Diamond Blades

The concentration of diamond, size of grit and hardness of the metal carrier all play a part in what the blade will cut, how long it will last in that particular material and what finish it will achieve. Typically, a soft metal carrier is used for very hard base materials as the diamond grit is exposed more easily, for soft and abrasive materials the metal carrier is made harder to prevent the diamond being exposed too easily and the grit being lost prematurely. Lower diamond grit concentration means a shorter life for the blade but lowers manufacturing costs, larger diamond grits result in faster cutting but a coarser finish.

For fine cutting applications such as tile cutting, a continuous rim is required. These blades use a finer grit particle and have a cutting edge that is not segmented, allowing the cutting edge to remain in contact with the surface, thus preventing any chatter and therefore achieving a chip free finish; heat build up is prevalent with these blades so water cooling is essential to keep the blade cool and flush out any waste material.

Diamond blades can always benefit from water cooling where possible; this keeps the metal carrier from overheating promoting longer blade life and also acts as dust suppression which is very important when cutting base materials containing silica. If you are investing in diamond blades you are actually purchasing cuts. It may sound peculiar but the speed of cut and how many you achieve before the blade expires will give you the true cost of the blade; with the introduction of very low cost diamond products this fact is often overlooked but it should remain the most important consideration before investing in a diamond blade.

Protrade stock a wide range of diamond blades capable of cutting most materials. Protrade major in Maxitek and Klingspor brands and stock sizes ranging from 115mm through to 500mm. Why not take advantage of our click and collect service? Simply place your order online and collect a diamond blade from any of our Protrade depots located in Chesterfield, Mansfield, Burton Upon Trent, Derby and Nottingham.