A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF exactCUT BLADES AND HOW EVERYTHING WORKS

plumBOSS has a wide range of specially designed saw blades and diamond discs for our exactCUT Pipe Cutting machines. 

These blades are designed to provide a cutting solution for all the pipe materials that can possibly be cut with our machines. This means most, if not all pipe materials, can be cut with our machines and blades.

Some pipe materials are very straightforward to cut and doesn't have many affecting factors. However, some other pipe materials have more affecting factors in terms of the pipe cut outcome and naturally need a special blade for seamless cutting results. An example of this type is plastic and stainless pipework.

This guide is designed to give an overview and a deeper dive into the capabilities of our blades, machines and how they work on various pipe materials. 

The best practices and compatibilities can be found following this guide. The specifications in this guide are defined by the typical use cases as that covers the most usage and guidelines are more applicable for the equivalent. These are to give a strong direction to the given subjects, but as stated above, are to be considered in relation to your own unique situation and use case, which might vary more or less from the general approach of this guide. 

If you are unsure or need help, please discuss with us to ensure the correct solution to your needs. We are always happy to help.

View all blades >

CHOOSING THE RIGHT exactCUT BLADE/DISC FOR THE RIGHT exactCUT MACHINE

Choosing the right blade is crucial for successful pipe cutting results. Choosing the right blade results in straight, clean and seamless pipe cuts.

Cutting with the wrong blade can cause severe damage to the blade, pipe and machine.

Due to the nature and variance in pipe cutting needs, most blades are separately orderable as per your requirements. We want to keep the costs at the minimum – so you will only pay for what you really need.

Generally our exactCUT blades and discs can be categorized for the following pipe materials:

Cermet and INOX Blades:

These blades are especially intended for challenging stainless steel pipe cutting, but they are also suitable for regular steel materials. INOX saw blade is the premium version of Cermet, and designed specifically for stainless steel pipe cutting.

TCT Blades:

These blades are the most general saw blade, that is included with most pipe saws in the standard equipment. This blade is the most suitable for regular steel, easier plastic types, aluminum and copper.

TCT P Blades:

These blades are the way to go, when you want to cut both soft and hard plastic materials. TCT P is similar to TCT in terms of the blade material composition, but has specifically designed teeth and teeth spacing for plastic pipe cutting. 

ALU Blades: 

These blades are designed for cutting plastic pipes. The design of the blade teeth and and teeth spacing allow them to work really well for cutting HDPE and thick-walled plastic pipes.

Diamond X Blades: 

These blades are as the name states, a diamond  disc. These are intended only for cutting of cast iron, ductile (nodular cast iron), glass fiber etc. These blades also works well for cutting multi-layer pipes containing these pipe materials.

Diamond Cut & Bevel Discs 

These are very similar to Diamond X, with the biggest difference being that this blade can cut and bevel pipes in one process. Please note, only some machines can be mounted with this special blade.

Cut & Bevel Disc (Regular): 

These are similar to the above disc, meaning that this blade type is capable of cutting and beveling pipes in one process. However, regular cut bevel disc is only suitable for cutting and bevelling plastic pipe materials. Please note, only some machines can be mounted with this special blade.

RECOMMENDED COMPATIBILITY, BLADES FOR THE MOST OPTIMAL CUTTING RESULTS

Our blades’ have two main fundamentals, and it’s important to understand that although you can technically mount the blades on several machines, it does not necessarily mean that you should do so.

To make things easier we have put together a table of information information to help you choose the right blade for your needs, while showing which blades can be mounted on which machines.

Please read both sections to get a full understanding of the overview.

Below is the recommendation chart for blades and pipe materials.

Recommendation chart for blades 1 = Most suitable 2 = Suitable 3 = Suitable, but not recommended Empty space = Not suitable OR only for special application(s)
BLADE TYPE	Steel	Stainless steels	Cast Iron & Ductile	Glass fiber	Aluminum	Copper	Multi-layer plastics	Plastic PP	Plastic PE	Plastic PVC	Plastic HDPE
TCT	2	3			2	2	3	3	3	3	3
TCT Z	2	3			2	2	3	3	3	3	3
TCT P							1	1	1	1	1
INOX	1	1				2	3	3	3	3	3
CERMET	1	2				1	3	3	3	3	3
CERMET V	1	2			2
DIAMOND X			1	1			3	3	3	3	3
ALU					1		1	1	1	1	1
CUT BEVEL BLADE							1	1	1	1	1
DIAMOND CUT BEVEL DISC			1	1			3	3	3	3	3

Why are some of the fields empty?

