Diamonds staying in the Rough – Industrial diamonds used in the Stone Industry
-adapted from Cutting Edge article
Because of granite’s high hardness rating, a harder material is required to efficiently cut it. Such as a diamond (or SiC which is hard but not as hard as diamond). Advancements in the use of industrial diamonds in saw blades and tooling have helped improve lead times over the last 50 years. Bringing faster production and more energy efficient cutting, longer run times between blades, and quieter performance. Here are some of the Diamond Products we sell at Miles Supply and are used in stone fabrication:
Diamond Saw Blades
Diamond saw blades are steel core blades with segments on the outside edges that contain diamonds. A mix of metal bond powder and diamond are sintered (pressed and heated). These segments will wear down as the blade cuts hard stone. Some blades are re-tipped with soldered-on segments to be used again. Miles Supply tips blades in 6 locations. Here are some of the things we will ask you when you call to buy blades. Other blades have diamonds but aren’t retipped. See examples of what we have:
Diamond Tooling
We sell tooling you can call us for custom requirements.
Fine detail and 3D sculpting are done on CNC machines. For CNC tooling, diamonds, like the blades above, are bonded into the tool.
Some diamond tools, like wheels, can be retrued, rebalanced & rebored to prolong their life and quality. Also called CNC tool redressing.
Diamond Wire
Miles Supply sells Boart & Wire diamond wire. Used to cut without a saw blade, diamond wire is diamond impregnated rope bonded into wires. A primary use is in block cutting and slabbing but also in shaping on 2D wire saws. These wires need replacing based on production requirements.
Diamond Polishing Pads
Diamond bricks, pads, and brushes use diamonds (or SiC or resin/diamond combo) to hone and polish stone surfaces, also for textured finishes. From machines to hand polishing tools, these diamond abrasive tools are considered consumables. These will wear out and need to be replaced according to production use or a certain square footage.
Call Miles Supply. Many diamond products, blades, and tools are custom to your work application – so this website doesn’t show all that we have to offer. Call us at one of our locations:
GA: 888.283.5863 | MN: 800.789.0815 | IL: 815.847.0080 | TX: 844.883.4108 | VT: 800.396.8049 | PA: 888.278.8383