A diamond blade does not actually cut. Instead, it grinds. They typically have rectangular teeth (segments) which contain diamond crystals embedded throughout the segment for grinding through very hard materials.
The bond is a term used for the softness or hardness of the powder metal being used to form the segments. The powdered metals hold the diamonds in place. The bond controls the rate at which the diamond segments wear down allowing new diamonds to become exposed at the surface to continue grinding with a "sharp" edge.
An important step in choosing a blade is to match the right bond to your specific material to be cut. Depending on the thickness of a surface to be cut, one will also want an appropriately-sized blade diameter. Additional factors to consider are the type and power of the equipment to be used and the availability of water. The hardness of the bond is inversely related to the hardness of the material to be cut. Harder materials need a softer bonded segment to allow for continuous diamond exposure. Softer materials like asphalt or freshly poured concrete can use a harder segment to resist the increased wear that softer, abrasive materials create. In addition, the diamonds' grit (size), toughness and concentration should also match the nature of the material to be sawed. For example, when hard materials are cut, the size of the diamonds should be smaller, because smaller diamonds are more easily to cut into hard materials.
Apart from the nature of the material to be sawed, there are also some other important aspects that should be considered when you are choosing a diamond blade for your application. These aspects include the type (manufacturing method) of the blade, the availability of water in the cutting process, the horsepower of your saw machine, whether you need the blade to make lower noise, and so on. For example, if the horsepower of your saw machine is big, the diamond concentration of the diamond blade should be higher, or its bond should be harder. Because when the diamond saw blade is used on a big-powered saw machine, the diamonds on the blade will receive bigger impact. Higher diamond concentration will decrease the impact on each single diamond in working. Harder bond can hold the diamonds more firmly.
