Segmented Vs Continuous Diamond Blade

Diamond blades come in a variety of sizes, bond types, and applications, and the quality and performance of each blade will vary considerably from the next. Whether you've got a tile saw, masonry saw, concrete saw, or other types of saw, selecting the proper blade will assist you in getting the work done right.

With all of the various saw blades available on the market today, they are often overwhelmed when purchasing a replacement blade. To urge the standard of cut you expect with the simplest performance from your saw, it's important to possess the foremost appropriate blade for the project at hand.

Here's a glance at the various sorts of diamond blades available and what they're best used for.

Diamond saw blades are available with various rim or edge configurations, including segmented, continuous, and turbo. The diamond segments are fixed to the blade through brazing, laser welding, or sintering.

Segmented Rim Diamond Blade

The Segmented blade gives the roughest cut and is usually utilized to construct concrete, brick, stone, masonry/block, and hard/reinforced concrete. This blade is typically mentioned as a dry-cutting blade. It can cut without water due to the blade's cut-outs—or segments—on the sting, allowing air to flow and funky down the blade core. The blade's segments also leave a better exhaust of debris, allowing a Swiffer cut. One of the risks to a diamond blade's lifetime is overheating, which affects the bond and may cause the blade to warp. These blades are generally your best choice when water isn't readily available.

Segmented blades generally have medium to hard bonds for a variety of wet and dry cutting applications. While these blades offer a comparatively smooth cut with a quick cutting speed, chipping should occur. They're durable and have an extended blade life compared to other blades.

These blades are commonly used for cutting marble and granite slabs, concrete, asphalt, brick, block, and other building materials. They're available in a big choice of diameters from small to large and particularly dominate the 12" diameter and bigger market.

Continuous Rim Diamond Blade

The Continuous Rim blade is most ordinarily a wet-cut blade but could even be a dry-cut blade. There are a couple of advantages to using water when cutting material: Water significantly cools down the blade, allowing longer life; it flushes out any debris to reduce friction within the cutting, and it reduces dust, thus preventing build-up within the cracks, which might decrease the tool's lifetime. The continual rim cuts the slowest of any of the various sorts of diamond saw blades, but as a trade-off, it produces the cleanest cut, which is one reason it's favored in tile cutting.

Continuous rim blades are softer bond blades used for cutting hard materials like tile, porcelain, granite, stone, glass, and other materials that will chip easily.

These blades are most ordinarily available in 4" to 14" diameters. The smaller, 4" to 5" diameter blades are often utilized in hand-held grinders, and larger blades are used with circular saws and tile saws.

Factors Relevant to Diamond Blades

The hardness of the Bond

Segmented and continuous diamond blades both use powdered metals to carry the diamonds in situ. The bond strength will determine the speed at which the diamonds are exposed because the blade is employed. Generally, bond strengths are often soft, medium, or hard with the diamonds becoming exposed more quickly the softer the bond.

The bond strength is one of the key factors determining what material the diamond blade is meant to chop.

However, employing a blade with a bond strength that's too hard for the fabric will end in much slower cutting speeds and require more frequent blade dressings to show a subsequent diamond layer to take care of the blade's cutting capabilities. Eventually, glazing of the blade may occur because the blade stops cutting all at once.

• Soft-bonded Blades

In general, for cutting hard, dense materials, a diamond blade with a softer bond is right because new diamonds are more easily exposed, allowing better cutting performance. For instance, for the cutting of porcelain tile, a soft-bond blade will allow new diamonds to be more readily exposed while maintaining the optimum cutting performance.

• Hard-bonded Blades

Softer or porous materials like asphalt, green concrete, and sandstone tend to be more abrasive, wearing soft-bonded blades out more quickly. Hard-bonded diamond blades are ready to withstand soft materials' abrasiveness, proving to be more durable and long-lasting.

Grit Size of Diamond

The diamond grit size plays a big role in the cutting quality of the blade. The surface finish, smoothness, and amount of chipping are all affected by the diamond grit size. For smoother cuts, the finer the diamond grit size is suitable, and therefore the rougher the diamond grit, the coarser the resulting cut. Coarse diamond grits are frequently used when a smooth finish and chipping aren't a priority.

Diamond Concentration

Diamond concentration affects the cutting skills of diamond blades. The bond type and diamond grit size are factors that affect the diamond concentration. Having an appropriate diamond concentration will leave the utmost use of the diamonds and bond. Concentrations too high for the fabric to be cut may result in diamonds slumping the blade prematurely. Conversely, having a diamond concentration too low may result in reduced cutting proficiency.

Diamond concentration typically ranges from 25% to 75%. Generally, because the diamond concentration increases, the blade's cutting efficiency and sharpness decrease. Higher diamond concentrations will decrease every individual diamond particle's impact, reducing the cutting efficiency and extending the blade's life.

Choosing the right Diamond blades

Choosing between the segmented diamond blades and continuous diamond blades is popularly based on the following factors:

• Material to be cut: selecting between both the diamond blades is based on the material to be cut. Segmented blades are suitable for cutting hard abrasive materials like concrete and brick. It features a segmented design on its blades which offers optimal material removal and resistance to heat. continuous blades, on the other hand, are suitable for cutting delicate and intricate materials like ceramics, granite, and marble. Their continuous pattern enables smooth and accurate cuts while reducing chipping or cracking.

• Required finish: it is another crucial factor in choosing between segmented and continuous diamond blades. Segmented blades are mostly ideal for projects requiring rough finish due to their segmented pattern blades. Continuous blades are ideal for projects requiring a smooth and precise finish.

• Cutting technique: the technique of cutting or removing material is also significant in choosing the right blades. Segmented blades are suitable for dry cutting as they are able to dissipate heat and remove material efficiently. Continuous blades, on the other hand, are perfect for wet cutting to prevent heat generation and increase their lifespan.