The definitive guide to choosing ceramic cutting blades for bridge saws, tile saws, and cutting machines

Do you need to cut porcelain stoneware or ceramic slabs? Have you found the right blade for your workshop? 

When it comes to choosing a blade for cutting ceramics, the choice can be complicated because there are dozens of possibilities depending on the type of ceramic material to be processed, the thickness of the slabs, and the machine used for processing. Each situation requires a specific disc in order to optimize processing times, increase the quality of work and reduce costs.

How should an ideal blade perform?

The ideal ceramic blade must guarantee:

• Good finishing

  of the tile/slab edge (no chipping or cracking)

• High speed or the ideal parameters setting to get the best performance with your cutting machine

  (in order to reduce production costs)

• Constant cutting

  until the diamond sector is completely exhausted (to avoid constant machine downtime or material wear)

What to consider when choosing your ceramic cutting blade?

1. Type of

   ceramic material

   to be cut: slab (it’s important to know the brand) or tile.

2. Material

   thickness

   : understanding if the ceramic material to be worked on is 3 mm or 3 cm. The thickness to cut significantly changes the type of diamond sector to be used.

3. Cutting Machine

   : multidisc, tile cutting saw (clipper), bridge saw / banner saw (it is important to define for this type of machine if it has, or not, an inverter for adjusting rpm) and angle grinder/hand grinder.

4. Type of

   final product

   to be achieved: tiles from big ceramic slabs, skirting, mosaic, kitchen top.

5. Finishing level and cutting speed

   required: in order to understand the right type of diamond blade.

Following the above list, we can define a list to support the choice of the disc to be used when cutting ceramic tiles, porcelain stoneware, or large ceramic slabs.

• Ceramic material 

Lastra: LAMINAM, NEOLITH, LAPITEC, DEKTON, ATLAS PLAN, INFINITY, RAK CERAMICS, KEDRA, MARAZZI, FLORIM, ULTRA, ABK SLABS, MATERIA, MAXFINE, SAPIENSTONE, ITALSTONE, XTONE, ASCALE BY TAU, LEVEL, STONEGLASS@ …

Tile: glazed or full body

• Thickness

Slab: from 3 to 20 mm (30 mm in rare cases)
Tile: from 6 to 12 mm (20-30 mm for exteriors).

• Type of machine

Multiple-blade cutting machines such as FERRARI & CIGARINI, TECNEMA, COSMAC, LEVI TUNISI, PRAGMA made ones.
Tile cutting saw such us the saws made by ADRIATICA, ACHILLI, RAIMONDI, NUOVA MONDIALMEC, BATIPAV, …

Bridge saw machines with an inverter

Bridge saw machines without an inverter

Banner saw: without an inverter

Angle grinder

• Final product

Multiple-blade cutting machine: strips, slips, skirting, mosaic.

Tile saw: tiles

Bridge/ Banner cutter: flooring, tiles, and kitchen tops

Angle grinders: tiles and manual shaped cut

• Finishing and cutting speed

The finish and cutting speed determine the type of cutting blade to be used. The two factors are always inversely proportional.

Our recommendations for achieving the desired result in every situation:

Bridge saw with an inverter (adjustable to 3500 rpm): high cutting speed

If you have a bridge saw with an inverter that allows you to adjust the rotation speed of the disc up to 3500 rpm, you are in the best position! You can use the new FASTER series blades that allow you to cut all types of ceramics and with a high cutting speed. They are the best for those who want to go fast and do a lot of production.
[The rotation speeds to be set for the Faster blades are: 2600 for the 400mm (16” diameter), 2900 for the 350mm ( 14” diameter), 3200 for the 300mm (12″ diameter)]

1. FASTER blade – to cut slabs/tiles 6÷30 mm of all brands (high cutting speed and medium finish level)
2. FASTER PRO blade – to cut slabs/tiles 6÷30 mm of all brands (suitable for miter cut and to achieve high finish level)
3. LK39E blade – designed to cut STONEGLASS

Bridge saw without an inverter (adjustable up to 2,500 rpm): standard cutting speed

If your bridge saw has an inverter to set the blade rotation speed but it cannot go over 2600 rpm (the minimum speed required to be able to use one of the Faster blades) you can use the Poker series blades. The poker blades need a rotation ranging from 1900 to 2600 depending on the diameter.
In this case, you have to choose the specific blade suitable for the ceramic brand you need to cut and suitable for the type of work to do (straight cut or for the miter cut).

1. GREScut blade – cutting slabs/tiles 6÷20 mm of porcelain stoneware (excellent finish)
2. DEKcut blade – cutting slabs/tiles 4÷20 mm of DEKTON and Porcelain Stoneware (good finish)
3. LAPIcut blade – cutting slabs/tiles 6÷20 mm of LAPITEC, DEKTON, and Porcelain Stoneware (good finish)
4. FORTYFIVE blade – cutting 3÷12 mm porcelain stoneware slabs/tiles (excellent finish on super thin thicknesses even at 45°)
5. MITERcut blade – cutting 6÷20 mm LAPITEC, DEKTON, and Porcelain stoneware slabs/tiles (excellent finish and suitable for 45° cuts)
6. LK39E blade – STONEGLASS@ cutting

Bridge/Banner saw without an inverter

If you have a bridge saw with no inverter in the main motor of the blade you have a fixed speed, typical in the banner saw machines or in the slightly older machines, then you can use one of the following blades:

1. LAPIcut blade – cutting slabs/tiles 6÷20 mm for good finishing
2. LK40C blade – cutting slabs/tiles 6÷20 mm for a medium level of finishing
3. LK39E blade – STONEGLASS@ cutting

Tile saw

For the tile saws (small portable cutters) the blade to be used are those of the LB and KP series. Obviously, these blades are supplied with the appropriate ring  spacer (fitting reductions) to be used in the most common cutters on the market (25.5 mm hole – 22.23 mm hole – 20mm hole)

1. KP35T blade – tile cutting 20÷30 mm for a high level of removal and life
2. LB35C blade – tile cutting 20÷30 mm for good finishing
3. LB39C blade – tile cutting 12÷20 mm for good finishing
4. LB40C blade – tile cutting 6÷12 mm for good finishing

Multi-blade cutting machine

For multi-blade machines, the tool selection must include a more specific analysis because the optimal blade can not be known in advance. It depends on a series of factors.

1. 
   Among the most used blades we can mention:
   
   
   

   The type of blade is determined case by case according to the number of heads used (multi-blade cutting machines come with 1, 2, or even 3 heads), the thickness of the material to cut and the blade life required.Among the most used blades we can mention: LX39R multi-disc machine blades: among the most used blades, they are suitable for the vast majority of materials and applications (recommended if you do not know which ones to use). LX43R multi-disc machine blades: discs with finer grain segments than the previous ones, ideal for obtaining cleaner cuts.

Angle grinder

For use on an angle grinder, the ceramic cutting disc is the DryCut, a professional disc that can be used dry and that is suitable to cut all types of ceramics.

1. DRYCUT disc- cutting slabs/tiles 5÷20 mm (excellent finish)

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This guide was written in collaboration between Marco Divita, CEO and Founder amastone and Massimiliano Lorandi, Marketing Manager Diatex Spa