Diamond-Tipped Tungsten Carbide Razor Blade that Can Split Human Hair in Half to Kill Disposable Razors?

Back in 2010, a German outfit discovered the ultimate cutting tool: a diamond tipped carbide razor blade made of tungsten that is not just sharp but also precise enough to split a strand of hair in half. Although not yet available commercially, the new carbide blade is a positive sign of the further advancement of cutting technologies.

The innovative new razor blade is not just capable of cutting as precisely as needed, but is also capable of retaining its sharpness up to 1000 times longer than the conventional blade of today.

So what did it take to create? The blade is made of tungsten carbide material, which means it is not that expensive. But it has a nanocrystalline diamond coating that undergoes a special plasma sharpening technology that polishes the jeweled layers and makes them sharp and precise. This special plasma sharpening process is the key to the new technology and was what led the German researchers to develop the new blade. The process also marked another milestone as it became the first to combine the world’s hardest material with the sharpest cutting edge.

What is most interesting about this development is the fact that it still uses the same material as the cutting industry have always been using – diamond. Boasting of extreme hardness and longer life spans than blades made of steel, blades made of diamond have long been used as the ultimate cutting tools. And this new advancement is proof that diamonds are capable of so much more, if only humans are patient and determined enough to unearth its full potential.

But one of the reasons why humans are not able to maximize the use of diamonds is their rarity in the world. Due to this, using diamonds in manufacturing processes, even artificially produced ones, is coupled with high costs.

But this is where the diamond-tipped tungsten carbide razor blade once again differs from the conventional blade.

Thanks to the plasma sharpening technology, the blade is polished so that the cutting edge is just 50 nanometers thick, which means it consists of only a few atoms. Thus, each blade uses only a very thin layer of manufactured diamonds, which meant that manufacturing cost is relatively low despite the enhanced cutting capability of the new blade.