{"id":4879,"date":"2026-05-29T16:19:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T08:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opticalcutting.com\/?p=4879"},"modified":"2026-05-29T16:19:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T08:19:05","slug":"wire-saw-vs-id-saw-germanium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opticalcutting.com\/ko\/wire-saw-vs-id-saw-germanium\/","title":{"rendered":"\uc640\uc774\uc5b4 \uc3d8 vs ID \uc3d8 \uac8c\ub974\ub9c8\ub284: \uc5b4\ub5a4 \uc808\ub2e8 \ubc29\ubc95\uc774 \uc7ac\ub8cc\ub97c \ub354 \ub9ce\uc774 \uc808\uc57d\ud560\uae4c\uc694?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re processing germanium for infrared optics, the cutting method you choose determines how much usable material you get from each ingot \u2014 and at $1,800\u2013$2,400\/kg for optical-grade germanium, every millimeter of kerf loss has a dollar value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The traditional germanium cutting workflow uses two machines: a coring machine to extract cylindrical preforms from the ingot, then an internal diameter (ID) saw to slice those preforms into blanks. The newer approach uses a single closed-loop diamond wire saw to do both jobs. This article compares these two approaches with verified production data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\ube54\ud380
\ud751\uc5f0, \uad11\ud559 \uc720\ub9ac \ub4f1\uc744 \uc704\ud55c \ub8e8\ud504\ud615 \ub2e4\uc774\uc544\ubaac\ub4dc \uc640\uc774\uc5b4 \ud1b1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How the Traditional ID Saw Germanium Workflow Actually Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s important to understand that an ID saw doesn’t work alone in germanium processing. The standard traditional workflow requires two separate machines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1 \u2014 Coring machine<\/strong> extracts a cylindrical preform from the raw ingot. This is where the biggest material loss happens: the coring blade cuts a kerf of 5\u201310 mm<\/strong> per pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2 \u2014 ID saw<\/strong> slices the preform into individual blanks. The ID saw itself is relatively efficient, with a kerf of 0.3\u20130.5 mm<\/strong> \u2014 comparable to wire cutting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem isn’t the ID saw’s kerf. It’s the coring stage that precedes it. For a 200 mm diameter ingot weighing 3\u20134 kg ($6,000\u2013$10,000 in raw material), each coring cut wastes $11\u2013$15 of germanium at the 5 mm kerf width alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Wire Saw Cutting Replaces Both Machines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A closed-loop diamond wire saw like the SGI 40<\/a> eliminates the two-machine workflow entirely. One machine performs both contour extraction and slicing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\uc791\ub3d9<\/th>Wire Saw Parameter<\/th>Value<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Contour cutting (preform extraction)<\/td>\uc808\ub2e8 \ud3ed<\/td>0.5\u20130.6 mm<\/td><\/tr>
\uc724\uacfd \uc808\ub2e8<\/td>\uc640\uc774\uc5b4 \uc9c1\uacbd<\/td>0.35\u20130.5 mm<\/td><\/tr>
\uc724\uacfd \uc808\ub2e8<\/td>Wire speed<\/td>40\u201360 m\/s<\/td><\/tr>
\uc724\uacfd \uc808\ub2e8<\/td>Feed rate<\/td>4\u20138 mm\/\ubd84<\/td><\/tr>
Slicing (blank cutting)<\/td>\uc808\ub2e8 \ud3ed<\/td>0.5\u20130.6 mm<\/td><\/tr>
\uc2ac\ub77c\uc774\uc2f1<\/td>\uc640\uc774\uc5b4 \uc9c1\uacbd<\/td>0.35\u20130.42 mm<\/td><\/tr>
\uc2ac\ub77c\uc774\uc2f1<\/td>Wire speed<\/td>30\u201350 m\/s<\/td><\/tr>
\uc2ac\ub77c\uc774\uc2f1<\/td>Feed rate<\/td>10\u201320 mm\/min<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The wire saw’s kerf at the contour stage is 0.5\u20130.6 mm<\/strong> \u2014 roughly 10x less than the coring machine’s 5\u201310 mm. That’s where the material savings come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wire Saw vs ID Saw Germanium: Side-by-Side Comparison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\uc0ac\uc591<\/th>Wire Saw (SGI 40)<\/th>Traditional (Coring + ID Saw)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud544\uc694\ud55c \uae30\uacc4<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr>
Contour\/coring kerf<\/td>0.5\u20130.6 mm<\/td>5\u201310 mm<\/td><\/tr>
Slicing kerf<\/td>0.5\u20130.6 mm<\/td>0.3\u20130.5 mm (ID saw)<\/td><\/tr>
Surface roughness (Ra)<\/td>0.6\u20131.2 \u03bcm<\/td>Comparable<\/td><\/tr>
TTV (\u03a650 mm blank)<\/td>8\u201315 \u03bcm<\/td>Comparable<\/td><\/tr>
Edge chipping<\/td>< 0.1 mm<\/td>0.3\u20130.8 mm<\/td><\/tr>
\uc7a5\ube44 \ube44\uc6a9<\/td>31,000\u201339,000<\/td>$85,000\u2013$120,000<\/td><\/tr>
Max ingot capacity<\/td>\u03a6185 mm \u00d7 400 mm<\/td>Varies by model<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two things stand out in this comparison:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The ID saw actually has a narrower slicing kerf<\/strong> (0.3\u20130.5 mm vs 0.5\u20130.6 mm). If you only compared the slicing step, the ID saw wins on kerf. But the comparison that matters is the total workflow \u2014 and the coring machine’s 5\u201310 mm kerf dwarfs any slicing-stage advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Edge chipping drops by 3\u20138x.<\/strong> Wire cutting produces edge chipping below 0.1 mm, compared to 0.3\u20130.8 mm from traditional methods. This matters because lower edge chipping means the downstream centering and grinding stages<\/a> can remove less material \u2014 saving additional germanium and reducing cycle time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\uac8c\ub974\ub9c8\ub284
\ud751\uc5f0, \uad11\ud559 \uc720\ub9ac \ub4f1\uc744 \uc704\ud55c \ub8e8\ud504\ud615 \ub2e4\uc774\uc544\ubaac\ub4dc \uc640\uc774\uc5b4 \ud1b1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Economic Impact of Wire Saw vs ID Saw Germanium Processing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The economics break down into three categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equipment Investment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\ud56d\ubaa9<\/th>\uc640\uc774\uc5b4 \ud1b1<\/th>Traditional Combo<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Capital cost<\/td>31,000\u201339,000<\/td>$85,000\u2013$120,000<\/td><\/tr>
Monthly electricity (single shift)<\/td>~$35<\/td>\ub354 \ub192\uc74c<\/td><\/tr>
Monthly cutting oil<\/td>~$320 (80L)<\/td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr>
Diamond wire life<\/td>40 operating hours\/wire<\/td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The wire saw costs roughly 65% less<\/strong> in upfront equipment investment. For operations that need to cut germanium wafers without cracks<\/a>, this lower entry point makes it accessible to smaller manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\uc7ac\ub8cc \uc808\uc57d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At a germanium price of $2,200\/kg and processing 50 ingots per month:<\/p>\n\n\n\n