Metallurgical Sample Preparation Diamond Cut-Off Wheels

Metal bonded wheels are used for cutting brittle materials, such as ceramics or minerals, while resin bonded wheels are used for more ductile materials, such as sintered carbides or composites containing predominantly hard phases. Several factors are important for choosing the appropriate wafering blade. These include: diamond concentration (low and high), diamond bond (metal plate), diamond size (fine or medium), blade diameter and blade thickness. The diamond concentration is important because it directly affects the load which is applied during cutting. For example, brittle materials such as ceramics require higher effective loads to section, whereas ductile materials; such as metals require more cutting points. The result is that low concentration blades are recommended for sectioning hard brittle materials such as ceramics and high concentration blades are recommended for ductile materials containing a large fraction of metal or plastic.