Footprint Test · signature workflow
Tooling sequence
Click each tool to inspect its footprint. Run them one at a time on a test slab and record what you see.
Clean removal
Partial / scratches remain
Over-removal / burn
Chatter
Water coverage
Evaluate the footprint
After running the active tool, record what you see on the test slab. ToolPrint AI tunes the next move from your answer.
After running Tool 1 (#50 metal), what did you see on the edge?
ToolPrint AI recommends
- Evaluate the active tool to get specific RPM, feedrate, and water adjustments.
Run cycle impact
Per-piece edge time with the current sequence and stack plan.
mm · 59 in
spindle swap + re-zero
Tool families · bond types & tradeoffs
Mixing bond types changes the cost / life curve. Match the bond to the position's job, not the brand on the box.
Sintered Continuous Diamond
Diamonds fused into a metal matrix. Long life, premium cost, most consistent finish — the Super Z baseline.
Life high · Cost high · Finish premium
Vacuum Brazed
Single-layer diamond bonded by brazing alloy. Aggressive cut, profileable. Typical grits 30/40 and 50/60 — runs upstream of POS 1 to take bulk material off cheaper.
Life medium · Cost low · Finish coarse
Electroplated
Nickel-plated diamond layer. Finer than VB, lowest cost, shortest life. Typical grits 50, 100, 200 — bridges from VB or pre-shape into the sintered wheels.
Life short · Cost lowest · Finish medium
Why mix bond types
- VB / EP upstream extends sintered life. Bulk removal happens on the cheap bond. The expensive Continuous Diamond wheels only finish — they wear at the rate they were priced for, not at bulk-removal pace.
- Profile consistency improves. VB and EP can be profiled to match your contour. The sintered wheel then refines an existing profile instead of cutting one from rough stock — chatter and edge dip drop sharply.
- Less tooling maintenance. Sintered wheels dressed less often. VB/EP get swapped when worn rather than re-dressed.
- Full alternative sets exist — Marmo Elettromeccanica (MEM) ships VB and EP families with matched polishers. If you're running heavy production on a budget tool stack, an all-VB or all-EP sequence is viable — just plan for more frequent tool changes.
"Every tool should leave a controlled footprint."
Each position in the sequence has one job: remove the marks left by the previous position, leave a predictable footprint of its own, and hand off cleanly to the next. When you can see that handoff — on a test slab with inspection dots marked along the edge — quality stops being tribal knowledge and starts being measurable.
- Eight positions, not seven. POS 1, 2, 3, 4, then 5S (transition), then Resin 1 / 2 / 3 polish wheels (grits 800 / 1500 / 3000). The 5S step bridges Continuous Diamond to the resin polish — skip it and the polish wheels fight a too-coarse handoff.
- Removal targets are the contract. POS 1 takes 0.4 mm. POS 2 takes 0.2. POS 3 takes 0.1. POS 4 and 5S hold at 0.05. Resin polish wheels take zero — they should just kiss the material. Any real removal at the resin stage means the diamond steps above didn't finish their job.
- Diameter changes everything but RPM. A 120 mm wheel at Median feeds 4,500 mm/min on POS 2. The same tier on 60 mm runs 3,750. The same on 20 mm runs ~900. Feed scales with contact length; RPM doesn't.
- Field-validated max — on 120 mm POS 2 & POS 3, the published High Speed feed is 12,700 mm/min (500 in/min) at 6,500 rpm. Operators have pushed to 25,400 mm/min (1,000 in/min) at ~10,000 rpm with controlled footprints. The published number is the manufacturer's safe envelope, not the ceiling.
RPM & Feedrate · live tuning
Predicted outcome
Surface finish
Smooth
Within polish range for active tool.
Burn risk
Low
Heat stays in evacuation window.
Chatter risk
Low
Chip load looks healthy.
Wear rate
Normal
Production speed inside target zone.
How RPM and feed talk to each other
Two settings, one chip load. Move one, the other has to follow.
- High RPM, low feed → exposure goes up. Diamonds dwell on the same chip. Heat builds, resin glazes, tool wears in one spot.
- Low RPM, high feed → chip per revolution gets huge. The tool tries to grab and skip. Chatter, ribbing, edge dip.
- Match by material → granite tolerates speed; quartz punishes it. Quartzite shifts every shipment — recalibrate per slab batch.
- Use feed to tune exposure → if a tool is burning, slow the spindle or speed the feed. Don't change both at once or you'll lose the signal.
External water · cooling, flushing, slurry
Tune the nozzle
Coverage read
- Nozzle at 45° leads the cut — cools the diamond before it engages stone. Good default for shaping and finish polish.
Internal vs external water — quick read
Two systems, two jobs. Most edge problems come from running one when you needed both.
- Internal water → pushed through the spindle and out the tool body. Cools the diamond at the contact point. Required for heat-sensitive work (quartz, resin tools).
- External water → flushes slurry, controls splash, and pre-wets the leading edge. Without it, slurry packs into the kerf and you get drag, glaze, and uneven polish.
- Combined → default for serious finish work. Internal at moderate pressure for cooling, external at high volume for flushing.
- Too much external pressure → water bounces off, never reaches the diamond. The tool runs hot and you don't see it until the burn shows up.
Defect library · identify, diagnose, fix
Material profiles · how each stone behaves under tooling
| Material | RPM band | Feed band | Water | Tool stress | Watch for |
|---|
Why material context matters
A setup that runs a granite job at 200 SF/week will destroy quartz in a single shift.
- Granite → aggressive removal, heat tolerant. You can push speed; the stone forgives you.
- Quartz → resin sensitive. Heat = burn. Slow the spindle and increase water before you increase pressure.
- Quartzite → hardness varies between slabs from the same batch. Recalibrate per shipment; tool life drops sharply.
- Marble → soft cut, water sensitive. Too much pressure crushes grain structure; you'll see it as cloudiness in the polish.
- Porcelain → microfracture risk. The chip is invisible until you polish over it. Lighter touch, more passes.
- Ultra compact → expensive material, narrow tool window. Get a tool maker's chart and stay inside it.
Tooling library · pre-shape stock removal
| Tool | Purpose | When required | RPM | Feed |
|---|
Tooling library · Vacuum Brazed (upstream alternative)
| POS | Tool | Grit | RPM | Feed | Removal | Role |
|---|
Tooling library · Electroplated (upstream alternative)
| POS | Tool | Grit | RPM | Feed | Removal | Role |
|---|
Tooling library · Super Z wheel matrix
| Step | Tool | Type | RPM | Feed (mm/min) | Water | Best for |
|---|
Reference: Full vacuum brazed and electroplated tool sets (including matched polishers) are published by Marmo Elettromeccanica. View the 2023 MEM North America catalog →
Sequence Builder · drag-and-drop your own tool stack