Diamond K-12 Fire Rescue Blades for Metal Cutting and Extraction

Wet cutting diamond blades must be used with water. Concrete, masonry, tile and high speed saws have water tubes which spray water onto the blade. Water is required as a coolant to keep the blade from overheating through friction during cutting. Over-heating can cause segment loss (the solder holding the segment onto the core melts) and severe blade damage and safety problems. Water also reduces dust and helps remove cuttings from the bottom of the cut.

Until a few years ago, water had to be used on all diamond blades. Advances in blade technology, specifically the laser-welding process, now allow some blades to be used dry. The strong laser-weld which fuses the segment to the core is designed to withstand the heat and pressure of dry cutting. High temperature solder bonds and other processes are used on some dry cutting blades.

Dry cutting blades are “air-cooled” and should be used only for “intermittent” or shallow sawing, to allow the air flow around the blades to dissipate the heat. Wet cutting blades are still recommended for continuous cutting or deep sawing.