In a wire saw, wire unwound from a reel onto at least two wire guide rollers (WGRs). The WGRs are notched at a predefined and constant spacing. This notching process is also known as grooving of the WGR. The wire is guided through each groove to form a wire web. The rotating WGRs move the wire web in one or both directions, depending on the application. Finally the wire is wound back onto a reel.
The workpiece to be sliced is lowered into the wire web where a diamond wire cuts the material into slices or wafers. Abrasion is caused by the diamonds, which are mechanically attached to the wire. Only a coolant, usually water, is added during cutting, and no slurry is needed. The thickness of the wafers is defined by the distance between the grooves of the WGRs.
