Diamond Wire

A wire saw is a machine using a metal or cable for cutting. There are two types of wire saw machines: continuous (or endless or loop) and oscillating (or reciprocating). Sometimes the wire itself is referred to as a “blade”.

The wire can have one strand or many strands braided together. The wire saw uses abrasion to cut. Depending on the application, diamond material may or may not be used as an abrasive. A single-strand saw can be roughened to be abrasive, abrasive compounds can be bonded to the cable, or diamond-impregnated beads (and spacers) can be threaded on the cable. Wire saws are often cooled and lubricated by water or oil.

Diamond Wire Cutting (DWC) is the process of using wire of various diameters and lengths, impregnated with diamond dust of various sizes to cut through materials. Because of the hardness of diamonds, this cutting technique can cut through almost any material that is softer than the diamond abrasive. DWC is also practical and less expensive than some other cutting techniques.

DWC produces less kerf and wasted materials compared to solid blades (slurry wire may be similar). On very expensive materials, this could save hundreds of thousands of dollars of waste. Unlike slurry saws that use bare wire and contain the cutting material in the cutting fluid, DWC uses only water or some fluid to lubricate, cool the cut, and remove debris. On some materials, DWC may not need water or cutting fluid, thus leaving a clean dry cut.