Nv Bekaert Sa

Saint-gobain Performance Plastics Chaineux S.a.

Jan Vaneecke

Tom Baekelandt

Peter Persoone

Roland Groenen

Robrecht Moerkerke

Martin Lange

Rebecca Lameire

Christy De Meyer

Sergey Lapshin

A method to make sawing beads by means of laser cladding is disclosed whereby metal matrix powder is molten by means of a laser beam on a rotating sleeve while diamonds are thrown in the molten metal pool. By carefully controlling the temperature of the molten metal pool at or above 1150&#xb0; C. for less than 200 ms the internal graphitization of the diamonds can be limited. Although some of the diamonds in the sawing bead show internal graphitization it is demonstrated by the inventors that a sawing cord using the bead obtained by the method has an above standard sawing performance.

Sawing beads and method for making the same

A method is described for producing a sawing bead for use in a sawing cord. Sawing cords are used for cutting hard and brittle materials. In the method, laser cladding is used to form an abrasive layer on a small metallic tube () or sleeve. The abrasive layer () comprises a metal matrix material in which abrasive particles such as diamond, cubic boron nitride or other hard cutting materials are embedded. The metal matrix material preferably comprises an active metal that improves wetting and adhesion of the abrasive particles. Although the abrasive particles are relative large&#x2014;with a particle size in excess of 100 &#x3bc;m&#x2014;they are evenly distributed throughout the abrasive layer. This is achieved by letting the tube () rotate relative to the laser cladding system possibly in combination with a relative axial movement so that the cladding track loops on itself thereby forming an abrasive layer (). Additionally the method allows to shape the sawing bead for improved geometrical tolerances and centricity. Production times are less than ten seconds per bead and the method is easily automated.

Method to produce a sawing bead

A sawing wire () with abrasive particles () is presented wherein the particles () are partly embedded in said a metallic core () and partly in said an organic binder layer (). The advantage of the wire () is that the application of a metallic binder layer () can be avoided. Metallic binder layers add to the cost of a fixed abrasive sawing wire and in many cases pose health and safety problems which can be avoided by the use of an organic binder layer. Moreover the advantages of a good fixture of the abrasive particles in the metallic wire are maintained. Different embodiments are presented with different degrees of embedment into the metal wire.

Sawing wire with abrasive particles partly embedded in a metal wire and partly held by an organic binder

Growing community of inventors

Gits, Belgium

Jan Vaneecke