On a band saw, a horizontally mounted unalloyed steel blade is guided in a continuous loop over two motor-driven aluminum wheels and tensioned by a hydraulic tensioning unit. The load on the band saw blade is defined by pressure sensors and is monitored and displayed constantly by the control system. The band saw blade is coated with a layer of particles, normally made of diamond.
Band saws slice big silicon, quartz glass, or ceramic workpieces very precisely, but only single cuts are made as a rule. The workpiece, such as a silicon ingot, is raised on a mounting table at a set feed rate into the running band saw blade. The blade is cleaned by water nozzles, wipers, and air nozzles. Fresh water provides efficient cooling of the band saw blade as well as clean and flush the machining area.
