More about Drilling

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Drilling constitutes nearly one-quarter of all machining operations performed each year. A large number of the machines used in manufacturing are capable of drilling. These include CNC machining devices, milling devices and lathes, among others. There are also machines specialized for drilling, called drill presses. Although creating holes may not seem very difficult, drilling often involves complex machinery and mathematics, as well as many complicated interactions between machine parts and work materials.

In general, drilling machines are categorized into seven types based on design. Bench drill presses allow operators to drill holes up to a half inch in diameter. The size of a component able to be drilled on a bench drill press is directly related to various aspects of the drill presses size and alignment. Upright drill machines share a similar design and use a motor and geared transmission to alternate speeds. Radial drilling machines are typically used for more heavy duty components. On a radial drilling machine, the spindle head that holds the drill bit can be moved across a horizontal radial arm. Gang-drilling machines are used to perform multiple drilling processes, and contain a number of drilling columns and spindles. Multiple spindle machines are meant for mass-production, and are giant machines with up to 50 spindles. Deep-hole drilling machines are drill presses specialized for long holes. These high-speed drills can be used for machining long tubes and rods, and their cutting edges can be fed coolant while drilling deep in a shaft. The final drill type is a transfer drilling machine.

Speed and feed are very important to drilling. Basically, these two factors concern the drill’s rotational speed and the rate at which the drill bit is fed into a piece. Feed rates and cutting speed should vary depending on the material being drilled, as well as the material of the drill bit. Various cutting fluids are also essential to certain drilling operations. Common cutting fluids include sulfurized oil and kerosene, although different work materials require different fluids.