Laser Evaluation of Cutting Angle and Surface Finish in Scalpel Blades

A simple inexpensive technique to assess the sharpness of scalpel blades by laser diffraction is presented. Two of the factors that contribute to edge sharpness such as cutting angle and grinding finish of the side faces are evaluated by optical transformation techniques. One could therefore arrive at an optimum set of values of the above two factors which would in turn lead to the production of sharper blades.