A Guide to Circular Saw Blades by CMT Orange Tools
STEEL PLATE, The body of a blade is an integral part of blade design; cutting quality and longevity depend on it. We use only the highest quality steel available, so durable and tough that it will not only withstand heavy workloads but also be flexible enough to bend without breaking.
LASER CUT All our blanks are laser cut; this allows us to use harder har- monic steels for the blade bodies, which in return generates extremely rigid and stable saw blades, guaranteeing perfect flatness. In addition, we are able to engineer quieter tools using a very narrow laser beam to cut expansion and vibration-dampening slots.
EXPANSION SLOTS Unique expansion slots permit the blade to stand up to heat build-up and centrifugal force thereby preventing plate deformation and warping for a cleaner finished cut.
NEW LASER-CUT SLOTS FILLED WITH SOUND-DAMPENING POLYMER Slots filled with a sound-dampening polymer reduce vibration and noise by 25% with respect to standard saw blades. Improved cutting quality and extended blade life. Slots positioned near toothed crown provide impressive vibration isolation and shock absorption.
This system allows for extremely accurate dynamic balancing of the blade, several orders of magnitude above and beyond that which is currently available in the marketplace.
Each blade undergoes rigorous assessment and only if micro imbalance is detected will the appropriate correction holes be applied.
You may find 1 to 5 micro balancing holes on your blade, depending on the degree of micro imbalance (fig.1). When in perfect balance, a single incision will appear on
the blade as proof of balance (fig.2).
These holes will have no effect on the technical properties of the blade during use (such as an increase in noise**, chip build-up at the correction site, etc.).
This translates to precise cutting, longer blade life, reduced vibration and noise, and less wear and tear on your machine components.
**Results are based on tests conducted by an independent laboratory. These results are available for download on our website.
TENSIONING RINGS & FLATTING To ensure maximum performance, flatting and plate tensioning processes are performed. Every single blade is subject to a flatting process in order to achieve the highest flatness tolerance. The blade body then undergoes tensioning in order to enhance stiffness and stability.A well-marked and visible ring is applied to the blade body by means of compression and with a predetermined force linked to the intended application and working conditions of each blade.
CARBIDE TEETH Tips require optimum quality carbide. Different applications call for different grades. Our Research and Development Team has evaluated and tested carbide grades and tracked their yield on performance both in house and in the field. We have access to the widest range in the world and only use top premium quality carbides.
TRI-METAL BRAZING Brazing is the process of attaching a hard metal plate to the steel body of the blade. This is performed by using a bonding metal, which once melted, acts as a binder between the two parts. The bonding material used for brazing is a trimetallic alloy formed by silver, copper and silver, which not only serves to effectively attach the two parts together but whose fundamental properties create a shock-absorber effect protecting the cutting edges during routing operations.
Sharpening is imperative to the production process of the blade and equally important with respect to the project in mind and ma- terial in use. Fully automated and numer- ically controlled grinding machines tooled with extra-fine-grained diamond wheels allow any type of angle and shape of the tooth. The right choice of these parameters will guarantee cutting edge lifetime and ul- timately the best finish on the finished part.
COATING Quality coatings can be extremely effective in certain applications. CMT uses the following: ORANGE SHIELD COATING: a registered and trade- marked non-stick protective coating bearing our characteristic orange color. A technopolymer (P.T.F.E. is spray-applied to the blade body then baked to enhance its protective properties. Chemical com- pounds cannot attach this coating, it remains insol- uble in water and solvents, is completely non-stick and diffuses and disperses heat.
ORANGE CHROME: this is a coating composed of a thin layer of chromium, which is electrolytically deposited on the blade in order to increase wear resistance when in contact with highly abrasive material. Surface hardness increases considerably, guaranteeing long-life and incredible resilience to corrosion and rust.
FINAL TESTING AND QUALITY CONTROL
Following the design and manufacturing phases, each new model is tested to ensure maximum performance during the work phase. The entire production process is subject to meticulous quality controls using conventional and sophisticated measuring systems.
In order to achieve the best cut possible, that is without modifying the predetermined angle of entry/exit, it is important that the portion of the blade (H) that extends beyond the workpiece during the cut, be close to equal to the height of an entire tooth (approx. S 8/10mm). To improve the finish, it is possible to make small adjustments by increasing or decreasing this height.The number of teeth simultaneously engaged in cutting the material (Teeth Cutting or Zp) must be constant as the thickness of the material varies. As with Zp < 3, the cutting quality is not guaranteed. With the same diameter, and when cutting thicker material, ensure to use a blade with fewer teeth (or with a greater Pitch P) or vice versa. Thin blades are suitable for thinner materials. They also require less power during operation, and are ideal for battery-operated machines. Thick blades, which are more robust, are suitable for precision cutting in thicker materials but obviously require more power.