting discs:

Continuous Rim diamond cutting discs provide smooth cuts on ceramic, porcelain, glass and wall tile, marble, slate, granite tops ties, etc - note a special disc should be used for hard porcelain. These diamond cutting discs can be used for wet or dry cutting however wet cutting is recommended and will extend the life of the cutting discs.

Segmented Rim diamond cutting discs are for high production cutting of cured concrete, granite, marble, masonry, brick and block. They can be used for wet cutting mostly, however wet cutting is recommended and will extend the life of the disc. Diamond segmented cutting disc is the most popular among the discs.

Turbo Rim cutting discsprovide a slightly smoother cut in cured concrete, stone, masonry, brick and block. The diamond cutting disc in this category can be used for wet or dry cutting however wet cutting is recommended and will extend the life of the discs.

Glass cutting continuous rim diamond cutting discs are specifically designed to cut glass and generally used for dry cutting. Formulated bonds, with higher concentrations of quality diamonds, provide longer life and superior cutting performance.