Diamond tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diamond tools are cutting tools which contain diamond segments for cutting through a wide variety of materials which other cutting tools cannot. The segments are composed of diamond crystals and powder metal which form the bond, or 'matrix', of the segments.
The bond is one of the prime factors when selecting which tool to use for cutting a specific material depending on how hard, or abrasive, the material is. The bond is what decides the rate of which the metallic powders wear down and expose new diamond crystals at the surface to maintain what would be considered a “sharp” edge.
To cut steel, a diamond blade with a soft bond would be needed, so the metallic powders in the segments (teeth) of the diamond blade will wear down fast enough to expose new diamond crystals at the edges to continue cutting efficiently. On the other hand, to cut a soft abrasive material like asphalt or freshly poured concrete, you would need to use a diamond blade with a hard bond so that the segments do not wear down prematurely and the blade is not put to waste. Using a diamond blade with a soft bond for cutting abrasive materials is not recommended, as the blade will wear down very fast and would prove to be quite costly to the end user.
The diamonds used in these tools are synthetic or natural industrial diamond of different grain sizes and shapes.
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[edit] Differences between a diamond-bladed tool and regular tools
Diamond tools don’t cut like a knife or saw blade, instead they grind. They usually have segments, or teeth, welded to the “cutting” edge of the tool which contain exposed diamond crystals for grinding.
For example, with a diamond blade, the saw operator will push the blade through the material. The blade will begin to cut through the material and the material being cut will begin the wearing process of the diamond blade, at the rate of which the blade advances or the depth at which is being cut. The exposed diamonds will break into smaller pieces when cutting. Hard, dense materials will fracture the diamonds faster. As this happens, the material being cut also wears down the metal bond through abrasion. Highly abrasive materials will wear the bond faster, exposing new diamond crystals to continue cutting.
[edit] Uses
Diamond-edged tools are commonly used for cutting a wide variety of construction materials, including reinforced and cured concrete, all types of brick and cinder blocks, dense metals, rebar, asphalt, granite, marble, travertine and many other types of materials which cannot be cut with ordinary cutting tools.
[edit] Types
- Diamond saw blades: For high-speed gas powered cut-off saws, walk behind saws, handheld grinders, bridge saws, table saws, tile saws and other types of saws.
- Diamond tipped grinding cups: Used commonly on hand grinders for grinding concrete or stone.
- Diamond tipped core bits: Hollow steel tube with diamond tipped segments for drilling holes through concrete walls in the construction industry or also used for sample core extractions in the mining industry.
[edit] Other diamond tools
- Concave blades: For cutting curves in countertops to install sinks or sculpt statues.
- TuckPointers: Thick diamond blades for restoration - grinding and replacing mortar.
- Crack chasers: Thick V-shaped diamond blades for repairing cracks in concrete.
- Polishing pads: Pads with diamond crystals for polishing marble and other fine stone.
