Blade Resharpening
Info. & Technical
MISGUIDED THEORIES
Some people would encourage you to believe that re-sharpened blades will not last as long as new.
And some of them actually believe it!
The most common misconception is that blades are “softened” by re-sharpening.
FACTS
Plotter blades are made from tungsten carbide (more like a ceramic than a metal).
Tungsten Carbide is second in hardness only to the diamonds we use to grind it.
Tungsten Carbide cannot be melted or softened by grinding.
Tungsten Carbide cannot be melted or softened by heat.
(Unless you send it to the sun)
If blades are re-processed CORRECTLY they should perform AS NEW in EVERY respect.
If a re-sharpened blade does not last it has little to do with the hardness of the carbide.
It is more likely to be because it was re-processed incorrectly.
And, probably, has more to do with the use (or misuse) of the blade or the plotter.
We design most blade types to be re-sharpenable.
We often re-process blades we manufactured over 20 years ago (yes! over 20 years ago) and surprisingly they now cut better than they did when they were new, not because the tungsten carbide has matured or hardened with age, (like us) but because, over the years, we have improved our processes.
The manufacture of tungsten carbide involves highly toxic substances, consumes vast amounts of energy, and wolframite (the ore from which it is made) is rare and valuable.
It is not in our interest to say so, because as blade manufacturers we benefit from customers being wasteful, but to throw away blades that could be re-processed cost effectively is wasteful and costly for you, and damaging to the environment.
Most plotter blades can be re-sharpened successfully.
But not always cost effectively.
Before you throw them away you should check.
Unless you like to waste money.
See: Blade Exchange - New Blades for Old