The video shows how to properly cut 20 mm thick porcelain tiles used for outdoor installation today. There are numerous Italian and non-Italian ceramics that have started production of this type of product, which is perhaps best called porcelain slabs.
The cutting of these porcelain slabs is very different from the cutting of “standard thickness” tiles. The extreme hardness of the material combined with the thickness of the material put a strain on diamond blades commonly used by tilers.
What often happens is that the base blade cuts well one or two tiles after which’ it loses its cutting capacity and the diamond crown becomes so damaged that it is no longer even possible to revive the blade with common reviving stones.
Many tilers or masons have found a first solution by using segmented turbo-section diamond discs, more aggressive discs that cut this type of slab more easily but in contrast give a poor cutting finish. With this solution you then find yourself having to spend time after each cut to finish it, especially if it’s an exposed cut.
What we recommend is to use a ceramic disc but revive it very often. If you use a low-quality disk’ you will need’ to revive it even 2 or 3 times during a same cut, with the costs related to the consumption of many diamond stones.
Montolit has developed a special disc called DNA (SCX), used in the video above, that can easily cut both these thickened slabs and common porcelain tiles. This disc also needs to be brightened but every 2 or 3 cuts and has a significantly higher cutting speed and durability on this type of material.