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.