The three main components that make up a diamond blade are; 1. Segment, 2. Segment Attachment and 3. Steel Centre

1Segment
The diamond grit which in many cases tends to be industrial grade is the ingredient that produces the cutting edge. The diamond grit is held within a matrix bond comprising of a mixture of copper, tin, carbon, iron, cobalt, nickel, and graphite amongst others. This is the element that determines the wear rate of the segment and how often the new layer of diamond grit is exposed to the cutting surface. When combined the diamond grit and matrix bond are more commonly known as the segment.

2Segment Attachment
The main processes of attaching a segment to the steel centre are laser welding and sintering. Laser welded products tend to command a higher price due to the increased manufacturing costs involved with attaching the segments to the steel centre individually. Sintered products can be produced in larger batches reducing the manufacturing costing per item.

3Steel Centre
The steel centres used in the manufacture of diamond blades can vary in design and quality dependant on the grade of steel used. In many cases the steel centre is relatively matched to the estimated segment lifetime. The material application of a diamond blade will determine whether the steel centre requires cooling holes or under cutting protection. Some other steel centre features available are laser scrolling and sandwich centre which are used for the purpose of reducing resonant noise whilst cutting.

As a result of the large spectrum of applications a diamond blade is used for it is inevitable that the lifetime of these products can vary considerably. This is why the most important aspect of choosing the right diamond blade is to establish at the very beginning the application that it will be predominantly used for as the correct choice early on will provide faster, cleaner and more cost effective results.

We advise our customers to use the application chart found on our website and in our catalogue as this can prove to be a useful tool in selecting the correct diamond blade for specific applications; it can often be a surprise to many customers what constitutes a hard material, or an abrasive one!