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Wel-Co Technical Information

How Diamond Tools Work

Diamond saw blades come in a variety of bonds, designs and applications.

Diamond blades work by cutting with diamond crystals held together in a metal bond or matrix. As the blade cuts, the diamond crystals on the exposed edge will slowly fracture and wear down. At the same time the abrasive action of the material being cut erodes the bond exposing new diamonds.

Each diamond blade is designed for use on a specific range of materials. If the material being cut is soft or abrasive the bond is hard so the bond does not prematurely release the diamonds. If the material being cut is hard or less abrasive the bond is softer so the diamonds release before they become too worn to cut.

Diamond blades are designed to be used for either wet or dry cutting. Wet cutting blades use water to cool the blade and flush away the cuttings. Dry cutting blades rely on airflow to cool the blade and remove the cuttings. Dry cutting blades can be used with water to control dust, but wet cutting blades cannot be used dry.

Diamond Blade Speed (RPM) and Depth of Cut

Blade
Diameter

Depth
of Cut

Recommended Operating Range

Maximum Safe Operating Speed

High Speed Dry Cutting Range

4”

1”

9000 to 1100 RPM

15000 RPM

8000 to 9000 RPM

4.5”

1.25”

8500 to 1000 RPM

13300 RPM

8000 to 9000 RPM

5”

1.5”

7500 to 9000 RPM

12000 RPM

7000 to 8000 RPM

6”

2”

6500 to 7500 RPM

10000 RPM

5000 to 7000 RPM

7”

2.5”

5500 to 6500 RPM

8500 RPM

5000 to 7000 RPM

8”

3”

4800 to 6000 RPM

7500 RPM

4500 to 6500 RPM

9”

3.25”

4300 to 5400 RPM

7000 RPM

3000 to 4000 RPM

10”

3.5”

3800 to 4600 RPM

6000 RPM

3000 to 4000 RPM

12” Hi Speed

4”

4500 to 5400 RPM

6300 RPM

4500 to 5400 RPM

12”

3.5”

3200 to 3800 RPM

5000 RPM

 

14” Hi Speed

5”

4000 to 5000 RPM

5400 RPM

4000 to 5000 RPM

14”

4.5”

2800 to 3200 RPM

4400 RPM

 

16” Hi Speed

6”

3000 to 4000 RPM

4500 RPM

3000 to 4000 RPM

16”

5.5”

2500 to 3000 RPM

3800 RPM

 

18”

6.5”

2200 to 2600 RPM

3300 RPM

 

20”

7.5”

1900 to 2300 RPM

3000 RPM

 

22”

8.5”

1800 to 2200 RPM

2700 RPM

 

24”

9.5”

1600 to 2200 RPM

2500 RPM

 

26

10.5”

1500 to 1900 RPM

2300 RPM

 

28”

11.5”

1400 to 1700 RPM

2100 RPM

 

30”

12”

1300 to 1600 RPM

2000 RPM

 

32”

13”

1200 to 1500 RPM

1900 RPM

 

36”

14”

1100 to 1300 RPM

1700 RPM

 

42”

17”

900 to 1100 RPM

1400 RPM

 

48”

19”

800 to 1000 RPM

1200 RPM

 
 

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