Diamond crystals can be synthetically grown in a wide variety of qualities, shapes and sizes. Synthetic diamond has replaced natural diamond in virtually all construction applications because of this ability to tailor-make the diamond for the specific application. Diamond is grown with smooth crystal faces in a cubo-octahedral shape and the color is typically from light yellow to medium yellow-green. Diamond is also grown to a specific toughness, which generally increases as the crystal size decreases. The size of the diamond crystals, commonly referred to as mesh size, determines the number of diamond cutting points exposed on the surface of a saw blade. In general, larger mesh size diamond is used for cutting softer materials while smaller mesh size diamond is used for cutting harder materials. However, there are many interrelated factors to consider and these general guidelines may not always apply.
Synthetic diamond can be grown in a variety of mesh sizes to fit the desired application. Mesh sizes are generally in the range of 20 to 50 U.S. Mesh (840 to 297 microns) in construction applications. The size of the diamond crystals as well as the concentration determines the amount of diamond that will be exposed above the cutting surface of the segments on the blade. The exposure, or height, of diamond protrusion influences the depth of cut of each crystal, and subsequently, the potential material removal rate. Larger diamond crystals and greater diamond protrusion will result in a potentially faster material removal rate when there is enough horsepower available. As a general rule, when cutting softer materials, larger diamond crystals are used, and when cutting harder materials, smaller crystals are used.