This is due to some combinations for blades and intended pipe materials are not straightforward. Some of the reasons are:

• Simply not being suitable for the pipe material
• Not having enough cutting test data
• Conflicting cutting results
• Pipe wall thickness 

TECHNICAL COMPATIBILITY IN TERMS OF FITTING IN MEASUREMENTS

This means that all the blades that can be actually mounted on a specific exactCUT machine, from a technical viewpoint.

This does not necessarily mean that all the blades that can be mounted on the specific machines should actually be done so. The reason is simply that some blades produce significantly better results while mounted on their designated machine.

BLADE NAME

170E

220E

220 INOX

220 PRO

280 PRO

360 AIR

360 INOX

360 PRO

460 PRO

Infinity

P400 cord & cordless

P1000

TCT 140

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

TCT Z140

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

TCT 165

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

TCT P150

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

TCT P190

x

x

x

x

x

x

TCT P250

x

INOX 140

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

INOX 140 THIN

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

CERMET 130

x

CERMET 140

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

CERMET 140 THIN

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

CERMET 165

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

CERMET 180

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

CERMET V155

DIAMOND X140

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

DIAMOND X165

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

DIAMOND X180

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

ALU 140

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

ALU 165

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

ALU 180

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

CUT BEVEL BLADE 148 (PLASTIC)

x

x

CUT BEVEL BLADE 190 (PLASTIC)

x

DIAMOND CUT BEVEL DISC 140

CB ver.

x

x

DIAMOND CUT BEVEL DISC 165

CB ver.

CB ver.

CB ver.

x

WHAT BLADE SIZE SHOULD BE SELECTED, IF SEVERAL SIZES CAN BE CHOSEN?

General rule of thumb, is that when the goal is the most optimal pipe cutting results with the longest possible blade life, you should choose the smallest possible blade size suitable to your needs. 

Although, it is a good idea to pick a larger diameter blade size (than what you really need) to cover possible future needs.

Ultimately, this is a decision to be made between optimization: pipe cuttings results and short-term costs.

In the long-term operation it’s more cost effective to have several blade sizes and use the smallest diameter needed for the ongoing pipe cutting project. Although blades are designed to be as long lasting as possible, eventually the blades will wear out in use. For this reason it does not hurt to have several blade sizes, as it will be cost effective while also providing better pipe cutting results.

ALU, TCT P, OR SOMETHING ELSE FOR PLASTIC PIPE CUTTING?

	ALU Blades for Plastic Pipe Cutting This blade type was originally invented for aluminum pipe materials (hence the name), but was later discovered to work well for plastics.  Best suited for: Soft plastic materials. Also suits well for thick-walled plastic pipes. Why: The blade teeth are larger and the blade teeth spacing is larger (more room for the larger pipe chunks, thus not clogging so easily while cutting).
TCT P Blades for Plastic Pipe Cutting TCT P blades are specifically designed for plastic pipe cutting. This blade type provides the most all-around cutting for soft and hard plastic materials.  Best suited for: soft and hard plastic pipe materials. Why: The blade teeth are also larger than in typical TCT and the spacing is also larger, that drives the same purpose as ALU blade.
	TCT (Regular) & Cermet Blades for Plastic Pipe Cutting Generally suitable for plastic pipe cutting, but not the most optimal solution. Although the regular TCT and Cermet blades’ teeth material is similar to the TCT P, the teething is different in terms of shape, size and spacing.  The spacing between blade teeth is smaller than on TCT P and ALU blades. For that reason, pure plastic pipe cutting is recommended to be done with either TCT P or ALU blade for the best possible results. Best suited for: General plastic pipe cutting use. Why: While the blade’s material composition is suitable for piercing plastics easily, the teething is not optimal for plastic cutting and might cause clogging or inaccurate cutting results.

Other Blades for Plastic Pipe Cutting

It is possible to plastic pipes with some other blades. However, for demanding plastic pipe cutting, we recommend the use of the above blades. This is because of the blade teeth shape, size and spacing is not optimal for the cutting process and can generate a large amount of large plastic chips. These large plastic chips tend to clog the blade guard easily. Additionally, the cutting result might not be optimal. 

Ultimately, these are factors to be judged by your pipe cutting needs.

Want to order blades? Have a general enquiry? Contact us here!

• Share on:
• WhatsApp
• Deel
• X
• Pin it
• Messenger
• Email

---