Ophthalmic surgical blades are manufactured from either a 
single crystal or poly-crystalline material, preferably in the form of a 
wafer. The method comprises preparing the 
single crystal or poly-crystalline wafers by mounting them and 
etching trenches into the wafers using one of several processes. Methods for 
machining the trenches, which form the bevel blade surfaces, include 
a diamond blade saw, 
laser system, ultrasonic 
machine, a hot 
forge press and a 
router. Other processes include wet 
etching (isotropic and anisotropic) and 
dry etching (isotropic and anisotropic, including 
reactive ion etching), and combinations of these 
etching steps. The wafers are then placed in an etchant solution which isotropically etches the wafers in a uniform manner, such that 
layers of crystalline or poly-crystalline material are removed uniformly, producing single, double or multiple bevel blades. Nearly any angle can be machined into the 
wafer, and the machined angle remains after etching. The resulting radii of the blade edges is 5-500 nm, which is the same 
caliber as 
a diamond edged blade, but manufactured at a fraction of the cost. A range of radii may be 30 to 60 nm, with a specific implementation being about 40 nm. The blade profile may have an angle of, for example, about 60°. The ophthalmic surgical blades can be used for cataract and refractive 
surgical procedures, as well as microsurgical, biological and non-medical, non-biological purposes. Surgical and non-surgical blades and 
mechanical devices manufactured as described herein can also exhibit substantially smoother surfaces than 
metal blades.