Dust not in the wind

Drilling carbon- and glass-fiber composites, as well as graphite carbon, thermosetting plastics, green ceramics and green carbide, generates dust that poses a health hazard to workers. Vacuuming it through a hood assembly placed over the drill is a possible solution, but it is difficult to correctly position the hood and avoid interfering with the tool while effectively removing the particles, according to Randy Prafke, operations manager at Lach Diamond Inc.

The situation becomes more problematic as the drill diameter increases. “Those bigger drills produce so much dust that a standard vacuum system can’t handle it,” he said, adding that the dust pours across the workpiece. “When you get into this kind of material, you don’t want that dust flying around all over the place.”

To effectively suction and remove the dust particles, the toolmaker’s German parent company, Jakob Lach GmbH & Co. KG, developed a PCD-tipped drill with an internal extraction system through the center of the tool body. Because part manufacturers generally dry-machine these types of workpiece materials, coolant doesn’t need to be delivered through the drill, Prafke noted. “It’s basically the reverse of supplying coolant.”

Courtesy of Lach Diamond

Lach Diamond’s PCD-tipped drill with an internal extraction system through the center of the tool body is demonstrated at EMO.