Selecting the correct drilling tool

The right drilling tool can significantly reduce costs and enhance productivity — but the correct choice depends on the material and production requirements.

Depending on application requirements, there is a place for both multipurpose and application specific drilling tools. Versatile, multipurpose drilling tools are designed to work on a wide range of materials, and are especially suitable for common materials ranging from carbon steels, stainless steels, aluminum and copper alloys, and, to some extent, certain nickel alloys. To minimize tool changes, multipurpose drilling tools can be beneficial to job shops with a higher mix and lower volume of parts.

Alternatively, application specific drills with a specialized design may be a better choice when drilling challenging materials such as titanium and nickel alloys, Inconel and high-strength and hardened steels and hard castings. These tools have been designed to provide options for specific challenging materials, and to maximize hole quality in longer production runs. These higher performance tools with specialized geometries are the go-to choice for specific material groups or applications where cycle time is critical.

Ultimately, if you’re ever unsure about which tool to select, reach out to your tooling supplier. The following real-world application use cases demonstrate how consulting with your tooling supplier for advice and application testing will greatly assist with making the optimal choice.

Case Study 1: Abrasive Steel Dies

A precision electrical components manufacturer had been using a high-speed drilling strategy to drill extremely abrasive 25-30 Rc CPM10V steel dies with high-speed steel and cobalt drilling tools. Each part required 100 drilled holes and the manufacturer produced about 50 parts per job for a total of 5,000 holes. The manufacturer only achieved two holes per drilling tool, using 2,500 tools to complete the job at a total tooling cost of $19,575.

EMUGE recommended the manufacturer rework and optimize the speeds and feeds to test an EMUGE solid carbide MultiDRILL multipurpose drilling tool that cost more than the tool the company had been using. After testing, the manufacturer put the MultiDRILL into production and saved $57,570 on the job when factoring in all costs including tooling, labor and regrinds.

Now 400 holes are being drilled per tool compared to two holes with the original tool. The MultiDRILL features concave cutting edges, providing higher chip shearing ability and a tightly controlled edge preparation process that provides consistent performance and long tool life. The drills are constructed using specialized carbide grades that make the tools harder than conventional carbide grains for drilling, yet still retain the ability to withstand shock and chipping. Also, the tool coating has high hardness that reduces friction at elevated temperatures.